five
o'clock in the morning
How far away is that school-boy time , when I found a pleasure in getting up and escaping from the dormitory whilst all the others were still asleep . My purpose was innocent enough ; I got up early only to do my lessons . I can see the long school-room , lighted by the early sun ; I can smell the school-room odour -- a blend of books and slates and wall-maps and I know not what . It was a mental peculiarity of mine that at five o'clock in the morning I could apply myself with gusto to mathematics , a subject loathsome to me at any other time of the day . Opening the book at some section which was wont to scare me , I used to say to myself : `` Come now , I 'm going to tackle this this morning ! If other boys can understand it , why should n't I ? '' And in a measure I succeeded .