"I'll give her the ten minutes and then I'm off," he muttered, and then aloud to the Prince: "I'll join you in confounding all
clocks, my friend, and throw in women, too."
The
clocks carved upon the furniture took to dancing as if bewitched, while those upon the mantel-pieces could scarcely contain themselves for fury, and kept such a continual striking of thirteen, and such a frisking and wriggling of their pendulums as was really horrible to see.
His blue handkerchief was spread over his knees, as was usual indoors, when it was not hanging over his head; and he sat watching what went forward with the quiet OUTWARD glance of healthy old age, which, disengaged from any interest in an inward drama, spies out pins upon the floor, follows one's minutest motions with an unexpectant purposeless tenacity, watches the flickering of the flame or the sun-gleams on the wall, counts the quarries on the floor, watches even the hand of the
clock, and pleases itself with detecting a rhythm in the tick.
Verily, in those have I mine amusement: wherever I find such
clocks I shall wind them up with my mockery, and they shall even whirr thereby!
And, anon, there strikes the ebony
clock which stands in the hall of the velvet.
If I took up my position "under the shadow of Saint Paul's," say, at ten that night, I should arrive at the place of meeting with two hours to spare, before the last stroke of the
clock marked the beginning of the new month.
"Oh, children of the Prophet, it is known unto you that a Portuguee dog of a Christian
clock mender pollutes the city of Tangier with his presence.
While the girls were still admiring Francine, the
clock struck the half-hour past eleven.
But as the time went on, he manifested some anxiety and surprise, glancing at the
clock more frequently and at the window less hopefully than before.
So cold, so cold--oh, that rain last night!--and the strokes of the
clock, the strokes I can't count, keep striking in my head
I entered an empty lecture-room one day just before the
clock struck.
The concentrated activity which had begun at the Emperor's headquarters in the morning and had started the whole movement that followed was like the first movement of the main wheel of a large tower
clock. One wheel slowly moved, another was set in motion, and a third, and wheels began to revolve faster and faster, levers and cogwheels to work, chimes to play, figures to pop out, and the hands to advance with regular motion as a result of all that activity.
I am wholly at your service - until twelve o'
clock."
de Treville's, as nine o'
clock had just struck, and as Planchet, who had not yet made the bed, was beginning his task, a knocking was heard at the street door.
The big curved wings on either side flapped disconcertingly, flapped again' click,
clock, click,
clock, clitter-clock!
