1793% @ curious adventure. 329 
whole story, come with an armed force and retrieve you 
from the hands of your barbarous and unnatural son.’ 
_“ Take care that you do not reveal my secret, allow 
a wretch to die here who is unworthy ‘of seeing the day 
light ;—I once committed a crime which just heaven has 
ordained that I fhould expiate; the most horrid, most 
inhuman deed. - - + Turn your eyes towards that 
door, and behold upon the wainscoat and.upon the wall, 
_ faint traces of blood. . That blood was once my father’s ; 
you see before you his afsafsin. Like Vildac my ungo- 
vernable ambition overcame me. - - - Ah, my ima- 
gination still paints him before my eyes -, - there he 
-stretched out his bloody arms towards me; he wifhed 
to stop my polluted hands ; he falls, oh frightful image, 
oh despair.” 
At the same time the old man fell down upon the 
_ ground, tore his hair, and was in dreadful convulsions ;, I 
saw he dared not to look me in the face; I remained 
motionlefs for a while. After some moments of silence 
we thought we heard a noise. The day began to break 5 
he arose. ‘‘ You are penetrated with horror, said he, adieu, 
I thall go up to the tower, from whence I thall never 
more return,” I remained for a while mute and motion- 
lefs : every thing I had seen and heard in this castle im- 
prefsed my mind with horror - - -_ therefore the 
' sooner I left it the better. I am preparing to go and 
stay in another of my estates, for I can neither see Vil- 
dac nor live near him. O, my friend, how is it pofsible 
that the human race can produce such. unnatural mons- 
é 
ters. 
This adventure happened in Provence towards the be- 
ginning of this century ; before it was printed it was 
found necefsary to disguise the names. . 
VOL. XVII. no t 
