ten o'clock
in the evening
The evening of the 3d of July had come . The little prince had gone to bed , and had already sunk into a deep sleep . His bed had no curtains , but Marie Antoinette had with careful hands fastened a shawl to the wall , and spread it out over the bed in such a manner that the glare of the light did not fall upon the closed eyes of the child and disturb him in his peaceful slumbers . It was ten o'clock in the evening , and the ladies had that day waited unwontedly long before going to bed . The queen and Princess Elizabeth were busied in mending the clothing of the family , and Princess Theresa , sitting between the two , had been reading to them some chapters out of the Historical Dictionary . At the wish of the queen , she had now taken a religious book , Passion Week , and was reading some hymns and prayers out of it . Suddenly , the quick steps of several men were heard in the corridor .