ad news from Sans Souci,[3] but nothing
to make us particularly uneasy. Fritz and I went home and to bed, not
being in a humour to sit up till twelve.

About half-past one we heard a knock at the door and my wardrobe maid
brought in a telegram saying the King was given up, and a note from
the Prince Regent saying he was going up immediately. We got up in the
greatest hurry and dressed--I hardly know how; I put on just what
I found, and had not time to do my hair or anything. After we had
hurried on our clothes we went downstairs and out--for there was no
time to get a carriage or a footman or anything--it was a splendid
night, but twelve degrees of cold (Reaumur). I thought I was in a
dream finding myself alone in the street with Fritz at two o'clock
at night. We went to the Prince Regent's, and then with them in their
carriages to the railway station--we four all alone in the train. We
arrived at Sans Souci and went directly into the room where the King
lay--the stillness of death was in the room--only the light of the
fire and of a dim lamp. We approached the bed and stood there at the
foot of it, not daring to look at one another or to say a word. The
Queen was sitting in an armchair at the head of the bed, her arm
underneath the King's head, and her head on the same pillow on which
he lay; with her other hand she continually wiped the perspiration
from his forehead. You might have heard a pin drop; no sound was heard
but the crackling of the fire and the _death-rattle_, that dreadful
sound which goes to one's heart, and which tells plainly that life is
ebbing. This rattling in the throat lasted about an hour longer, and
then the King lay motionless. The doctors bent their heads low to hear
whether he still breathed--and we stood, not even daring to sit down,
watching the death-struggle; every now and then the King breathed very
fast and loud, but never unclosed his eyes; he was very red in the
face, and the cold perspiration pouring from his forehead. I never
spent such an awful time! And to see the poor Queen sitting there
quite rent my heart--three, four, five, six, seven struck, and we were
still standing there--one member of the family came in after the other
and remained motionless in the room, sobs only breaking the silence.
Oh! it is dreadful to see a person die! All the thoughts and feelings
that crowded on my mind in those hours I cannot describe, more than in
my whole past lifetime. The light of the mornin