a quarter to seven
Though the whole school met together every day for lessons , the members of each different house resembled a separate family , and were keenly anxious to maintain the honour of their particular establishment . Miss Cavendish did not wish to excite rivalry , yet she thought a spirit of friendly emulation was on the whole salutary , and encouraged matches between the various house teams , or competitions among the choral and debating societies . The rules for all were exactly similar . Every morning , at a quarter to seven , a clanging bell rang in the passages for a sufficient length of time to disturb even the soundest of slumbers ; breakfast was at half-past seven , and at half-past eight everybody was due in chapel for a short service ; lectures and classes occupied the morning from nine till one , and the afternoon was devoted to games ; tea was at four , and supper at half-past seven , with preparation in between ; and after that hour came sewing and recreation , until bedtime . It was a well-arranged and reasonable division of time , calculated to include right proportions of work and play . _ Mens sana in corpore sano _ was Miss Cavendish 's favourite motto , and the clean bill of health , the successes in examinations , and the high moral tone that prevailed throughout pointed to the fulfilment of her ideal . Most of the girls were thoroughly happy at Chessington College , and , though it is in girl nature to grumble at rules and lessons , there was scarcely one who would have cared to leave it if she had been given the opportunity .