Eight o'clock
Whether he is fourth classman or first , he knows that hope has fled ; that he will go below the saving 2.5 mark and be dropped from the rolls . But your `` savvy '' midshipman -- he who knows much , and who is sure and confident with his knowledge , finds this week of final examinations a period of bliss and pride . He is going to `` pass '' ; he knows that , and nothing else matters . Eight o'clock every morning , during this week , finds the midshipman in one recitation room or another , undergoing his final . As it is not the purpose of the examiners to wear any man out , the afternoon is given over to pleasures . There are no afternoon examinations , and no work of any sort that can be avoided . Indeed , the `` savvy '' man has a week of most delightful afternoons , with teas , lawn parties , strolls both within and without the walls of the Academy grounds , and many boating parties .