the children took a silent farewell of their father. 'It was a terrible moment,' Victoria wrote in her diary, 'but, thank God! I was able to command myself, and to be perfectly calm, and remained sitting by his side.' He murmured something, but she could not hear what it was; she thought he was speaking in French. Then all at once he began to arrange his hair, 'just as he used to do when well and he was {217} dressing.' 'Es ist kleines Frauchen,' she whispered to him; and he seemed to understand. For a moment, towards the evening, she went into another room, but was immediately called back: she saw at a glance that a ghastly change had taken place. As she knelt by the bed, he breathed deeply, breathed gently, breathed at last no more. His features became perfectly rigid. She shrieked--one long wild shriek that rang through the terror-stricken Castle--and understood that she had lost him for ever.[46] [1] Martin, II, 161. [2] 'Read this carefully, and tell me if there are any mistakes in it.' [3] 'Here is a draft I have made for you. Read it. I should think this would do.' [4] Martin, V, 273-5. [5] _Ibid._, II, 379. [6] Martin, IV, 14-15, 60. [7] _Ibid._, II, 479. [8] Martin, II, 251-2; Bloomfield, II, 110. [9] _D.N.B._, Second Supplement, Art. 'Edward VII'; _Quarterly Review_, CCXIII, 4-7, 16. [10] _Leaves_, 18, 33, 34, 36, 127-8, 132_n_. [11] _Leaves_, 73-4, 95-6; Greville, VI, 303-4. [12] _Leaves_, 99-100. [13] _Private Life_, 209-11; _Quarterly Review_, CXCIII, 335. [14] _Leaves_, 103, 111. [15] _Leaves_, 92-4. [16] _Ibid._, 102, 113-4. [17] _Leaves_, 72, 117, 137. [18] _Letters_, III, 127. [19] Private information. [20] Martin, III, v. [21] Martin, III, 146-7, 168-9, 177-9, [22] Martin, III, 242, 245, 351; IV, 111. [23] _Quarterly Review_, CXCIII, 313-4; _Spinster Lady_, 7. [24] Crawford, 311-2. [25] Martin, III, 350. [26] _Leaves_, 105-6. [27] Martin, II, 429. [28] _Letters_, III, especially July-December 1859; Martin, IV, 488-91; V, 189. [29] _Leaves_, 107. [30] _Letters_, III, 253. [31] Martin, IV, 160-9. [32] _D.N.B._, Second Supplement, 551; _Quarterly Review_, CCXIII, 9-20, 24; Greville, VIII, 217. [33] Stockmar, 4, 44. [34] Ernest, I, 140-1. [35] Theognis, 401 ff. [36] _Letters_, III, 194. [37] Grey, 195_n_. [38] Martin, IV, 298. [39] Martin, V, 202-4, 217-9. [40] _D.N.B._, Second Supplement, 557. [41] Martin, V, 416-27. [42] Martin, V, 415. [43] Bloomfield, II, 155. [44] Martin, V, 427-35; Clarendon, II, 253-4: 'One cannot speak with certainty; but it is horrible to think that such a life _may_ have been sacrificed to Sir J. Clark's selfish jealousy of every member of his profession.'--The Earl of Clarendon to the Duchess of Manchester, Dec. 17, 1861. [45] _Letters_, III, 472-3. [46] Martin, V, 435-42; Hare, II, 286-8; _Spinster Lady_, 176-7. {218} CHAPTER VII WIDOWHOOD I