midnight
The cold having set in , the thin sleet had all at once changed into snow . The tiny patches of ice and the little droplets of rain had swelled out into large fleecy flakes , which kept fluttering about hither and thither , helter-skelter , before they came down to the ground ; they seemed , indeed , to be chasing one another all the time , with the grace of spring butterflies . Even when the flakes did fall it was not always for long , for the wind , creeping slily along the earth , often lifted them up and drove them far away , whirling them into eddies , till at last they were allowed to settle down in heaps , blocking up doors and windows ; or else , flying away , they ensconced themselves in every nook and corner , in every chink and cranny . That evening , when the good Christians went to church to hear the oft-repeated tidings of great joy , uttered by the _ vladika _ , or priest , in the sacramental words : _ Mir Bogig , Christos se rodè _ , or `` The peace of God be with you , Christ is born '' ; and when , after midnight , they returned home , while huge logs were blazing on every hearth , they hardly knew again either the town or its neighbourhood , all wrapped up in a mantle of dazzling whiteness ; the sight was a rather unusual one , for the inhabitants of Budua had seen snow but very seldom . The whole Christmas Day was spent very pleasantly in going about from house to house , wishing everyone joy and happiness , or receiving friends at home and drinking bumpers to their health . It was , indeed , a merry , forgiving time , when the hearts of men were full of kindness and good-will , and peace reigned upon earth . There were , indeed , some exceptions to the general rule of benevolence , for , now and then , some man , even upon that hallowed day , bore within his breast but a clay-cold heart , in which grudge , envy and malice still rankled , and the Christmas greetings , wheezed through thin lips , had but a chilling and hollow sound .