one o'clock
Every Saturday or half-holiday at the village school -- blessed respite which gave the hard-worked mistress time to mend her clothes , and make herself bright and trim for Sunday , and opened for the master brilliant possibilities in the way of a jaunt to Bomsey or Winchester -- Miss Wendover gave a dinner to all the school children under twelve . She had taken up Victor Hugo 's theory that a substantial meat dinner , even on one day out of seven , will do much to build up the youthful constitution and to prevent scrofulous diseases . Moved by these considerations , she had fitted up a disused barn as a rustic dining-hall , the walls plastered and whitewashed , or buff-washed , the massive cross timbers painted a dark red , a long deal table and a few forms the only furniture . Here every Saturday , at half-past one o'clock , she provided a savoury meat dinner ; and very strong must be that temptation or that necessity which would induce Aunt Betsy to abandon her duties as hostess at this weekly feast . It was she who said grace before and after meat -- save when some suckling parson was admitted to the meal ; it was she who surveyed and improved the manners of her guests by sarcastic hints or friendly admonitions ; and it was she who furnished intellectual entertainment in the shape of anecdote , historical story , or excruciating conundrum . Ida was allowed to assist at these banquets , and there was nothing in her new life which she enjoyed more than the sight of all those glad young faces round the board , or the sound of that frank , rustic laughter . Some there were naturally of a bovine dullness , in whom even Miss Wendover could not awaken a ray of intelligence ; but these were few .