a quarter to eight
You stay where you are or you may catch a chill . Do n't stir out of bed ! '' `` I wo n't , '' said Eustace obediently . § 4 Of all the leisured pursuits , there are few less attractive to the thinking man than sitting in a dark cupboard waiting for a house-party to go to bed ; and Sam , who had established himself in the one behind the piano at a quarter to eight , soon began to feel as if he had been there for an eternity . He could dimly remember a previous existence in which he had not been sitting in his present position , but it seemed so long ago that it was shadowy and unreal to him . The ordeal of spending the evening in this retreat had not appeared formidable when he had contemplated it that afternoon in the lane ; but , now that he was actually undergoing it , it was extraordinary how many disadvantages it had . Cupboards , as a class , are badly ventilated , and this one seemed to contain no air at all ; and the warmth of the night , combined with the cupboard 's natural stuffiness , had soon begun to reduce Sam to a condition of pulp .