nine o'clock
For the last half hour he gave them a short lecture on geography , drawing a map on the black-board , taking a traveller from place to place , and telling them what he saw there . Then he set them each a task to be learned and a few sums to be done by the following Friday , and they returned to the club-room greatly pleased with the first night 's lessons . It was not always so light , but the lads were in earnest and really worked hard . Jack visited the room on the off nights , explained questions they did not understand , and after nine o'clock generally read aloud for half an hour while they smoked ; that is to say , he read short sentences and then one or other read them after him , Jack correcting mistakes in dialect and pronunciation . Mr. Merton had indeed been a friend to Jack Simpson , but there was another friend to whom , according to his promise , Jack reported his doings , not telling everything , perhaps , for Jack was not very apt to talk or write about himself ; but once a year he sent a letter in reply to a long and wise one which he received from his friend the artist , according to their agreement , for Jack had not `` given up . '' Before the end of a month Mr. Dodgson wrote to Mr. Merton , saying that , thanks to Jack , the night-school was a great success , that the lads all behaved extremely well , and were making really surprising efforts to improve themselves . He augured great things for the village from the movement .