said whims friend were manifold, Je les mnagais_: - phrase no English equivalent his humor, now, to decline all conversation murder, until about noon the He then asked me, suddenly, if I had observed any thing peculiar scene atrocity

something manner of emphasizing the word "peculiar," which caused me to shudder, without knowing why

"No, nothing peculiar_," ; "nothing more, , than we both saw stated paper "

"The 'Gazette,' " he replied, " entered, , unusual horror thing But dismiss the idle opinions print It appears mystery is considered insoluble, very reason which should cause it regarded as easy of solution - I mean outr character features The police are confounded seeming absence of motive - not murder itself - but atrocity murder puzzled, too, seeming impossibility of reconciling the voices heard in contention, facts that no one was discovered up stairs but the assassinated Mademoiselle L'Espanaye, there were no means of egress without the notice party ascending The wild disorder room; the corpse thrust, head downward, up the chimney; the frightful mutilation body old lady; these considerations, with those just mentioned, and others which not mention, have sufficed to paralyze the powers, by putting completely at fault the boasted acumen_, government agents fallen gross but common error of confounding the unusual abstruse But deviations plane ordinary, that reason feels its way, if at all, in its search true In investigations such now pursuing, it asked 'what has occurred,' as 'what has occurred that has never occurred before ' , the facility arrive, or have arrived, solution mystery, is direct ratio apparent insolubility eyes police "

I stared speaker in mute astonishment

" now awaiting," continued he, looking toward the door apartment - " now awaiting person who, although perhaps not the perpetrator butcheries, must in some measure implicated in their perpetration worst portion crimes committed, probable that innocent right supposition; for upon it I build my expectation of reading the entire riddle I look man here - room - every moment true that not arrive; but the probability Should he come, necessary to detain him Here are pistols; and we both know how to use them when occasion demands their use "

the pistols, scarcely knowing what , or believing what I heard, while Dupin went on, in soliloquy already spoken abstract manner at such times His discourse was addressed to myself; but his voice, although by no means loud, had that intonation commonly employed in speaking to some one at great distance His eyes, vacant in expression, regarded only the wall

" voices heard in contention," , " party stairs, the voices women themselves, was fully proved evidence This relieves us of all doubt question whether the old lady first destroyed the daughter and afterward have committed suicide I speak point chiefly sake of method; strength of Madame L'Espanaye utterly unequal task of thrusting her daughter's corpse up the chimney as found; nature wounds upon her own person entirely preclude the idea of self-destruction Murder, then, committed by some third party; voices third party were those heard in contention Let me now advert - not whole testimony respecting these voices - but to peculiar testimony Did you observe any thing peculiar ? "

I remarked that, while all the witnesses agreed in supposing the gruff voice that of Frenchman, much disagreement in regard shrill, or, as one individual termed it, the harsh voice

"That evidence itself," said Dupin, "but not the peculiarity evidence observed nothing distinctive Yet something observed The witnesses, remark, agreed gruff voice; they were here unanimous But in regard shrill voice, the peculiarity is - not disagreed - but that, while an Italian, an Englishman, Spaniard, Hollander, and Frenchman attempted to describe it, spoke of it of foreigner Each is sure not the voice of one own countrymen Each likens it - not voice of an individual of any nation with whose language conversant - but the converse The Frenchman supposes it the voice of Spaniard, and ' distinguished some words had he been acquainted Spanish ' The Dutchman maintains it that of Frenchman; but it stated that '_not understanding French this witness was examined through an interpreter ' The Englishman thinks it the voice of German, and '_does not understand German ' The Spaniard 'is sure' that of an Englishman, but 'judges intonation' altogether, '_as he has no knowledge English ' The Italian believes it the voice of Russian, but '_has never conversed with native of Russia ' second Frenchman differs, moreover, first, positive voice of an Italian; but, not being cognizant tongue_, is, like the Spaniard, 'convinced intonation ' Now, how strangely unusual must that voice have really been, such testimony elicited ! - in whose tones_, even, denizens five great divisions of Europe could recognise nothing familiar ! say the voice of an Asiatic - of an African Neither Asiatics nor Africans abound in Paris; but, without denying the inference, now merely call your attention to three points The voice is termed by one witness 'harsh rather than shrill ' represented by two others 'quick and unequal ' No words - no sounds resembling words - were by any witness mentioned as distinguishable

" not," continued Dupin, "what impression made, , upon your own understanding; but hesitate that legitimate deductions even portion testimony - the portion respecting the gruff and shrill voices - are in themselves sufficient to engender suspicion which should give direction to all farther progress investigation mystery 'legitimate deductions;' but my meaning thus fully expressed I designed to imply deductions are the sole proper ones, and suspicion arises inevitably single result What the suspicion is, however, say just yet I merely wish you to bear in mind that, with myself, sufficiently forcible definite form - certain tendency - to my inquiries chamber