four in the afternoon
It was here , namely , on the island of Christeffsky , that a great ice fête was held on the day preceding the departure of the Howard Alexis household for Tver . The fête was given by one of the foreign ambassadors -- a gentleman whose wife was accredited to the first place in Petersburg society . It was absolutely necessary , Steinmetz averred , for the whole Howard Alexis party to put in an appearance . The fête was supposed to begin at four in the afternoon , and by five o'clock all St. Petersburg -- all , c'est à dire , worthy of mention in that aristocratic city -- had arrived . One may be sure Claude de Chauxville arrived early , in beautiful furs with a pair of silver-plated skates under his arm . He was an influential member of the Cercle des Patineurs in Paris . Steinmetz arrived soon after , to look on , as he told his many friends .