two o'clock
if Mamsie could only be here ! '' But Mamsie was far away from her boys , whom she had put at Dr. Marks ' school for the very purpose of achieving self-reliance and obedience to the training of the little brown house . So Davie , smothering his longing , got into a front row with several boys of his set , and bent all his attention to the game just beginning . Sharp at two o'clock the four went on to the court -- Joel and Fred Ricketson against Tom Beresford and Lawrence Greene , otherwise `` Larry . '' And amid howls of support from the `` rooters , '' the game began . At first Joel 's luck seemed to desert him , and he played wild , causing much consternation in the ranks violently rooting for him . David 's head sank , and he leaned his elbows on his knees , to bury his hot cheeks in his hands .