midnight
In the boat sat Elena with Renditch and beside them stood a long box covered with a black cloth . They rowed for about an hour , and at last reached a small two-masted ship , which was riding at anchor at the very entrance of the harbour . Elena and Renditch got into the ship ; the sailors carried in the box . At midnight a storm had arisen , but early in the morning the ship had passed out of the Lido . During the day the storm raged with fearful violence , and experienced seamen in Lloyd 's offices shook their heads and prophesied no good . The Adriatic Sea between Venice , Trieste , and the Dalmatian coast is particularly dangerous . Three weeks after Elena 's departure from Vienna , Anna Vassilyevna received the following letter in Moscow : -- ` My DEAR PARENTS .