eleven o’clock
The name of him upon whom the spirit of prophecy thus descended was John Willet , a burly , large-headed man with a fat face , which betokened profound obstinacy and slowness of apprehension , combined with a very strong reliance upon his own merits . It was John Willet 's ordinary boast in his more placid moods that if he were slow he was sure ; which assertion could , in one sense at least , be by no means gainsaid , seeing that he was in everything unquestionably the reverse of fast , and withal one of the most dogged and positive fellows in existence -- always sure that what he thought or said or did was right , and holding it as a thing quite settled and ordained by the laws of nature and Providence , that anybody who said or did or thought otherwise must be inevitably and of necessity wrong . Mr Willet walked slowly up to the window , flattened his fat nose against the cold glass , and shading his eyes that his sight might not be affected by the ruddy glow of the fire , looked abroad . Then he walked slowly back to his old seat in the chimney-corner , and , composing himself in it with a slight shiver , such as a man might give way to and so acquire an additional relish for the warm blaze , said , looking round upon his guests : ` It 'll clear at eleven o'clock . No sooner and no later . Not before and not arterwards . ' ` How do you make out that ? '