four o'clock in the afternoon
`` If anyone is cold he can go and warm himself . '' The trees , the horses , the men 's beards were white with frost ; it even seemed that the air itself crackled , as though unable to endure the cold ; but in spite of that the frozen public were skating . Immediately after the blessing of the waters and precisely at one o'clock the military band began playing . Between three and four o'clock in the afternoon , when the festivity was at its height , the select society of the place gathered together to warm themselves in the governor 's pavilion , which had been put up on the river-bank . The old governor and his wife , the bishop , the president of the local court , the head master of the high school , and many others , were there . The ladies were sitting in armchairs , while the men crowded round the wide glass door , looking at the skating . `` Holy Saints ! ''