About midday
Strutter , Tedbury , and a few other Limpets were anxious to study geology that afternoon at the Town Museum , Pringle wanted to see how his `` uncle '' was getting on , etcetera , etcetera . All which ingenious pretexts the captain very naturally saw through and firmly declined , much to the mortification of the applicants -- who many of them returned to the charge with fresh and still more ingenious arguments for making an exception in their particular case . But all to no effect . About midday the captain 's study was empty , and the following notice pasted on the door told its own story . Notice . _ By the Doctor 's order , no permits will be allowed to-morrow . Call-over will be at four instead of five _ .