Night came on—the last night the poor little prisoner was to spend in
solitude and loneliness, with only those old companions, misery of mind
and body. He had always been left alone at night, even during his
illness; and not until eight o’clock in the morning were his jailers
allowed to go to him. We do not know how the Prince passed that last
night, or whether he waked or slept; but in either case death was
hovering close beside his pillow. The next morning, Monday, the eighth
of June, Lasne entered the room between seven and eight o’clock, Gomin
not daring to go first for fear he should not find their charge alive.
But by the time M. Pelletan arrived the Prince was sitting up, and Lasne
thought he had even improved somewhat since the day before, though the
physician’s more experienced eye told him there was no change for the
better. Indeed, the poor little invalid, whose feet felt strangely
heavy, soon wanted to lie down again.
When M. Dumaugin came at eleven o’clock, the Prince was in bed; but he
welcomed him with the unvarying gentleness and sweetness that had never
deserted him through all his troubles, and to which the physician
himself testified later on. He shrugged his shoulders over the patient’s
condition, and felt that the end was not far off. After he had taken his
leave, Gomin replaced Lasne in the sick room. He seated himself near the
bed, but, fearing to rouse or disturb the child, did not speak. The
Prince never began a conversation, and was silent likewise, gazing
mournfully at his friend.
“How unhappy it makes me to see you suffer so much!” said Gomin at last.
“Never mind,” answered the child softly, “I shall not always suffer.”
Gomin knelt down by the bed to be nearer him, and the affectionate child
seized his keeper’s hand and pressed it to his lips. At this, Gomin gave
way to his emotion, and his heart went out in prayer—the prayer that man
in his deepest sorrow sends up to the all-merciful Father; while the
Prince, still clasping the faithful hand in his, raised his eyes to
heaven with a look of angelic peace and holiness impossible to describe.
After a time, Gomin, seeing that he lay quiet and motionless, said to
him:
“I hope you do not suffer now?”
“Oh, yes, I still suffer,” whispered the Prince, “but much less—the
music is so beautiful!”
Now, there was no music in or near the Temple at this solemn moment; no
noise of any kind from outside entered the room where the soul of the
little martyr was preparing for flight. Gomin, much surprised,
therefore, asked him:
“Where does the music come from?”
“From above there!” replied the child.
“Is it long that you have heard it?”
“Since you knelt down by me and prayed. Have you not heard it?
Listen—listen now!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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