Many years ago, there lived a good and wealthy gentleman. He had a son named Henry, who, at a young age, seemed very pious. This gentleman was a good father. Seeing these good dispositions in his child, he did everything in his power to raise Henry to be a good Catholic, and he had the happiness of seeing his son grow up to become a model of every virtue. Henry was the consolation of his parents. He was also a joy and a good example to his companions.

Fifteen years of his life passed in this happy way. Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, a terrible change came over him. He became sullen and sad. He shunned the company of his former companions. Even when at home with his parents, he seemed without life. He scarcely ever spoke to them, and always kept his eyes on the ground.

Henry’s father was alarmed by this sudden change from cheerfulness to dull sadness. He thought that perhaps Henry was sick. Accordingly, he sent for a doctor, who, after carefully examining Henry, could not discover any disease.

The boy’s father then began to fear that some evil temptation had found its way into his son’s soul. So, the good man went to a priest, and told him what had happened.

This holy priest, who had much experience in the behavior of souls, knew that those who are the holiest are the ones whom hell attacks most and with greatest fury. He saw that the devil had succeeded in robbing Henry of his peace of mind by making him fall into some sin, or at least by making Henry think that he had sinned - for this latter frequently happens. The priest resolved to visit the boy.

When the priest entered, Henry’s eyes fell on the ground, and he would have rushed out of the room if it was possible. The priest spoke to him in that gentle, familiar tone which used to be the joy of Henry every time he met him.

But the only response to his kind words was a deep blush on Henry’s cheek and a rigid silence. The priest continued to speak to him in the affectionate tones of a father, and before long, he saw something like a tear glistening in the boy’s eye. At length the tear burst forth, and the next instant Henry was in the arms of the good priest, weeping and sobbing as if his heart would break.

"Oh," he said, "I am the most unhappy wretch that ever was born. I have fallen into terrible sins. Come, Father, I will show you what has been the cause of my fall."

He at once led the priest into his father’s room, where there was a great number of books arranged on shelves. He took down one of these books, and handing it to the priest, said to him: "That book has been the cause of all the evil that has befallen me."

The priest looked at the book, and saw that it was one of those bad, godless books that even then were spread about by the agents of hell, and which are published so frequently nowadays.

When the priest showed the book to Henry’s father, the man was filled with amazement. The book had been sent to him by a friend, but he had been too busy to look at it, much less to read it. Hence, he placed it on one of the shelves of his bookcase till he would have more time to read it, then forgot all about it. In the meantime Henry, seeing this new book there, had the curiosity to read it himself, and the reading of this wicked book was the cause of his unfortunate fall from grace.

But thanks be to God, the damage was detected in time. Through the care of the good priest, the seeds of vice were rooted out of the young man’s soul. By a good Confession, he blotted out the evil he had done. His conscience was at peace once more, and he returned to his former, cheerful self.

As Henry grew up to manhood, there was a more serious attitude in his behavior. He did not lose his kind affection towards those around him, but he was more prudent in his actions, careful not to fall into such grave sins again. Those who knew him attributed this mature behavior to what had happened to him in his boyish years.