twelve o'clock
And so saying , he waved them to their seats with imperious disdain . They went , looking sheepish , and ashamed . Eric , deeply vexed , kept twisting and untwisting a bit of paper , without raising his eyes , and even Barker thoroughly repented his short-sighted treachery ; the rest were silent and miserable . At twelve o'clock two boys lingered in the room to speak to Mr. Gordon ; they were Eric Williams and Edwin Russell , but they were full of very different feelings . Eric stepped to the desk first . Mr. Gordon looked up . `` You !