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Death and its Mystery: After Death – Camille Flammarion

Madame Thenard, of the Comedie-Francaise, wrote me in August, 1908:

My great-grandmother perceived Etienne Thenard's death from a distance, in an odd manner. She was playing loto one evening. Since she was already blind at that time, Mademoiselle Rachel had had special cards, in relief, made for her. Suddenly she ceased playing and cried: "Stop, children! My grandson is ill!"

We began to joke with Grandmother, and to say that she was disturbed without reason. How could she think that Etienne was ill? Had she not heard from him the very day before.  But she insisted: “I'm sure of it. I heard two blows struck on the window." It is to be noted that she lived in a third-floor apartment, without a balcony, at 176 rue Montmartre.

We believed that she had been the dupe of an hallucination, and, very gently, we made her resume her game. But after some minutes she burst into sobs and commanded in a firm tone: “On your knees, my children! Etienne is dead; let us pray for him!"

Terrified by her attitude and full of sadness, each of us did as she did. We spent a part of the night grouped about her, in prayers and tears. The morning of the next day we learned, through a telegram, that Etienne had died, the day before, at nine o'clock in the evening, - that is, at the very moment when the scene which I have described was taking place.

 “I was sure of my misfortune," the poor blind woman moaned. “I had heard a knocking at the window a second time: it was my grandson's soul saying good-by to me !"

J. THENARD,

Of the Comedie-Francaise