She said, 'Were
you asleep, dear papa?' 'Oh no!' he answered; 'only I have such sweet
thoughts.' During his illness his hands were often folded in prayer; and
when he did not speak, his serene face showed that the 'sweet thoughts'
were with him to the end."
'On the afternoon of Saturday, the 14th of December, it was evident that
the end was near. "_Gutes Frauchen_" ("Good little wife") were his last
loving words to the Queen as he kissed her and then rested his head upon
her shoulder. A little while afterwards the Queen bent over him and said,
"_Es ist kleins Frauchen_" ("It is little wife"); the prince evidently
knew her, although he could not speak, and bowed his head in response.
Without apparent suffering he quietly sank to rest, and towards eleven
o'clock it was seen that the soul had left its earthly tabernacle. The
well-known hymn beginning--
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee,
had been the favourite of Prince Albert in his last illness. His physician
expressed one day the hope that he would be better in a few days; but the
prince replied, "No, I shall not recover, but I am not taken by surprise;
_ I am not afraid, I trust I am prepared _."
'When the end came' (we quote the beautiful words of the biographer) 'in
the solemn hush of that mournful chamber there was such grief as has
rarely hallowed any death-bed.
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