Work was out of the question there, except during the hours of preparation, and the long dark winter evenings were often dull enough.
Sometimes, indeed, they would all join in some regular indoor boys' game like "baste the bear," or "high-cockolorum;" or they would have amusing "ghost-hunts," as they called them, after some dressed-up boy among the dark corridors and staircases.

This was good enough fun, but at other times they got tired of games, and could not get them up, and then numbers of boys felt the idle time hang heavy on their hands.

When this was the case, some of the worse sort, as might have been expected, would fill up their leisure with bullying or mischief.
For some time they had a form of diversion which disgusted and annoyed Eric exceedingly.

On each of the long iron-bound deal tables were placed two or three tallow candles in tin candlesticks, and this was the only light the boys had.

Of course, these candles often, wanted snuffing, and as snuffers were sure to be thrown about and broken as soon as they were brought into the room, the only resource was to snuff them with the fingers, at which all the boys became great adepts from necessity.