All at once the sky grew dark; black clouds passed over it;
profound darkness covered the beautiful world, and dreadful shrieks and
groans resounded through the air. But from the midst of the black clouds
a bright, dazzling star burst like a rocket, and set fire to every
thing, until all countries were in ruins, and all cities burned down.
And as I saw that, I cried in my anguish, "Fire! fire!" Fortunately, you
came and awakened me.' That, sire," said the castellan, drawing a deep
breath, "that was the dream. The king went on to say: 'The dream, I am
sure, is a portentous one, and some remarkable event will doubtless
happen in the course of this night. Write down every thing I told you,
and remember the date and year!' I did as his majesty ordered me; I
wrote down the date, the year, and even the hour in which the dream
occurred."
"Was the dream really a portentous one? Did any remarkable event occur
in that night?"
"Yes, sire, a very remarkable event occurred in that night, but his
majesty did not hear of it; he died too early."
"When did he have that dream?" asked Napoleon, fixing his eyes on the
old man, who composedly bore the searching gaze.
A pause ensued. The castellan replied: "Sire, Frederick the Great had
that dream on the 15th of August, 1769."
"On my birthday!" ejaculated Napoleon.
"On the 15th of August, 1769," repeated the old man, "at three o'clock
in the morning.
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