five
minutes to three
The one thing nobody should dare lose is -- time ! '' Mrs. Calvert gave him a surprised look but she had also been hurt by Dorothy 's absence during the brief space that remained to them together , and she hastened to deliver the many last charges and bits of advice that seemed needful before their parting . A waiter placed their dinner before the three young folks and Alfy and Leslie fell to work upon it with hungry zeal , but Dorothy could not eat . Her eye had discovered a clock on the wall , with the hands pointing five minutes to three . At ten minutes past that hour the `` Eastern Limited '' would roll out of the station and she be left behind . In a sudden impulse , she threw her arms about Aunt Betty 's neck , begging : `` Take me with you ! Please take me with you !