, 1883-11-17
THE CONFESSION.
LFOUND AMONG THE PAPERS OF A
PRUssIAN JUDGE.

This is my last night! and, stand
Ing as | do on the brink Of eternity,
7 will fill up the few hours that in
ttervcnc before my execution takes
place in writing down the crime,
and how, step by step, | reached
this dungeon. May it be accepted
p an act Of atOncment on my part,
iand at the same time serve as a warn
Ting to others!
2 l was a forward child, Of a sullen,
suspicious character, and | after
ward became a rough soldier during
A couple Of campaigns, at the close
Of which, peace having succeeded
2 war, left the service TO farm a small
estate which my wife had inherited.
Soon after my return from the army,
my brother siCkened and died. He
was an open hearted, noble fellow,
far better looking than myself and
universally beloved. All those who
ever sought my acquaintance, wheth-
er at home or abroad, from being his
friends, seldom took kindly to me,
and generally observed, the first
time they saw me, that never were
two brothers more unlike, both in
person and manners.
We had married two sisters and
this circumstance, which ought to
have been an additional bond be-
tween Us, only contributed to cs-
; tr2ngaSs still more. His wife saw
through my character but too well,
and | always felt, whenever | gave
way to any bad impulse Of envy or
hatred in her presence, as il she read
my thoughts like an open book. 1t
was a relief to me when the cool
ness between US ended in an open
rupture, and a still greater relief
when | received the news Of her
death, while | was with my regiment
abroad. II now seems to me as
though had a prescntiment Of the
frightful tragedy that was to take
place! | dreaded her, and she
seemed tOpursue me-ay ! even now
see her rcproachful eyes upon me,
freezing my blood She died short
ly after giving birth to a child.
When my brother in turn fell i'll,
and his life was dcspIircd Of, he
summoned my wife to his bedside,
and intrustcd his little orphan, a boy
four years old, to her protecting care.
lie bcqucathcd all his property to
him, stating in his will that should
the child die his fortune should de-
volvc on my wife, rs the only return
he could make for her afTcctiOnate
kindness. Then, after exchanging
few fratcrnal words with me, and
rcgrctting our long cstrangcmcnt,
he fell back exhausted into deep
slumber, from which he never awOkc.
As we had no children, and the
two sisters had always been very
united, my wife loved this boy as if
he had been her own. lie was pas
sionately fond Of her; but, being the
true picture Of his mother, both in
mind and person, could never some
how, take kindly to me. / cannot
fix any particular period at which
firH became aware of this kind of
antipathy on his part, but | soon be-
gan to feel uneasy whenever he was
-FFesent As often rs l awoke out Of
a train Of gloomy thoughts, there
was that child staring at me, with
the piercing look 50 full Of meaning,
that used to annoy me in his mother.
1t was not merely an empty fancy Of
mine, attributable to his strong like
ness to his deceased parents, for l
never could stare him down, let me
look as fierce as might lie was
evidently afraid Of me, in spite Of
which he seemed to have imbibed a
hereditary contempt for me.
Imay deceive myself-and yet l
do not think at that period I intend
ed to do him any harm. 1t might,
perhaps, have occurred to me how
advantageous it would be for us to
inherit the boys property, and l
might have secretly wished him to
die; still do not think that / had
the least idea Of taking away his
life. The idea came very slowly at
first, and merely in the dim and dis
tant outline in which we see a vision
Of an impending earthquake, or the
day of the last judgment-then it
approached nearer and nearer still,
and began to lose portion Of its
horror and improbability, and, after
assuming a more definite shape, it
became the constant theme Of my
speculation. When these foul phan-
toms crossed my brain, | could not
bear that the boy should perceive l
was staring at him; yet, by a kind
of fascination, / could not help gaZ-