a quarter to three
That is a real fine tramp , Miss ; you want to sing almost , and yet it 's too beautiful to be broken by a sound . And then there 's a fortnight in the Spring when the birds come over -- oh ! that 's wonderful . If you start about half-past two or a quarter to three , you get in amongst them ; and the first thing you hear is the whistle , quick , and sharp , and yet far away , of the curlews . Then you begin to feel that they are passing overhead ; you ca n't see anything ; it is like a whisper filling all the air ; the darkness is just full of wings -- soft and soft ; you 're afraid to put up your hand in case you might hurt some poor creature at the end of its long voyage ; and you listen and listen as you walk along , waiting for the gray daylight in the east , to show them where to pick up some food in the fields . Ah ! Miss , if you only had the courage to rise as early as that -- ' ` Oh , I will -- I will ! '