midnight
After him came the local doctor , a very bad doctor , who was fond of coming out with learned expressions . He assured everyone , for instance , that he liked Kukolnik better than Pushkin because there was a great deal of `` protoplasm '' about him . They all sat down to play cards . Nejdanov retired to his own room , and read and wrote until midnight . The following day , the 9th of May , was Kolia 's patron-saint 's day . Although the church was not a quarter of a mile off , the whole household drove to mass in three open carriages with footmen at the back . Everything was very festive and gorgeous .