four
o'clock
After that his actions came in for no further , or at any rate no outspoken comment . Given sixpence a week and no more , Farnie might have survived an entire term without breaking any serious School rule . But when , after buying a bicycle from Smith of Markham 's , he found himself with eight pounds to his name in solid cash , and the means of getting far enough away from the neighbourhood of the School to be able to spend it much as he liked , he began to do strange and risky things in his spare time . The great obstacle to illicit enjoyment at Beckford was the four o'clock roll-call on half-holidays . There were other obstacles , such as half-holiday games and so forth , but these could be avoided by the exercise of a little judgement . The penalty for non-appearance at a half-holiday game was a fine of sixpence . Constant absence was likely in time to lead to a more or less thrilling interview with the captain of cricket , but a very occasional attendance was enough to stave off this disaster ; and as for the sixpence , to a man of means like Farnie it was a mere nothing .