seven o'clock
By nightfall battalions of fleeting clouds flecked the sky ; the moon danced and quivered in their midst -- a silver-horned goddess , luminous with the long-stored knowledge of the ages . The bitter snow-wind crept , wound , and whirled along in spirals , loops , and ribbons , lashing the fields , whining and wailing its age-old , dismal song over the lone desolate spaces . The land was wretched , restless , and forlorn ; the sky was overcast with sombre , gaping caverns shot through with lurid lines of fire . * * * * * * * At seven o'clock the Arkhipovs arrived . Kseniya Ippolytovna had known them a long time : they had been acquaintances even before Arkhipov 's marriage . As he greeted her now , he kissed her hand and began speaking about foreign countries -- principally Germany , which he knew and admired . They passed into the study , where they argued and conversed : they had nothing much to talk about really .