five o'clock in the afternoon
-- Shall be with you on the 24th inst . Train arrives at 6:30 P.M. Will come to you as you desire without fail . '' Christmas Eve ! The day had been extra chilly , with frequent showers of stinging rain , but toward five o'clock in the afternoon the weather cleared . The clouds , which had been of a dull uniform gray , began to break asunder and disclose little shining rifts of pale blue and bright gold ; the sea looked like a wide satin ribbon shaken out and shimmering with opaline tints . Flower girls trooped forth making the air musical with their mellow cries of `` Fiori ! chi vuol fiori '' and holding up their tempting wares -- not bunches of holly and mistletoe such as are known in England , but roses , lilies , jonquils , and sweet daffodils .