Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-06-01
MISCELLANEOUS
THE FAIR PENITENT

IL was evening. The last rays of tho sett;,,
sun ic'i upon The richly painted windows ofthe Az
ocy and threw Il "dim religious light" upon the
marble floor beneath, and the frcttcd pillars tb.,
rose on all sides. young female, dressed i'm yir
gin white, advanced up the aisle, with slow and
irregular stops her eyes timidy bent upon the
ground, and her lovely locks halEshating a coun
tenance in which health and inn occnce seemed n,
We with each other which should add most beauty
To features, the iofm of which were beauty itself
She stopped for moment as she reached the o.
pen portal of the chapel that formed recess on
one side of the aisle, and then turned into the re-
cess, entered u Confessional, and fell upon hor
knees.
What "ignorant sin" could this sweet one have
committed that lurcd absolution at the hand,
OF her holy father confcssor'
We shall see.
aaVing hrst pronounced her accustomed PRAYER
WIN tmid voice, she seemed To gain confidence
oy TINS act and proceeded TO relate, first her little
acts on contumacy towards her for
,hough bordering on womanhood, she had not yot
'c' the convent School0 then her little sins of act
.al commissions; rescrvng the gravest to the last
-. io"et"' .hough she had evidently not concluded
her confession she made full stop as if reluctant
to proceed farther.
Come daughter" exclaimed tho good priest.
proceed; you must not permit false pride or de-
hcacy to deter you from that full confession with
OUT whicn absolutlon were vain. What more!'
I'm afraid to tell you, good father"
=, Inc priest SAID something to encourage her; but
inc pretty Pentent still hesitated and as she cover
s.
Gu TO nave 1t seen, the tears made their way between
her pretty fingers
"Come-coms," said the holy father, ..thi, mus,
not oe' L must interrogate you. What is it that
tioueies you! Have you done any thing 10 in
Jure or offend your good parents2"
"Worse, father"
'liave you been reading in wicked books?n
I've not been reading at all father"
Did you play or laugh, last Sunday during SER
"a great deal worse, fathcr.n
me good priest began seriously TO DO alarmed:
yet nc did not know how to frame his questions so
as 70 AVOID suggestions, which Of he should prove
wrong In ms suspcions) might render tho remedy
more ihlschievous than the disease
AT last the young beauty, as if by desperate eff.
tort, relieved him from his embarrassment.-uFa
ener, saia she, with atrembling and hafsuppress-
ed voice, 81 will tell you all, if Heaven will Give
me strength to speak. But, pray be indulgcnt good
father 1t was the first timc-and Ps sure 1 no.
yer thoug!': that so much harm would come of it.
pes, neSioes IL was not all my own iault-t part
~ ms. And he is so very handsome too'--tThe
good priest trembled.] "And so fond of me-be
used to follow Inc about wherever went-he seem
cd TO think and care about nobody but mo"-TShe
paused moment,-then continued l-"Well, ia
Their, one night after had retired to rest I-would
you believe it'll found him in my chamber"-'
Inc holy father groaned aloud. III never could
tell how he got therefor shut the door after me-
and fastened it carefully, as always do.n
"Well," exclaimed the oniessor in an anxious
tone, "what more?"
son, father! the worst is to come. That nipht
IN partcular-it was last Thursday, father-he
looked very handsome and seemed so very fond
of me-and-that-in short"
but" exclaimed the pious priest, with sud-
den shew OF indignation "dd your mother never
warn you OF the terrible danger of such conduct
INA she never tell you the fatal consequences Of"
''No father" interrupted the terrified penitent,e
she never told me there any thing wrong in
being fond of such a very beautiful cat-and-n
"a cat!--was it a cat?"
es' iather; a large beautiful white Angola, that
L was so wicked to steal from the pastry cook,s
opposite where we live, and have kept him conceal
ed in my room snce!'
IN nom'ne PdfriS ct Fiji ct Spiritus Sancti, tie
aosooo' SAID the good priest; and did he pro-
nounce the words with "A more full and prat6ed
feeling of pious satisfaction