midday
At one time it had been rumoured in the town -- a rumour long since stilled -- that Tiet Nikonich had loved Tatiana Markovna and Tatiana Markovna him , but that her parents had chosen another husband for her . She refused to assent , and remained unmarried . What truth there was in this , none knew but herself . But every day he came to her , either at midday or in the evening . He liked to talk over with her what was going on in the world , who was at war , and with whom , and why . He knew why bread was cheap in Russia ; the names of all the noble houses ; he knew by heart the names of all the ministers and the men in high commands and their past history ; he could tell why one sea lay at a higher tide than another ; he was the first to know what the English or the French had invented , and whether the inventions were useful or not . If there was any business to be arranged in the law courts , Tiet Nikonich arranged it , and sometimes concealed the sums that he spent in so doing .