a quarter to ten
If Mr Clinton had been head of a firm , he would never have had in his office a man who sauntered in the morning . If a man wanted to loiter , let him go to the West-end ; there he could lounge about all day . But the city was meant for business , and there was n't time for West-end airs in the city . Mr Clinton reached his office at a quarter to ten , except when the train , by some mistake , arrived up to time , when he arrived at nine-thirty precisely . On these occasions he would sit in his room with the door open , awaiting the coming of the office-boy , who used to arrive two minutes before Mr Clinton and was naturally much annoyed when the punctuality of the train prepared him a reprimand . ` Is that you , Dick ? ' called Mr Clinton , when he heard a footstep .