two o'clock
The Czar , men said , was in good spirits . He had that morning signed a decree which was now in the hands of Loris Melikoff , and would to-morrow be given to the world , proving even to the most sceptical for the hundredth time that he had at heart the advance of Russia -- the greater liberty of his people . Instead of returning direct to the Winter Palace , the Czar paid his usual visit to his cousin , the Grand Duchess Catherine . He quitted her palace at two o'clock in his own carriage , accompanied by half a dozen Cossacks . His officers followed in two sleighs . It was never known which way he would take . He himself gave the order to the coachman .