a
quarter to eleven
`` Mrs. de Tracy always prefers that the Stoke Revel guests should walk down together , as it sets a good example to the villagers . '' `` What Nelson said about going to church with Lady Hamilton ! '' Lavendar had once commented , irrepressibly , but the allusion , rather fortunately , was lost upon Miss Smeardon . Mark began to picture the familiar Sunday scene to himself ; Miss Smeardon in the hall at a quarter to eleven punctually , marshalling the church-goers ; and Mrs. Loring , -- she would be late of course , and come fluttering downstairs in some bewitching combination of flowery hat and floating scarf that no one had ever seen before . What a lover 's opportunity in this lateness , thought the young man to himself ; but one could enjoy a walk to church in charming company , though something less than a lover . It was Mrs. de Tracy 's custom , on Sunday mornings , to precede her household by half an hour in going to the sanctuary . No infirmities of old age had invaded her iron constitution , and it was nothing to her to walk alone to the church of Stoke Revel , steep though the hill was which led down through the ancient village to the yet more ancient edifice at its foot .