nine
in the morning
And in proof that he was still willing , and had profited by his maritime experience , he offered to sweep the floor of the gymnasium then and there . This proposal convinced the Skenes , who had listened to his story like children listening to a fairy tale , that he was not too much of a gentleman to do rough work , and it was presently arranged that he should thenceforth board and lodge with them , have five shillings a week for pocket-money , and be man-of-all-work , servant , gymnasium-attendant , clerk , and apprentice to the ex-champion of England and the colonies . He soon found his bargain no easy one . The gymnasium was open from nine in the morning until eleven at night , and the athletic gentlemen who came there not only ordered him about without ceremony , but varied the monotony of being set at naught by the invincible Skene by practising what he taught them on the person of his apprentice , whom they pounded with great relish , and threw backwards , forwards , and over their shoulders as though he had been but a senseless effigy , provided for that purpose . Meanwhile the champion looked on and laughed , being too lazy to redeem his promise of teaching the novice to defend himself . The latter , however , watched the lessons which he saw daily given to others , and , before the end of a month , he so completely turned the tables on the amateur pugilists of Melbourne that Skene one day took occasion to remark that he was growing uncommon clever , but that gentlemen liked to be played easy with , and that he should be careful not to knock them about too much . Besides these bodily exertions , he had to keep account of gloves and foils sold and bought , and of the fees due both to Mr. and Mrs. Skene .