The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
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.This game is simple, and_is played with marbles .One player holds in_his hand anumber of_these toys, and demands of another whether that number is even or odd . if_the guess is right, the guesser wins one; if wrong, he loses one .The boy to_whom I allude won all the marbles of_the school . of_course he had some principle of guessing; and this lay in mere observation and admeasurement of_the astuteness of_his opponents .For example, an arrant simpleton is his opponent, and, holding up his closed hand, asks, 'are they even or odd ? ' Our schoolboy replies, 'odd,' and loses; but upon_the second trial he wins, for he then says to himself, 'the simpleton had them even upon_the first trial, and_his amount of cunning is just sufficient to_make him have them odd upon_the second; i_will therefore guess odd;' - he guesses odd, and wins .Now, with asimpleton adegree above the first, he_would_have reasoned thus: 'This fellow finds that in_the first instance I guessed odd, and, in_the second, he_will propose to himself, upon_the first impulse, asimple variation from even to odd, as did the first simpleton; but then asecond thought will suggest_that this_is too simple avariation, and finally he_will decide upon putting it even as before . i_will therefore guess even;' - he guesses even, and wins .Now this mode of reasoning in_the schoolboy, whom his fellows termed 'lucky,' - what, in its last analysis, is_it ? "

" it_is merely," I_said, "an identification of_the reasoner's intellect with_that of_his opponent ."

" it_is," said Dupin; "and, upon inquiring, of_the boy by what means he effected the thorough identification in_which his success consisted, I received answer as follows: 'When i_wish to_find out how wise, or how stupid, or how good, or how wicked is any_one, or what_are his thoughts at_the moment, I fashion the expression of_my face, as accurately as possible, in accordance with_the expression of_his, and then wait to_see what thoughts or sentiments arise in my mind or heart, as_if to match or correspond with_the expression .' This response of_the schoolboy lies at_the bottom of all the spurious profundity which_has been attributed to Rochefoucault, to La Bougive, to Machiavelli, and to Campanella ."

" and_the identification," I_said, " of_the reasoner's intellect with_that of_his opponent, depends, if I understand you aright, upon_the accuracy with_which the opponent's intellect is admeasured ."

"For its practical value it depends upon_this," replied Dupin; " and_the Prefect and_his cohort fail so frequently, first, by default of_this identification, and, secondly, by ill-admeasurement, or rather through non-admeasurement, of_the intellect with_which they_are engaged .They consider only their own ideas of ingenuity; and, in searching for anything hidden, advert only to_the modes in_which they_would_have hidden it . they_are right in_this much - that their own ingenuity is afaithful representative of_that of_the mass; but when_the cunning of_the individual felon is diverse in character from their own, the felon foils them, of_course .This always happens when it_is above their own, and very usually when it_is below . they_have no variation of principle in their investigations; at best, when urged by some unusual emergency - by some extraordinary reward - they extend or exaggerate their old modes of practice, without touching their principles .What, for example, in this_case of D--, has_been_done to vary the principle of action ? what_is all this boring, and probing, and sounding, and scrutinizing with_the microscope and dividing the surface of_the building into registered square inches - what_is it all but an exaggeration of_the application of_the one principle or set of principles of search, which are based upon_the one set of notions regarding human ingenuity, to_which_the Prefect, in_the long routine of_his duty, has_been accustomed ? do_you not see he has taken it for granted that all men proceed to conceal aletter, - not exactly in agimlet hole bored in achair-leg - but, at_least, in some out-of-the-way hole or corner suggested by_the same tenor of thought which would urge aman to secrete aletter in agimlet-hole bored in achair-leg ? And do_you not see also, that such recherchs nooks for concealment are adapted only for ordinary occasions, and would_be adopted only by ordinary intellects; for, in all cases of concealment, adisposal of_the article concealed - adisposal of it in_this recherch manner, - is, in_the very first instance, presumable and presumed; and thus its discovery depends, not at all upon_the acumen, but altogether upon_the mere care, patience, and determination of_the seekers; and where the case is of importance - or, what amounts to_the same thing in_the policial eyes, when_the reward is of magnitude, - the qualities in_question have never been known to fail . you_will now understand what I meant in suggesting that, had the purloined letter been hidden any where within_the limits of_the Prefect's examination - in other words, had the principle of_its concealment been comprehended within_the principles of_the Prefect - its discovery would_have_been amatter altogether beyond question .This functionary, however, has_been thoroughly mystified; and_the remote source of_his defeat lies in_the supposition that_the Minister is afool, because he has acquired renown as apoet .All fools are poets; this the Prefect feels; and he_is merely guilty of anon distributio medii in thence inferring that all poets are fools ."

