seven o'clock
Thither the king repaired punctually at ten o'clock every morning , where took place the meetings of the cabinet , the consultations with the high functionaries , the audiences given to the foreign ambassadors , and the official levees , and there the king took his dinner in the midst of his family and the officers of his court . But as soon as the clock struck seven he entered his carriage without any attendants , and drove out to Sans-Souci . This had been his invariable habit for many years ; and when the inhabitants of the street leading to his country-seat heard the roll of a carriage at that hour , they said as positively as though they heard the clock striking , `` It is just seven , for the king is driving to Sans-Souci . '' The coachman , as was his habit , as soon as the clock struck six , would harness two horses to the plain carriage which the king always used , and generally drove up to the small side-gate a few minutes to seven o'clock . Without giving any orders , or uttering a word , the king would enter , and noisily closing the door , give thereby the signal to start . The chime of the neighboring church had just commenced playing the first part of the old hymn of `` Ueb immer Treu mid Redlichkeit , '' -LSB- Footnote : `` Practise always truth and honesty . '' -RSB- thus indicating that it was half-past six when the carriage appeared at the side-gate .