The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
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for, beyond doubt, he_will endeavor to knock you down .

"I mean to_say," continued Dupin, while I merely laughed at his last observations, " that if_the minister had_been no more than a mathematician, the prefect would_have_been under no necessity of giving me this check . I_know him, however, as both mathematician and poet, and my measures were adapted to_his capacity, with reference to_the circumstances by_which he_was surrounded . I_knew him as a courtier, too, and as a bold intriguant . such a man, I considered, could_not fail to_be aware of_the ordinary policial modes of action . he_could_not have failed to anticipate - and events have proved that he_did_not fail to anticipate - the waylayings to_which he_was subjected . he_must_have foreseen, I reflected, the secret investigations of_his premises . his frequent absences from home at night, which were hailed by_the prefect as certain aids to_his success, I regarded only as ruses, to afford opportunity for thorough search to_the police, and thus the sooner to impress them with_the conviction to_which G--, in_fact, did finally arrive - the conviction that_the letter was not upon_the premises . I_felt, also, that_the whole train of thought, which i_was at some pains in detailing to_you just now, concerning the invariable principle of policial action in searches for articles concealed - I_felt that_this whole train of thought would necessarily pass through_the mind of_the minister . it would imperatively lead him to despise all the ordinary nooks of concealment . he_could_not, I reflected, be so weak as not to_see that_the most intricate and remote recess of_his hotel would_be as open as his commonest closets to_the eyes, to_the probes, to_the gimlets, and to_the microscopes of_the prefect . I_saw, in fine, that he_would_be driven, as a matter of_course, to simplicity, if_not deliberately induced to_it as a matter of choice . you_will remember, perhaps, how desperately the prefect laughed when I suggested, upon our first interview, that_it_was just possible this mystery troubled him so_much on account of_its being so very self- evident ."

" yes," said I, "I remember his merriment well .I really thought he_would_have fallen into convulsions ."

" the material world," continued Dupin, "abounds with very strict analogies to_the immaterial; and thus some color of truth has_been given to_the rhetorical dogma, that metaphor, or simile, may_be made to strengthen an argument, as_well as_to embellish a description . the principle of_the vis inerti, for example, seems_to_be identical in physics and metaphysics . it_is_not more true in_the former, that a large body is with more difficulty set in motion than a smaller one, and_that its subsequent momentum is commensurate with_this difficulty, than it_is, in_the latter, that intellects of_the vaster capacity, while more forcible, more constant, and more eventful in their movements than those of inferior grade, are yet the less readily moved, and more embarrassed and full of hesitation in_the first few steps of_their progress . again: have_you ever noticed which of_the street signs, over the shop- doors, are the most attractive of attention ? "

" I_have never given the matter a thought," I_said .

" there_is a game of puzzles," he resumed, " which_is played upon a map . one party playing requires another to_find a given word - the name of town, river, state or empire - any word, in short, upon_the motley and perplexed surface of_the chart .a novice in_the game generally seeks to embarrass his opponents by giving them the most minutely lettered names; but the adept selects such words as stretch, in large characters, from one end of_the chart to_the other . these, like the over- largely lettered signs and placards of_the street, escape observation by dint of being excessively obvious; and here the physical oversight is precisely analogous with_the moral inapprehension by_which the intellect suffers to_pass unnoticed those considerations which are too obtrusively and too palpably self- evident . but this_is a point, it appears, somewhat above or beneath the understanding of_the prefect . he never once thought it probable, or possible, that_the minister had deposited the letter immediately beneath the nose of_the whole world, by way of best preventing any portion of_that world from perceiving it .

" but the more I reflected upon_the daring, dashing, and discriminating ingenuity of D--; upon_the fact that_the document must always have_been at hand, if he intended to use it to good purpose; and upon_the decisive evidence, obtained by_the prefect, that_it_was not hidden within_the limits of_that dignitary's ordinary search - the more satisfied I became that, to conceal this letter, the minister had resorted to_the comprehensive and sagacious expedient of not attempting to conceal it at all .

" full of_these ideas, I prepared myself with a pair of green spectacles, and called one fine morning, quite by accident, at_the ministerial hotel . I_found D-- at home, yawning, lounging, and dawdling, as usual, and pretending to_be in_the last extremity of ennui . he_is, perhaps, the most really energetic human being now alive - but that_is only when nobody sees him .

" to_be even with_him, I complained of_my weak eyes, and lamented the necessity of_the spectacles, under cover of_which I cautiously and thoroughly surveyed the whole apartment, while seemingly intent only upon_the conversation of_my host .

"I paid especial attention to a large writing- table near which he sat, and upon_which lay confusedly, some miscellaneous letters and other papers, with one_or_two musical instruments and a few books . here, however, after a long and very deliberate scrutiny, I_saw nothing to excite particular suspicion .

