In good time, like a noble fellow (5)
I believe the answer is:
early
'in good time' is the definition.
(being early is arriving in good time)
'a noble fellow' is the wordplay.
'a noble' becomes 'earl' (earl is a kind of noble).
'fellow' becomes 'y' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'earl'+'y'='EARLY'
'like' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for early that I've seen before include "Type of bird" , "Advanced" , "Forward" , "Before appointed time" , "Beforehand" .)