one o'clock
Mat would bring out his chair , and , placing it on the shady side of the hedge , sit with his pipe in his mouth , the contented lord of his little realm , whilst nearly a hundred and fifty scholars , of all sorts and sizes , lay scattered over the grass , basking under the scorching sun in all the luxury of novelty , nakedness , and freedom . The sight was original and characteristic , and such as Lord Brougham would have been delighted with . `` The schoolmaster was abroad again . '' As soon as one o'clock drew near , Mat would pull out his Ring-dial * holding it against the sun , and declare the hour . * The Ring-dial was the hedge-schoolmaster 's next best substitute for a watch . As it is possible that a great number of our readers may never have heard of , much less seen one , we shall in a word or two describe it -- nothing could indeed be more simple . It was a bright brass ring , about three-quarters of an inch broad , and two and a half in diameter .