midnight
The devil naturally enough peeps out here and there through the pages of this book . Gógol 's devil is a product of the Russian soil , `` the spirit of mischief and cunning , whom Russian literature is always trying to outplay and overcome '' -LRB- Mme. Jarintzow , _ Russian Poets and Poems _ -RRB- . According to European superstition St. John 's Eve is the only evening in the year when his Satanic Majesty reveals himself in his proper shape to the eyes of men . If you wish to behold his Highness face to face , stand on St. John 's Eve at midnight near a mustard-plant . It is suggested by Sir James Frazer in his _ Golden Bough _ that , in the chilly air of the upper world , this prince from a warmer clime may be attracted by the warmth of the mustard . It is believed in many parts of Europe that treasures can be found on St. John 's Eve by means of the fern-seed . Even without the use of this plant treasures are sometimes said to bloom or burn in the earth , or to reveal their presence by a bluish flame on Midsummer Eve .