two o'clock
By the way , '' she added , as they went down the steps , `` be sure and come to the basketball meeting at the gym this afternoon . '' And so it was arranged that Anne Pierson , the shabbiest and poorest girl in Oakdale High School , was to help receive at one of the prettiest and most charming houses in town . Miriam Nesbit 's rudeness was to bring about a friendship between Anne Pierson and her three schoolmates that lasted a lifetime . After the half-past two o'clock dinner , which was the universal custom in Oakdale , the chums met again at the gymnasium in the Boys ' High School . Wednesdays and Saturdays were nicknamed `` ladies ' days '' by the High School boys , for on these afternoons the girls were permitted free use of the gymnasium . The meeting to-day was not for gymnastic exercises , however , but an important subject was to be discussed -- the Freshman Basketball Team . Also the captain of the team was to be elected .