The Abbot's Ghost, or Maurice Treherne's Temptation - A Christmas Story - Louisa May Alcott - "The Abbot's Ghost, or Maurice Treherne's Temptation: A Christmas Story" by Louisa May Alcott is a classic, Christmas story. When Maurice Traherne saves Jasper's life and becomes temporarily crippled he hopes to win the love of Octavia and get Jasper's inheritance. But when Jasper's father dies and Traherne learns that he has been disinherited, he is forbidden to marry Octavia.