fortunately!" for to mock, your priest, who holds the
place of our Lord Jesus Christ, is a great sin and a great misfortune for
you. But tell me, my little boy, what reason have you for mocking me,
thus?"

In my examination of conscience, I had not forseen that I should be obliged
to give the reasons for mocking the priest, and I was thunderstruck by his
questions. I dared not answer, and I remained for a long time dumb, from
the shame that overpowered me. But, with a harassing perseverance, the
priest insisted upon my telling why I had mocked him: assuring me that I
would be damned if I did not speak the whole truth. So, I decided to speak,
and I said: "I mocked you for several things."

"What made you, first mock me?" asked the priest.

"I laughed at you, because you lisp: among the pupils of the school, and
other people, it often happens that we imitate your preaching to laugh at
you," I answered.

"For what other reasons did you laugh at me, my little boy!"

For a long time I was silent. Every time I opened my mouth to speak, my
courage failed me. But the priest continued to urge me, I said at last; "It
is rumoured in town, that you love girls: that you visit the Misses
R's----almost every night; and this, often made us laugh."

The poor priest was evidently overwhelmed by my answer, and ceased
questioning me on that subject. Changing the conversation, he said: "what
are your other sins?"

I began to confess them according to the order in which they came to my
memory. But the feeling of shame which overpowered me, in repeating all my
sins to that man, was a thousand times greater than that of having offended
God. In reality, this feeling of human shame, which absorbed my thoughts,
nay, my whole being, left no room for any religious feeling at all.

When I had confessed all the sins I could remember, the priest began to put
to me the strangest questions about matters on which my pen must be
silent.... I replied "Father, I do not understand what you ask me."

"I question you," he answered, "on the the sins of the sixth commandment of
God, (the seventh in the Bible) Do confess all, my little boy, for you will
go to hell if, through your fault you omit any thing."

And thereupon he dragged my thoughts into regions of iniquity which, thanks
be to God, had been hitherto quite unknown to me.

I answered him again, "I do not understand you," or "I have never done
those wicked things."

Then, skillfully shifting