ten minutes past
ten
`` As it 's a nasty day , '' she reflected , `` it wo n't do me so much damage . My hat and my boots will make them give me the benefit of the doubt and think I 'm saving my good clothes . '' She passed through the office at five minutes to ten . When she reached Lange 's winter garden , its clock said ten minutes past ten , but she knew it must be fast . Only one of the four musicians had arrived -- the man who played the drums , cymbals , triangle and xylophone -- a fat , discouraged old man who knew how easily he could be replaced . Neither Lange nor his wife had come ; her original friend , the Austrian waiter , was wiping off tables and cleaning match stands . He welcomed her with a smile of delight that showed how few teeth remained in the front of his mouth and how deeply yellow they were .