three o'clock
Incidentally , the fact that the staff officers , with His Excellency at their head , usually took their black coffee at just about this time had helped a good deal to bring about these afternoon concerts . It was indeed delightful to sit in the shade of the centenarian plane-trees , whose intertwining branches overarched the entire square like the nave of a cathedral . The autumn sun cast a dull glow on the walls of the houses round about , and shed golden rings through the thick foliage on the small round tables arrayed in long rows in front of the coffeehouse . There was a reserved row for the staff officers set in snowy linens , with little flower vases and fresh crisp cakes , which the sergeant of the commissary brought punctually at three o'clock every day from the field bakery , where they had been baked with particular care under the personal supervision of the chef especially for His Excellency and staff . It was a beautiful gay picture of lively , varied metropolitan life that surged about the music pavilion . Every one seemed as joyous and carefree as on the Graben in Vienna on a sunny spring Sunday in times of undisturbed peace . The children crowded around the orchestra , beat the measure , and applauded enthusiastically after every piece .