three o’clock
And , behold , soon after midday there were signs of something , at first only observed in silence by those who came in and out and were evidently each afraid to communicate the thought in his mind . But by three o'clock those signs had become so clear and unmistakable , that the news swiftly reached all the monks and visitors in the hermitage , promptly penetrated to the monastery , throwing all the monks into amazement , and finally , in the shortest possible time , spread to the town , exciting every one in it , believers and unbelievers alike . The unbelievers rejoiced , and as for the believers some of them rejoiced even more than the unbelievers , for `` men love the downfall and disgrace of the righteous , '' as the deceased elder had said in one of his exhortations . The fact is that a smell of decomposition began to come from the coffin , growing gradually more marked , and by three o'clock it was quite unmistakable . In all the past history of our monastery , no such scandal could be recalled , and in no other circumstances could such a scandal have been possible , as showed itself in unseemly disorder immediately after this discovery among the very monks themselves . Afterwards , even many years afterwards , some sensible monks were amazed and horrified , when they recalled that day , that the scandal could have reached such proportions . For in the past , monks of very holy life had died , God‐fearing old men , whose saintliness was acknowledged by all , yet from their humble coffins , too , the breath of corruption had come , naturally , as from all dead bodies , but that had caused no scandal nor even the slightest excitement .