"]
thus indicating that it was half-past six when the carriage appeared
at the side-gate. The wind was howling across the palace square and
through the colonnade in front of the neighboring park, hurling the
snow into the face of the driver, and lifting up the cape of his
cloak around his head, as if to protect him from the cold and stormy
night. Thomas, the king's coachman, had just removed with some
difficulty the large cape from his face, and rubbed the snow from
his eyes, when he heard the side-gate open. A dark figure emerged
from it and entered the carriage, and noisily closed the door.
Thomas had received his accustomed signal, and, although wondering
that the king had come fifteen minutes earlier than usual, he took
the reins, whipped the horses, and the carriage rolled away along
the route to Sans-Souci. The snow-storm drowned the roll of the
wheels, and rendered the vehicle almost invisible; besides, there
was no one to take particular notice of it, for only here and there
some closely-muffled person was to be seen on the street, too busy
with himself--too much engaged in holding fast his fluttering cloak
and protecting himself from the driving snow.
The square in front of the palace was deserted. The two sentinels
were walking up and down with slow, measured steps in front of the
main portal, now looking up to the brilliantly-lighted windows of
the royal sitting-room, and now contemplating the two dim lanterns
which stood on the iron railing, and whose light, struggling with
the storm, seemed about to be extinguished.
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