nine o'clock
But nobody now minded that . There were no fogs , or mists , or damps , and the dry , steady cold is always much more healthy and invigorating than changeable weather in any land . Everybody invited was present , and so the day 's full program was well carried out . Mr McTavish , a chief factor in the Hudson Bay Company 's service and the chief officer at the Norway House trading post , presided at the school examinations , which began promptly at nine o'clock . The schoolhouse was packed with the children and their friends , except the large platform at the upper end of the schoolroom , on which were seated the white visitors from Sagasta-weekee and the trading posts and mission . The children were first examined in their reading lessons in both languages , Cree and English . In their own language they used the syllabic characters , invented and perfected by the Reverend James Evans , the founder of this mission .