THE FllENCH CONVULS1VES. 



tation which he had had the strength to resist, he feared to have ac- 

 complished in his sleep, and in a fit of somnambulism, the crime 

 which he had projected in his waking moments. His companion, it 

 is was true, was nowhere to be found ; but he deemed it impossible 

 that he could have been the guilty person, and attributed his flight 

 to terror. He is dragged before a court martial ; circumstances and 

 his own conscience are against him; and he is condemned and 

 executed. 



The highly dramatic part of the narrative is the detection of his 

 companion, the real murderer, who has been one of the listeners to 

 the tale. The proofs of guilt, which he betrays from time to time, as 

 the consequences of his crime, are slowly developed ; and the secret 

 and mysterious manner in which the suspicion is generated in the 

 minds of the audience, are painted with powerful skill and accuracy. 

 Though he had been enabled by his crime to attain wealth and dis- 

 tinction, he has been ever a prey to the gnawing anguish of remorse, 

 and at length sinks under its intenseness. The scene that follows, 

 which is called the case of conscience, is strongly illustrative of the 

 sarcastic bitterness of our author's style, and his profound contempt 

 for the hypocrisy and duplicity of mankind. One of the hearers of 

 the tale, who has been principally instrumental in detecting the guilt 

 of the rich army contractor, finds that the girl of his affections is no 

 other than the daughter and heiress of the murderer. Shall he marry 

 her or not? This is a puzzling question, and it is thus he seeks for 

 its solution : 



" Yesterday I brought together such of my friends as I conceived excelled 

 most in probity, delicacy, and honour. I invited two Englishmen, a secre- 

 tary to an embassy, and a puritan ; an old minister in all the maturity of 

 diplomacy ; a few young people as yet invested with the charm of innocence; 

 a priest, an old man ; then my old tutor, a plain good man ; an advocate, 

 a notary, a judge ; in fine, all social opinions, all practical virtues, We 

 commenced by dining, conversing and shouting at a glorious rate, then at 

 the desert I simply told my story and solicited good advice, concealing the 

 name of my intended. ' Counsel me, my friends/ said I, when I had finished. 

 ' Discuss the question at full length, as if it were a project of law. The bal- 

 lotting-box and balls will be brought you, and you may vote for or against 

 my marriage with all requisite secresy.' 



" On a sudden a profound silence ensued. 



" The notary excused himself. * Is there a deed to be drawn ?' said he. 



" The wine had silenced my old tutor, and it became necessary to put 

 him under tuition to prevent his meeting with accidents on his way home. 



" ' I understand,' said I, ' to withold your opinion, is to tell me energeti- 

 cally how I ought to proceed.' A movement took place in the company. 



" ' Virtue like crime, has its degrees ;' exclaimed a man of property, who 

 had subscribed for the tomb and children of General Foy. 



" ' Dolt!' said the ex-minister to me, in an undertone, and with a push 

 of his elbow. 



" ' Where is the difficulty?' said the Duke of S , whose property 



consisted of the confiscated estates of refractory protestants at the revocation 

 of the edict of Nantes. 



" The lawyer rose : ' In law, the point before us is quite clear. The 

 duke is right";' cried the organ of the law. ' Is there not prescription for 

 it where should we all be, if we were to examine the origin of fortunes ? 



