nine o'clock
It was a bright , frosty day , and the whole place seemed full of life and activity . There was plenty to engage their attention , and much that was new and singular after their comparatively quiet playground at The Birches . But whatever there was to awaken their interest out of doors , a thing was destined to happen during their first morning school which would be a still greater surprise than anything they had yet encountered during their short residence at Ronleigh . At nine o'clock the clanging of the big bell summoned them to the general assembly in the big schoolroom . They took their places at a back desk pointed out to them by the master on duty , and sat watching the stream of boys that poured in through the open doors , wondering how long it would take them to become acquainted with the names of such a multitude . The forms passed on in their usual order , and the new boys were conducted to a vacant classroom , where they received a set of examination papers which were intended to test the amount of their knowledge , and determine the position in which they were to start work on the following day . Jack Vance , Diggory , and Mugford sat together at the first desk , just in front of the master 's table , and were soon busy in proving their previous acquaintance with the Latin grammar .