The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe
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the black Cat

by Edgar Allan Poe

for_the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I_am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief . mad indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence . yet, mad am I not - and very surely do I not dream . but to- morrow I die, and to- day i_would unburthen my soul . my immediate purpose is to_place before_the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment, a series of mere household events . in their consequences, these events have terrified - have tortured - have destroyed me . yet i_will_not attempt to expound them . to_me, they_have presented little but horror - to many they_will seem less terrible than barroques . hereafter, perhaps, some intellect may_be found which will reduce my phantasm to_the common- place - some intellect more calm, more logical, and far less excitable than my own, which will perceive, in_the circumstances I detail with awe, nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects .

from my infancy i_was noted for_the docility and humanity of_my disposition . my tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to_make me the jest of_my companions . i_was especially fond of animals, and was indulged by my parents with a great variety of pets . with_these I spent most of my_time, and never was so happy as when feeding and caressing them . this peculiarity of character grew with my growth, and in my manhood, I derived from_it one of_my principal sources of pleasure . to_those who_have cherished an affection for a faithful and sagacious dog, I_need hardly be at_the trouble of explaining the nature or the intensity of_the gratification thus derivable . there_is something in_the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to_the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere man .

I married early, and was happy to_find in my wife a disposition not uncongenial with my own .Observing my partiality for domestic pets, she lost no opportunity of procuring those of_the most agreeable kind . we had birds, gold- fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey, and acat .

this latter was aremarkably large and beautiful animal, entirely black, and sagacious to an astonishing degree . in speaking of_his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to_the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise . not that she was ever serious upon_this point - and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than that_it happens, just now, to_be remembered .

Pluto - this_was the cat's name - was my favorite pet and playmate .I alone fed him, and he attended me wherever I went about_the house . it_was even with difficulty that I_could prevent him from following me through_the streets .

our friendship lasted, in_this manner, for several years, during which my general temperament and character - through_the instrumentality of_the fiend intemperance - had (I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for_the worse .I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of_the feelings of others .I suffered myself to use intemperate language to my wife . at_length, I even offered her personal violence . my pets, of_course, were made to_feel the change in my disposition .I not_only neglected, but ill- used them . for Pluto, however, I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from maltreating him, as I_made no scruple of maltreating the rabbits, the monkey, or even the dog, when by accident, or through affection, they came in my way . but my disease grew upon me - for what disease is like alcohol ! - and at_length even Pluto, who was now becoming old, and consequently somewhat peevish - even Pluto began to experience the effects of_my ill temper .

one night, returning home, much intoxicated, from one of_my haunts about town, I fancied that_the cat avoided my presence .I seized him; when, in_his fright at my violence, he inflicted a slight wound upon my hand with_his teeth . the fury of a demon instantly possessed me . I_knew myself no longer . my original soul seemed, at once, to_take its flight from my body and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin- nurtured, thrilled every fibre of_my frame . i_took from my waistcoat- pocket a pen- knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by_the throat, and deliberately cut one of_its eyes from_the socket ! I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity .

when reason returned with_the morning - when I had slept off the fumes of_the night's debauch - I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse, for_the crime of_which I had_been guilty; but it_was, at best, a feeble and equivocal feeling, and_the soul remained untouched .I again plunged into excess, and soon drowned in wine all memory of_the deed .

in_the meantime the cat slowly recovered . the socket of_the lost eye presented, it_is true, a frightful appearance, but he no longer appeared to suffer any pain . he went about_the house as usual, but, as might_be expected, fled in extreme terror at my approach .I had so_much of_my old heart left, as to_be at first grieved by_this evident dislike on_the_part of a creature which had once so loved me . but this feeling soon gave place to irritation . and then came, as_if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS . of_this spirit philosophy takes no account . yet I_am not more sure that my soul lives, than I_am that perverseness is one_of_the primitive impulses of_the human heart - one_of_the indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which give direction to_the character of man . who has_not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or a silly action, for no other reason than because he_knows he_should_not ? have we not a perpetual inclination, in_the teeth of_our best judgment, to violate that which_is Law_, merely because we understand it to_be such ? this spirit of perverseness, I_say, came to my final overthrow . it was_this unfathomable longing of_the soul to vex itself - to offer violence to its own nature - to_do wrong for_the wrong's sake only - that urged me to_continue and finally to consummate the injury I had inflicted upon_the unoffending brute . one morning, in cool blood, I slipped a noose about its neck and hung it to_the limb of a tree; - hung it with_the tears streaming from my eyes, and with_the bitterest remorse at my heart; - hung it because_ I_knew that_it had loved me, and because I_felt it had given me no reason of offence; - hung it because I_knew that in so doing i_was committing a sin - a deadly sin that_would so jeopardize my immortal soul as to_place it - if such a thing wore possible - even beyond the reach of_the infinite mercy of_the most merciful and most terrible god .

on_the night of_the day on_which this cruel deed was_done, i_was aroused from sleep by_the cry of fire . the curtains of_my bed were in flames . the whole house was blazing . it_was with great difficulty that my wife, a servant, and myself, made our escape from_the conflagration . the destruction was complete . my entire worldly wealth was swallowed up, and I resigned myself thenceforward to despair .

