four o'clock
The boys , who were not romantic , as a rule , dropped the Fairies , and called it The Dell . As has been said , this spot was chosen as the arena for the few fistic encounters which the annals of Weston could enumerate , and a better place for the purpose there could hardly be . There was plenty of room for a ring at the bottom , and the gently sloping sides would accommodate a large number of spectators , all of whom had a good sight of what was going on , while the whole party were concealed from view . At four o'clock on the Saturday afternoon this hollow was thickly studded with Westonians , and all the best places taken . The masters usually took advantage of the half-holiday to go out somewhere for the afternoon , but still ordinary precautions to avoid observation had not been neglected . The boys did not repair to the appointed spot in large noisy bodies , but in small groups , quietly and unostentatiously . Some of them took their bats and balls out , and began playing at cricket , and then stole off to the rendezvous , which was close to them .