about eight o'clock
As far as our Smith was concerned we almost wished some one would steal him . He was about as interesting as a pound of baking powder . What with fishing for his Bradstreet rating , and inventing lies to keep him from going out and seeing the town , and watching the horizon for predatory Alfalfa Delts and Chi Yis , we were plumb worn out . We were so skittish that , when the bell rang about eight o'clock , we let it ring four times more before we answered it ; and when the ringer claimed to be an Eta Bita Pie from Muggledorfer who had come over to attend Siwash , we made him repeat pretty nearly the whole ritual before we would consider his credentials good . He got in at last , slightly peevish at our unbrotherly welcome , and took his place in the library circle . We were explaining the whole situation to him , when Allie Bangs gave an earnest yell and stood on his head in the corner . `` What did you say your name was ? ''