a quarter before twelve
Marcel and Rodolphe maintained the stirrups of self-possession , expecting the catastrophe , not without anxiety . The stranger regarded the scene with grave curiosity ; from time to time he opened his mouth as if for a smile ; then you might have heard a noise like that of a window which creaks in shutting . It was the stranger laughing to himself . At a quarter before twelve the bill was sent up . It amounted to the enormous sum of twenty five francs and three-quarters . `` Come , '' said Marcel , `` we will draw lots for who shall go and diplomatize with our host . It is getting serious . ''