  We report the detection of the slow moving wind into which the compact
supernova remnant SN 1997ab is expanding. Echelle spectroscopy provides clear
evidence for a well resolved narrow (Full Width at Zero Intensity, FWZI ~ 180
km/s) P-Cygni profile, both in Ha and Hb, superimposed on the broad emission
lines of this compact supernova remnant. From theoretical arguments we know
that the broad and strong emission lines imply a circumstellar density (n ~
10^7 cm^-3). This, together with our detection, implies a massive and slow
stellar wind experienced by the progenitor star shortly prior to the explosion.
