The Wilmingtonian., 1823-11-13
THE ABBE PROVOST.


At supper given one evening by the
Able Provost to some men of
etters, his intimate friends, the conversa-| :
ion insensibly fell on some points of mo-
al philosophy. One Of the guests asser-
ed, that the most upright man was unable
% say, that he might not one day undergoll
the punishment assigned to the worst of
criminals. And add,' said the Able Pre-
vost, 'nor even that he may not deserve
it, All the other guests exclaimed against
this latter assertion. Yes, gentlemen
said the Able, assert that a man with
a good heart and of the purest principle,
may yet be so unfortunate as to commit a
crime which would lead to the scaffold. !
They declared that this was scarcely pos
sible. Gentlemen he continued, 'you|
are all my friends. | can rely on your
and make a disclosure to you'll
which have never yet made to any hu-
man being. You all believe me to be al
good manr Each of his friends said hisl
had never been doubted. Very
well,' continued the Able, / have not
withstanding, been guilty of a most dread
full crime, and have narrowly escaped an
gDominious DEATH
Every one believed at first the Able was
.jesting-" Nothing is farther from my in
tention,' said he to his guests, who began
to look at him with astonishment. 'Since
am to disclose it, know then that IL
killed my father His friends were at a
loss what to think of this declaration, and
pressed him to explain himself. when he
pursued his narrative thus - When left
College l fell in love with young girl
abont my own age, the daughter of a
She returned my passion, and
lit was not long before the fruits of our i'm
prudence became visible. | was intoxica-
tied with love; wished to be necessarily
lin her company; and, in fact, passed near
IIy all my time with her. My parents pres
Ised me to choose profession, but the on
Ily choice which / was then able or willing
to make, was that of adoring my mistress.
Every other occupation was tedious or an
Inoying to me. My father who began TO
suspect the real cause of that indifference,
watched and followed me. and became ac-
quainted with my imprudence. One day
he came to the residence of my mistress
(then in the fourth month of her pregnan-
|cy), at the very moment | was there, and
lreproached her in my presence, with the
utmost severity, on the criminal inter-
course which she maintained with me-
kept silence; he accused her with throw
ling an obstacle in the way of my fortune,
and on her attempting to justify herself,
he overwhelmed her with abuse. She wept;
/ defended her when my father became
enraged, and at last exasperated himself
to such degree, and forgot himselfs so far,
as to strike the unfortunate girl.-He even
kicked her in the chest, when she fell
senseess. On seeing this, | became infu-
rated; threw myself on my father and
hurled him headong down stairs. The
fall was the cause of his death-he died
the same night, but had the generosity not
to denounce me. 1t was believed that his
| fall had been accidental. He was buried;
and by his silence | was saved from infa-
! my and from the scaffold. | was not how
ever, the less alive to the enormity of my
guilt. For long time laboured under a
settled gloom and detection which no.
tnillS Could utssipdtc' NotS' 'iA"S" v"
burying myself, my sorrows, and my re-
morse in cloister. and embraced the or
der of Clugny-It is, perhaps to the deep
melancholy which this first error of my
youth cast over the remainder of my days
I that owe the tragica events--the terrific
scenes--the sombre and fearful descrip-
tions which characterize the works have
published.
The friends of the Able listened to this
narrative with breathess attention, min
gled with surprise and horror. They could
/ not believe it to be true, and conjectured
the Able having imagined the story as a
scene for sumo novel he was about pub
Fishing, had related it to try the effect that
it would produce. But on many subse.
quent occasions when the subject was men
toned, he persisted in confirming its re-
ality.
The number of the New England Jour
nal of Medicine and Surgery, for the last
month, relates the following remarkable
occurrence