Before the door of the queen's apartments her groom of the chambers, with snow-white hair, sat in a large armchair, and the king's groom of the chambers stood beside him.
"Inform his majesty that I am here!" said Herr Meding.
The attendant hesitated a moment.
"Forgive me," he said, "for asking if war is really to break out, and if we shall have the enemy here?"
"It is too true, my dear Mahlmann," said Herr Meding, in a sad voice, "but announce me at once, no time must be lost."
"Oh! my God! what times!" cried the king's groom of the chambers, as he entered the apartments, while the queen's grey-headed servant covered his face with his hands.
Herr Meding following the king's attendant through the large ante-room and was shown at once into the queen's drawing-room. Here all the royal family were assembled round the tea-table.
The king wore a general's uniform, and sat beside the queen smiling and cheerful; she commanded herself and repressed the tears she could hardly refrain from shedding. Next the queen sat the Princess Marie, a slender maiden of seventeen, with beautiful and noble features, and large blue enthusiastic eyes; less accustomed to self-command than her mother, she could not help weeping, and her handkerchief had frequently to be applied to prevent her tears from falling. On the other side of the king sat his eldest daughter, the Princess Frederika; fair, tall, and slender, she greatly resembled her sister, but her face possessed her father's noble expression, and although she was entirely without haughtiness or self-esteem, her whole bearing, her every movement, bore witness to her royal birth. She did not weep, her large clear blue eyes looked proud and brave, sometimes the beautiful teeth bit the full fresh lips, and in her heart she longed to accompany her father to the field of battle, and dreaded remaining at home in solitary idleness, waiting for tidings of the fate of the army and of her country.
Opposite to her sat, or rather lay back in his chair, the Crown Prince Ernest Augustus, a large tall young man of one-and-twenty. His face had not the smallest resemblance to his father's. A low retreating forehead was almost concealed by his thick smooth brown hair. His nose deeply indented at the bridge was almost flat to his face, and his large mouth with its full rosy lips seemed to move with difficulty over his slowly spoken words. Beautiful teeth and bright good-natured eyes, however, gave a certain charm to the young prince's appearance.
The crown prince wore the uniform of the Guard Hussars, a blue coat ornamented with silver braid, he bit the nails of his left hand, while with his right he patted a little terrier, which appeared devoted to him.