hile, and it
seem as if he cannot speak to him; but de colonel say: 'I have give you
my word. Give me comfort of de Church before I die.' He is in ver' great
pain, so Mathurin he turn roun' to everybody dat stan' by, and tell dem
to say de prayers for de sick. Everybody get him down on his knees
and say de prayer. Everybody say: 'Lord have mercy. Spare him, O Lord;
deliver him, O Lord, from Thy wrath!' And Mathurin he pray all de same
as a priest, ver' soft and gentle. He pray on and on, and de face of de
English soldier it get ver; quiet and still, and de tear drop down his
cheek. And just as Mathurin say at de last his sins dey are forgive,
he die. Den Mathurin, as he go away to take off his robes, he say to
himself: 'Miserere mei Deus! miserere mei Deus!'

"So dat is de ting dat Mathurin do to save de patriots from de bullets.
Ver' well, de men dey go free, and when de Governor at Quebec he hear de
truth, he say it is all right. Also de English soldier die in peace and
happy, becos' he tink his sins are forgive. But den--dere is Mathurin
and his sin to pretend he is a priest! The Cure he come back, and dere
is a great trouble.

"Mathurin he is ver' quiet and still. Nobody come near him in him house;
nobody go near to de school. But he sit alone all day in de school, and
he work on de blackboar' and he write on de slate; but dere is no child
come, becos' de Cure has forbid any one to speak to Mathurin. Not till
de next Sunday, den de Cure send for Mathurin to come to de church.
Mathurin come to de steps of de altar; den de Cure say to him:

"'Mathurin, you have sin a great sin. If it was two hunderd years ago
you would be put to death for dat.'

"Mathurin he say ver' soft: 'Dat is no matter. I am ready to die now. I
did it to save de fadders of de children and de husbands of de wives.
I do it to make a poor sinner happy as he go from de world. De sin is
mine.'

"Den de Cure he say: 'De men are free, dat is good; de wives have dere
husbands and de children dere fadders. Also de man who confess his
sins--de English soldier--to whom you say de words of a priest of God,
he is forgive. De Spirit of God it was upon him when he die, becos' you
speak in de name of de Church. But for you, blasphemer, who take upon
you de holy ting, you shall suffer! For penance, all your life you shall
teach a chile no more.'

"Voila, M'sieu' le Cure he know dat is de greatest penance for de poor
Mathurin! Den he set him other tings to