two o'clock in the
afternoon
If the first shots had no decisive effect , they were to fire again , and if the second encounter were inconclusive , it was to be followed by a third . Kirillov frowned , objected to the third encounter , but gaining nothing by his efforts agreed on the condition , however , that three should be the limit , and that `` a fourth encounter was out of the question . '' This was conceded . Accordingly at two o'clock in the afternoon the meeting took place at Brykov , that is , in a little copse in the outskirts of the town , lying between Skvoreshniki and the Shpigulin factory . The rain of the previous night was over , but it was damp , grey , and windy . Low , ragged , dingy clouds moved rapidly across the cold sky . The tree-tops roared with a deep droning sound , and creaked on their roots ; it was a melancholy morning .