RECOLLECTIONS, 1831-37. "19 



morality. No, I forget now, but at the bottom of that 

 document there was a postscript in Latin that he could 

 not understand the reason I suppose that he showed 

 it to me. That postscript was to inform the priest 

 who would marry him that he (the one who had writ- 

 ten it) had not heard the confession of the bearer. 

 It was short: " Domine, Non audivi confessionem, 

 Johan...," etc. I cannot remember names. After 

 reading it I told him "You have not been to con- 

 fess." " How do you know ? " he replied, looking at 

 me with a change in his countenance, turning pale as 

 if he had committed a crime. " Well, I know it. Do 

 you not know that heretics, free thinkers and * bloody 

 Republicans ' as they called me as they called us 

 can guess a good many things ? Besides, this paper 

 tells me that you have not." What shall I do ? " he 

 asked in a tremulous voice. By that time I had re- 

 turned his paper. " Give it to me again ; I will fix it 

 all right/' I folded the bottom of the paper contain- 

 ing the P. S., cut it off and handed him both the cer- 

 tificate and the P. S. and told him, " Now you can do 

 what you please ; give both to the priest or only one, 

 and he will marry you if you care for the religious cer- 

 emony. If not, get the mayor of your village, and 

 he will marry you, and that is the only legal marriage 

 according to French law. He got married, but I 

 never heard anything about the particulars, the con- 



