an hour before
noon
But that was not all . The villages near Plymborough were many , and the people for miles round flocked into the place to see the procession and stop afterwards about the market-place to visit the exhibition of beasts and listen to the band . The day was gloriously fine , and all promised a famous harvest of sixpences for the great Ramball himself , a man as punctual in his appointments as he was in the feeding of his beasts , this being carried out regularly at certain times , but , unfortunately for the animals , in uncertain quantities dependent upon the supplies . Dr Bewley 's boys took their places along the forms quite an hour before noon , this punctuality having something to do with getting the best places , as they put it , though -- as the forms were in a line under the brick wall , which was low enough with their help for the shortest boy to see over , and the procession would pass close beneath -- it was hard to see any difference in the positions , or why the form reserved for the masters was any better than that at the extreme end . But certainly the masters ' form was considered the best from the fact that it stood first , while the nearest end of the next form was taken up in spite of his declaration by Slegge , whose greatest admirers got as close to him as they could or as he would allow . `` Let 's go and stand with them , '' said Singh , as they crossed over to the wall . `` Oh , I do n't know , '' replied his companion .