three o'clock
His appearance in the yard raised no delighted hails . He had no chum of his very own with whom to exchange secrets or lay plans for common adventures . And but for Dally , he would probably have spent most of his free time in the classroom . It was worse when the big pause came at eleven and every one went home for lunch , or when three o'clock brought school to a close for the day . Going to school alone was an experience shared by all , but on leaving it , the hurrying horde of youngsters , exuberant with freedom as so many colts , broke into little groups of two or three that had homes in the same neighbourhood . Now and then Keith would join a couple of other boys headed for the old City like himself , and they would not refuse his company , but there always was something between him and them that precluded real fellowship , and so he trudged his way homeward , alone most of the time . Then he was also sure of reaching home in the shortest possible time , so that his mother had no chance to become worried over him .