one minute past eleven
On went the hands of the clock . At one minute to eleven all was peaceful and orderly . At eleven the masters departed for the usual brief interval . At one minute past eleven all was war and tumult ! How , where , with whom the conflict commenced it is impossible to say . There was no warning , no formal outbreak -- only in a moment the quiet room became a battle-field , filled with a seething crowd of furious , struggling lads . An odd feature of the battle was its comparative silence .