nearly one o’clock at night
But , alas ! peace did not reign for more than ten minutes . The first blow dealt to its power was in certain news communicated to Lizabetha Prokofievna as to events which had happened during her trip to see the princess . -LRB- This trip had taken place the day after that on which the prince had turned up at the Epanchins at nearly one o'clock at night , thinking it was nine . -RRB- The sisters replied candidly and fully enough to their mother 's impatient questions on her return . They said , in the first place , that nothing particular had happened since her departure ; that the prince had been , and that Aglaya had kept him waiting a long while before she appeared -- half an hour , at least ; that she had then come in , and immediately asked the prince to have a game of chess ; that the prince did not know the game , and Aglaya had beaten him easily ; that she had been in a wonderfully merry mood , and had laughed at the prince , and chaffed him so unmercifully that one was quite sorry to see his wretched expression . She had then asked him to play cards -- the game called `` little fools . ''