seventeen minutes past five
Objection to being near David ! Emily sprang to her feet . Six o'clock was the hour set for the start of the Beach race . And it was just seventeen minutes past five when Dick Ffrench , hanging in a frenzy of anxiety over the paddock fence circling the inside of the mile oval , uttered something resembling a howl and rushed to the gate to signal his recreant driver . From the opposite side of the track Lestrange waved gay return , making his way through the officials and friends who pressed around him to shake hands or slap his shoulder caressingly , jesting and questioning , calling directions and advice . A brass band played noisily in the grand-stand , where the crowd heaved and surged ; the racing machines were roaring in their camps . `` What 's the matter ?