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‘.1-H rim? 33,0"aS? END GIR.LiS’;'
‘Ti
(5
distressed parent, nor the great symptoms of
ii repentance in Henry, but whilst,‘my'youthful
readers, you severely condemn ‘his criminal ac-
tions, include in their number all those of which
you yourselves may have ‘been guilty.’ lVhere
is the child that "can? approach‘the' death-bed of
liisparents without"iexclaiming, “Alas! though
I may not have deprived them of any years of
their existence, yet the number of days or weeks
by which! have curtailed theirbrief life, who
can tell me? Perhaps I have multiplied those
sorrows which I now wish (I had soothed; per-
haps my follies have prematurely closed those
eyes which, otherwise, ’would’ be enjoying the
light of day!" ‘ The reprobate is hardened in
liis'.'wiek’e"dn'ess‘ ‘only‘.,bec'au'se the direful conse-
quences of . hisguilt arevveiled fromhis eyes;
the unbridled desires,of=.his heart, likeythewild
beasts that range the interminableforests, are
allowed boundless scope; ;he.lcts them loose
upon F the ; world’ under, 3 the. cover of darkness,
and seesniot thcrthousandsof innocent souls
which liewountls:anddisligures,in his rash-;
ncss he enkindles around himself ,burning coals,
lit‘ upby his guilty passions, and when he is al-
ready gone down into, the tomb, the neighbour-,
ing, houses, the, theatres of his . abominations,
which have I received the devastating spark, are
involved inyone; general contlagration, and the
column of , smoke, ascends from the spotwhere
his; ashes:lie,. as a monument erected; to.his
Shame-5;; .' 2 .. . . ;=' 1' i. - in
Henry, now that every raytofthope for; his
father's recovery had vanished, could not endure t
I the melancholy and dejected aspect of,his dying
parent; accordingly he;withdrew to an adjacent
room,,and‘there,,whilst-,the life of the count was
struggling in a series of feverish agonies with
death,;addres'sed to heaven amute appeal, and
closing his eyes upon the future, he shrunk with
horror when he fancied that he heard echoing in
his;ears,those,words of . thunder, f‘IIe is deazllf
At length the (lay arrived-the day on which he
was to present himself at the feet of his father,
to take his last farewell;and reeeivehis pardon,
and in his presence to swear .that he would be-
comena more exemplary clirizstian.-‘my , r.; ., ; j .
1. ‘Alone, and at the entrance of : the sick man's
chamber. he now,awoke. from-his long and,la-
rnentable lethargy ;. he listened, and, heard but
the, voice of his old preceptor,.who unremittingly
watched by, the bed, of V sickness, and .who, see-
ing that the darkness of death was fast oversha-
dowing the count, was giving him his blessing,
and ‘saying, ,“ Go, forth, virtuous soul,’ to a calm
sleep !.,may all thy meritorious actions, mayall
the good resolutionswhich thou hast kept‘invio-
late, may all thypious thoughts, collect aronnd
thceat theclose of thy mortal career, as the
beautiful clouds [of evening accompany in :its
‘ descent the setting sun! smile, if thou canst as
yet hear me, and ifthy faint heart as yet retains
effort to tearhhimself ‘away from the benutnbing
grasp’ of.death; -but he smiled not, for, in the
dulness of his senses, he had mistaken the voice
of his spiritual father for that of his protiigate ’
son., v‘.‘Henry,”‘said he, falteringxf‘I.see'tliee
not,,but I hear,thy'voice; lay thy:hand upon my
heart, and swear to me that thou wilt repent and
become good and virtuous.” Henry sprang for-
wardto take the oath, but the venerable eccle-
siastic h'ad’alrea.dy laid his hand upon the throb-
bingheart of the dying partent, and turning to
his son, he said to him in the tone of a whisper,
“‘.l'swear,. for you.” The heart of the count was
still heating with the slow add feeble motion of
a life just on the verge of extinction; he heard
not theoath, for'.his‘"ag0ny, once more came upon
him...’ .. J. -. ., X . . . .,
' "Henry, overpowered ;by this heart-rending’
sceAne,iand trembling at that which was to fol-.
and not returning till the most cruel hours of his
griefrahdhrergriorse should have passed away, but
he feltthat his ednversidn was not to be begun
by alelandestinel escape. He accordingly in-
formed this "director. that he was unable any
longer to ‘endure: the horrors"of his parent’s
struggle; that he would return in the course of
stifled with emotion, “ I shall. here again -meet
with you. '1 1Farewell, pray for me, and attend to
my-belovedibut expiring father.” He embraced
; him,7told-him in whatmanncr he was going to,
seclude himself, and withdrew. ' .
at irregular paces he passed onward. The two
white’:se'pulchres,>visible through the branches
of . the trees, caught his sight :, he approached.-
Never had‘he hitherto possessed the courage to:
touehithel as‘ yet‘ empty tomb, wherein were to
repose the mortal remains of . his father; in pre-
ference,7therefore,'he leant for support upon a
stone that entombed a heart, upon which at least
he‘-had not inflicted death, viz., that of his mo-,
ther,’ whom he had lostwhilst yet in his infancy.
There, in presence of his mother and his God,
he renewedtthe oath," which byithe mouth of his
representative -he had taken, of ‘-returning in-’
(stantlyto the path of virtue. 1 r I . - 5' It . V’
1 "Every step" during the remainder of his jour-
ney recalled to‘ his mind his wickediworks; a’
little child led'by the hand of its‘ parent, a fallen"
and withered leaf, a stream of water, a precipice
or ditch,‘ the sweet sound of the villagebelll-"-‘
all there were so many reminiscences of his for-'
mersms. ; an : -.' .v’.'i
,- At lasthhe reached thedestined spot-“an
ancient castle, secluded I from‘ the view ‘by ‘its
10W1)',.Situation andthe surrounding forest, in
the possession of a confidential friend. "After
having. given full vent in this obscure retreat to‘
his tears of remorse and despair, he felt he must
now return home and give proof of his regret for,
thc;senso;of.feeling.1,’,. The sick mangtnaclean
the loss of his tiither by, imitating his virtues.-eg
low, eioinceiveidthe project of quitting the castle,-
a fexvllays, ‘and “ then,”-added he, with a voice ,
‘His ‘course lay through the park; sighing, and J
,4
