one
o’clock
From the playground and its adjacent meadow it was a capital offence to absent oneself . All the rest of Somersetshire was `` out of bounds '' ; and to be caught `` out of bounds '' was a crime for which corporal punishment was the invariable reward . At the same time , the offence was , so to speak , `` winked at . '' No inquiries were made as to how we spent half-holidays between one o'clock and seven ; and many a glorious ramble we used to have during those precious six hours in all the ecstasy of `` freedom , '' -- a word understood by none better than the schoolboy . A certain deference was , however , exacted to the regulations of the establishment ; by a sort of tacit compact , it seemed to be understood that our code was so far Spartan as to make , not the crime , but the being `` found out , '' a punishable offence , and boys were always supposed to take their chance . If seen in the act of escaping , or afterwards met by any of the masters in the surrounding country , we were liable to be flogged ; and to do March justice , we always _ were _ flogged , and pretty soundly , too . Under these circumstances , some little care and circumspection had to be observed in starting for our rambles .