The king opened the door, and came out into the freshness of that damp air. Above, the sky was still quite gray and low, but the misty drizzle had ceased. They made as though to take off his coat and his collar. He moved them aside, and himself disembarrassed his neck. Then one came forward with a cord and took his hands. “What are you at?” he cried. “We must bind you,” said the man. “Bind me!” answered the king. “I will never allow it! Fulfil your orders, but you _shall_ not bind me!” There was a struggle in which he turned to the priest as though for counsel or for aid, but they bound his hands behind him. The few steps up to the scaffold were very steep. The Abbé Edgeworth supported him so bound, and thought for a moment, as he felt the weight upon his arm, that the prisoner was losing courage. But even as he turned to glance furtively at the king, in that crisis Louis had strengthened himself, and stood upright upon the broad stage. With a few rapid and determined steps he took his way toward the guillotine, standing to the right of the instrument. Some yards in front of him and below, a score of drummers were at the ready with sticks lifted, balanced as drummers balance them between the knuckles of the hand. He cried out, standing erect with his stout figure and heavy, impassive face, “I die innocent of all the----” at which moment there came a sudden cry of command, and the drums beat furiously. To that sound he died; and those who were present relate that immediately afterward there arose from the great mob about, which had hitherto held its breath, a sort of loud moaning, not in anger or in hatred, but in astonishment of the spectacle and of things to come. THE END. PRINTED BY THE WESTMINSTER PRESS LONDON, W. [Illustration: THE DEATH OF KING LOUIS XVI, JANUARY 21, 1793 _To face p. 216_ ] Typographical error corrected by the etext transcriber: fated to embarass his whole=> fated to embarrass his whole {pg 122}