eight o'clock
`` To tell you the truth now that I come to think of it , I do n't think I had even one wink last night . '' The annual examinations commenced the next morning and lasted throughout the week . It was a time of apprehension to some , of exultation to others , and of tremendous interest to all ; for these examinations , averaged in with the previous records made in daily recitations and monthly examinations , were to determine the class rank of each midshipman . The examinations were written ; they began at eight o'clock each morning and lasted till one . In the afternoons hundreds of midshipmen were to be seen streaming through the pleasant grounds of the Naval Academy , many of them accompanied by pretty girls who seemed to think that the institution 's chief purpose was to provide them with pleasant times . For though the examinations took all of the mornings , in the afternoons were teas , launch parties and impromptu dances . And happy were the midshipmen who were without fear of failure , and so could afford these social pleasures .