I_am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and effect, between_the disaster and_the atrocity . but I_am detailing a chain of facts - and wish not to leave even a possible link imperfect . on_the day succeeding the fire, I visited the ruins . the walls, with one exception, had fallen in . this exception was found in a compartment wall, not very thick, which stood about_the middle of_the house, and against which had rested the head of_my bed . the plastering had here, in great measure, resisted the action of_the fire - a fact which I attributed to its having been recently spread . about_this wall a dense crowd were collected, and many persons seemed to_be examining a particular portion of it with very minute and eager attention . the words " strange ! " " singular ! " and other similar expressions, excited my curiosity .I approached and saw, as_if graven in bas relief upon_the white surface, the figure of a gigantic _cat . the impression was given with an accuracy truly marvellous . there_was a rope about_the animal's neck .

when I first beheld this apparition - for I_could scarcely regard it as less - my wonder and my terror were extreme . but at_length reflection came to my aid . the cat, I remembered, had_been hung in a garden adjacent to_the house . upon_the alarm of fire, this garden had_been immediately filled by_the crowd - by some one of whom the animal must_have been cut from_the tree and thrown, through an open window, into my chamber . this had probably been done with_the view of arousing me from sleep . the falling of other walls had compressed the victim of_my cruelty into_the substance of_the freshly- spread plaster; the lime of_which, with_the flames, and_the ammonia from_the carcass, had then accomplished the portraiture as I_saw it .

although I thus readily accounted to my reason, if_not altogether to my conscience, for_the startling fact just detailed, it did_not the less fail to_make a deep impression upon my fancy . for months I_could_not rid myself of_the phantasm of_the cat; and, during this period, there came back into my spirit a half- sentiment that seemed, but was not, remorse .I went so_far as_to regret the loss of_the animal, and to look about me, among_the vile haunts which I now habitually frequented, for another pet of_the same species, and of somewhat similar appearance, with_which to supply its place .

one night as I sat, half stupified, in a den of more than infamy, my attention was suddenly drawn to some black object, reposing upon_the head of one_of_the immense hogsheads of gin, or of rum, which constituted the chief furniture of_the apartment .I had_been looking steadily at_the top of_this hogshead for some minutes, and what now caused me surprise was_the fact that I had_not sooner perceived the object thereupon .I approached it, and touched it with my hand . it_was a black cat - a very large one - fully as large as Pluto, and closely resembling him in every respect but one .Pluto had_not a white hair upon any portion of_his body; but this cat had a large, although indefinite splotch of white, covering nearly the whole region of_the breast . upon my touching him, he immediately arose, purred loudly, rubbed against my hand, and appeared delighted with my notice . this, then, was_the very creature of_which i_was in search .I at once offered to purchase it of_the landlord; but this person made no claim to_it - knew nothing of it - had never seen it before .

I continued my caresses, and, when I prepared to_go home, the animal evinced a disposition to accompany me .I permitted it to_do_so; occasionally stooping and patting it as I proceeded . when it reached the house it domesticated itself at once, and became immediately a great favorite with my wife .

for_my own part, I soon found a dislike to_it arising within me . this_was just the reverse of what I had anticipated; but - I_know not how or why it_was - its evident fondness for_myself rather disgusted and annoyed . by slow degrees, these feelings of disgust and annoyance rose into_the bitterness of hatred .I avoided the creature; a certain sense of shame, and_the remembrance of_my former deed of cruelty, preventing me from physically abusing it . I_did_not, for some weeks, strike, or otherwise violently ill use it; but gradually - very gradually - I_came to look upon it with unutterable loathing, and to flee silently from its odious presence, as from_the breath of a pestilence .

what added, no_doubt, to my hatred of_the beast, was_the discovery, on_the morning after I brought it home, that, like Pluto, it also had_been deprived of one of_its eyes . this circumstance, however, only endeared it to my wife, who, as I_have already said, possessed, in a high degree, that humanity of feeling which had once been my distinguishing trait, and_the source of many of_my simplest and purest pleasures .

with my aversion to_this cat, however, its partiality for_myself seemed to increase . it followed my footsteps with a pertinacity which it would_be difficult to make_the reader comprehend . whenever I sat, it would crouch beneath my chair, or spring upon my knees, covering me with its loathsome caresses . if I arose to walk it would get between my feet and thus nearly throw me down, or, fastening its long and sharp claws in my dress, clamber, in_this manner, to my breast . at such times, although I longed to destroy it with a blow, i_was yet withheld from so doing, partly by a memory of_my former crime, but chiefly - let me confess it at once - by absolute dread of_the beast .

this dread was not exactly a dread of physical evil - and yet i_should_be at a loss how otherwise to define it . I_am almost ashamed to own - yes, even in_this felon's cell, I_am almost ashamed to

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