noon
whack ! '' sounded from the schoolhouse , and the faces of the younger children paled . The noon hour had reached its end , and the schoolmaster was sounding his usual call . No bells summoned the pupils at this rural place of learning , but instead , at recess and at noon time the pedagogue came to the door and hammered loudly with his ruler upon the clapboards there beside him . Very grim was this same schoolmaster , and unfortunate was the pupil who came into the room a laggard after that harsh summons had rung out across the fields and flats . There stood the schoolmaster -- he could be seen from the Red Revenger -- and it was not difficult even at that distance to imagine the ominous look upon his face . Again and again came forth the wooden call , and then the schoolmaster stepped out into the roadway .