"But is_this really the poet ? " I asked ." there_are two brothers, I_know; and both have attained reputation in letters .The Minister I believe has_written learnedly on_the Differential Calculus . he_is amathematician, and no poet ."

" you_are mistaken; I_know him well; he_is both .As poet and mathematician, he_would reason well; as mere mathematician, he_could_not have reasoned at all, and thus would_have_been at_the mercy of_the Prefect ."

"You surprise me," I_said, " by_these opinions, which_have been contradicted by_the voice of_the world . you_do_not mean to set at naught the well-digested idea of centuries .The mathematical reason has long been regarded as_the reason par excellence ."

" 'Il y aparir,' " replied Dupin, quoting from Chamfort, " 'que toute ide publique, toute convention reue est une sottise, car elle aconvenue au plus grand nombre .' The mathematicians, I grant you, have_done their best to promulgate the popular error to_which you allude, and which_is none the less an error for its promulgation as truth .With an art worthy abetter cause, for example, they_have insinuated the term 'analysis' into application to algebra .The French are the originators of_this particular deception; but if aterm is of any importance - if words derive any value from applicability - then 'analysis' conveys 'algebra' about as_much as, in Latin, 'ambitus' implies 'ambition,' 'religio' 'religion,' or 'homines honesti,' aset of honorablemen ."

" you_have aquarrel on hand, I_see," said I, "with some_of_the algebraists of Paris; but proceed ."

"I dispute the availability, and thus the value, of_that reason which_is cultivated in any especial form other_than the abstractly logical .I dispute, in_particular, the reason educed by mathematical study .The mathematics are the science of form and quantity; mathematical reasoning is merely logic applied to observation upon form and quantity .The great error lies in supposing that even the truths of what_is called pure algebra, are abstract or general truths .And this error is so egregious that I_am confounded at_the universality with_which it_has_been received .Mathematical axioms are notaxioms of general truth . what_is true of relation - of form and quantity - is often grossly false in regard to morals, for example . in_this latter science it_is very usually untrue that_the aggregated parts are equal to_the whole .In chemistry also the axiom fails . in_the consideration of motive it fails; for two motives, each of agiven value, have_not, necessarily, avalue when united, equal to_the sum of_their values apart . there_are numerous other mathematical truths which are only truths within_the limits of relation .But the mathematician argues, from_his finite truths, through habit, as if_they were of an absolutely general applicability - as_the world indeed imagines them to_be .Bryant, in_his very learned 'Mythology,' mentions an analogous source of error, when he_says that 'although the Pagan fables are_not believed, yet we forget ourselves continually, and make inferences from_them as existing realities .' with_the algebraists, however, who_are Pagans themselves, the 'Pagan fables' are believed, and_the inferences are made, not so_much through lapse of memory, as through an unaccountable addling of_the brains .In short, I never yet encountered the mere mathematician who_could_be trusted out of equal roots, or one who did_not clandestinely hold it as apoint of_his faith that x2+px was absolutely and unconditionally equal to q .Say to one_of_these gentlemen, by way of experiment, if_you please, that you believe occasions may occur where x2+px is_not altogether equal to q, and, having made him understand what you mean, get out of_his reach as speedily as convenient, 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 amathematician, 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 acourtier, too, and as abold intriguant .Such aman, 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

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