a quarter to ten
Ivor , she thought , had an interesting mind . The two young ladies parted affectionately . The nearest Roman Catholic church was upwards of twenty miles away . Ivor , who was punctilious in his devotions , came down early to breakfast and had his car at the door , ready to start , by a quarter to ten . It was a smart , expensive-looking machine , enamelled a pure lemon yellow and upholstered in emerald green leather . There were two seats -- three if you squeezed tightly enough -- and their occupants were protected from wind , dust , and weather by a glazed sedan that rose , an elegant eighteenth-century hump , from the midst of the body of the car . Mary had never been to a Roman Catholic service , thought it would be an interesting experience , and , when the car moved off through the great gates of the courtyard , she was occupying the spare seat in the sedan .