" at_length my eyes, in going the circuit of_the room, fell upon a trumpery fillagree card-rack of pasteboard, that hung dangling by a dirty blue ribbon, from a little brass knob just beneath the middle of_the mantel- piece . in_this rack, which had three or four compartments, were five or six visiting cards and a solitary letter . this last was much soiled and crumpled . it_was torn nearly in two, across the middle - as_if a design, in_the first instance, to tear it entirely up as worthless, had_been altered, or stayed, in_the second . it had a large black seal, bearing the D-- cipher very conspicuously, and was addressed, in a diminutive female hand, to D--, the minister, himself . it_was thrust carelessly, and even, as it seemed, contemptuously, into one_of_the uppermost divisions of_the rack .

" no sooner had I glanced at_this letter, than I concluded it to_be that of_which i_was in search . to_be_sure, it_was, to all appearance, radically different from_the one of_which the prefect had read us so minute a description . here the seal was large and black, with_the D-- cipher; there it_was small and red, with_the ducal arms of_the S-- family . here, the address, to_the minister, diminutive and feminine; there the superscription, to a certain royal personage, was markedly bold and decided; the size alone formed a point of correspondence . but, then, the radicalness of_these differences, which_was excessive; the dirt; the soiled and torn condition of_the paper, so inconsistent with_the true methodical habits of D--, and so suggestive of a design to delude the beholder into an idea of_the worthlessness of_the document; these things, together with_the hyper- obtrusive situation of_this document, full in_the view of every visiter, and thus exactly in accordance with_the conclusions to_which I had previously arrived; these things, I_say, were strongly corroborative of suspicion, in one who came with_the intention to suspect .

"I protracted my visit as long as possible, and, while I maintained a most animated discussion with_the minister upon a topic which I_knew well had never failed to interest and excite him, I kept my attention really riveted upon_the letter . in_this examination, I committed to memory its external appearance and arrangement in_the rack; and also fell, at_length, upon a discovery which set at rest whatever trivial doubt I_might_have entertained . in scrutinizing the edges of_the paper, I observed them to_be more chafed than seemed necessary . they presented the broken appearance which_is manifested when a stiff paper, having been once folded and pressed with a folder, is refolded in a reversed direction, in_the same creases or edges which had formed the original fold . this discovery was sufficient . it_was clear to_me that_the letter had_been turned, as a glove, inside out, re- directed, and re- sealed .I bade the minister good morning, and took my departure at once, leaving a gold snuff- box upon_the table .

" the next morning I called for_the snuff- box, when we resumed, quite eagerly, the conversation of_the preceding day . while thus engaged, however, a loud report, as_if of a pistol, was heard immediately beneath the windows of_the hotel, and was succeeded by a series of fearful screams, and_the shoutings of a terrified mob .D-- rushed to a casement, threw it open, and looked out . in_the meantime, I stepped to_the card-rack took the letter, put it in my pocket, and replaced it by afac- simile, ( so_far as regards externals,) which I had carefully prepared at my lodgings - imitating the D-- cipher, very readily, by_means of a seal formed of bread .

" the disturbance in_the street had_been occasioned by_the frantic behavior of a man with a musket . he had fired it among a crowd of women and children . it proved, however, to_have_been without ball, and_the fellow was suffered to_go his way as a lunatic or a drunkard . when he had gone, D-- came from_the window, whither I had followed him immediately upon securing the object in view . soon afterwards I bade him farewell . the pretended lunatic was a man in my own pay ."

" but what purpose had you," I asked, " in replacing the letter by afac- simile ? would it not have_been better, at_the first visit, to_have seized it openly, and departed ? "

"D--," replied Dupin, " is a desperate man, and a man of nerve . his hotel, too, is_not without attendants devoted to_his interests . had I_made the wild attempt you suggest, I_might never have left the ministerial presence alive . the good people of Paris might_have heard of me no more . but I had an object apart from_these considerations . you_know my political prepossessions . in_this_matter, I act as a partisan of_the lady concerned . for eighteen months the minister has had her in_his power . she has now him in hers - since, being unaware that_the letter is_not in_his possession, he_will proceed with_his exactions as if_it_was . thus will he inevitably commit himself, at once, to_his political destruction . his downfall, too, will_not_be more precipitate than awkward . it_is all very_well to_talk about_the facilis descensus Averni; but in all kinds of climbing, as Catalani said of singing, it_is far more easy to_get up than to_come down . in_the present instance I_have no sympathy - at_least no pity - for him who descends . he is_that monstrum horrendum, an unprincipled man of genius .I confess, however, that i_should like very_well to_know the precise character of_his thoughts, when, being defied by her whom the prefect terms 'a certain personage' he_is reduced to opening the letter which I left for him in_the card-rack ."

" how ? did you put any thing particular in_it ? "

" why - it did_not seem altogether right to leave the interior blank - that_would_have been insulting .D--, at Vienna once, did me an evil turn, which i_told him, quite good-humoredly, that i_should remember . so, as I_knew he_would feel some curiosity in regard to_the identity of_the person who had outwitted him, i_thought it a pity not to_give him aclue . he_is well acquainted with my MS ., and I just copied into_the middle of_the blank sheet the words -

" '-- -- Un dessein si funeste, S'il n' EST digne d'Atre, EST digne de Thyeste .

they_are to_be found in Crebillon's 'Atre .' "

Section [1 | 2 | 3]