three o'clock
She was immensely anxious to learn to swim . The bay at Skelwick was so dangerous that Father would not allow any of them to bathe there , so as yet she had had no chance of testing her skill in natation . She loved all kinds of physical sports , they seemed a necessity of her active , fast-growing young body , and the prospect of trying a new element was alluring . In the very highest of spirits she joined the procession of Fifth Form girls that filed off at three o'clock , in charge of Miss Douglas . The baths at Stedburgh had only lately been enlarged and re-opened , and in their improved shape were now quite a feature of the town . They were supplied with salt water , and could boast great conveniences in the matter of dressing-rooms , hair-drying apparatus , and plentiful hot towels . Gwen had never been inside before , so she gazed with delighted admiration , at the ladies ' large bath , with its pale-green tiles , its flights of steps , and its diving board at the deep end .