midnight
In the next room the literature master , Dodonsky , was explaining to the visitors the cases in which a sentry has the right to fire on passers-by . The subjects , as you perceive , were alarming , but very agreeable . Persons whose social position precluded them from entering were looking in at the windows from the yard . Just at midnight the master of the house went into the kitchen to see whether everything was ready for supper . The kitchen from floor to ceiling was filled with fumes composed of goose , duck , and many other odours . On two tables the accessories , the drinks and light refreshments , were set out in artistic disorder . The cook , Marfa , a red-faced woman whose figure was like a barrel with a belt around it , was bustling about the tables .