four o'clock in the afternoon
It was the Baron 's letter to the Pope . After the Pope had read it he stepped into a little adjoining room which contained nothing but a lounge and an easy-chair . There he lay on the lounge and turned his face to the wall . At four o'clock in the afternoon the Pope and Father Pifferi were again walking in the garden . The groves of Judas trees were shedding their crimson blossoms and the path had a covering of bloom ; the atmosphere was full of the odour of honey-suckle and violet , and through the sunlit air the swallows were darting with shrill cries and the glitter of wings . `` And what does your Holiness intend to do ? '' asked the Capuchin .