Poe, Edgar Allen - The Works of Edgar Allen Poe - Volume 02

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The Works of Edgar Allan Poe – Volume 2

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The Works of Edgar Allan Poe

Volume 2

Get any book for free on: www.Abika.com

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe – Volume 2

Get any book for free on: www.Abika.com

Contents

VOLUME II

The Purloined Letter

The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherezade

A Descent into the Maelström

Von Kempelen and his Discovery

Mesmeric Revelation

The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar

The Black Cat

The Fall of the House of Usher

Silence -- a Fable

The Masque of the Red Death

The Cask of Amontillado

The Imp of the Perverse

The Island of the Fay

The Assignation

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Premature Burial

The Domain of Arnheim

Landor's Cottage

William Wilson

The Tell-Tale Heart

Berenice

Eleonora

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe – Volume 2

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{Notes}

======

THE PURLOINED LETTER

Nil sapientiae odiosius acumine nimio.

_Seneca_.

At Paris, just after dark one gusty evening in the autumn of 18-,

I was enjoying the twofold luxury of meditation and a meerschaum, in

company with my friend C. Auguste Dupin, in his little back library,

or book-closet, au troisiême, No. 33, Rue Dunôt, Faubourg St.

Germain. For one hour at least we had maintained a profound silence;

while each, to any casual observer, might have seemed intently and

exclusively occupied with the curling eddies of smoke that oppressed

the atmosphere of the chamber. For myself, however, I was mentally

discussing certain topics which had formed matter for conversation

between us at an earlier period of the evening; I mean the affair of

the Rue Morgue, and the mystery attending the murder of Marie Rogêt.

I looked upon it, therefore, as something of a coincidence, when the

door of our apartment was thrown open and admitted our old

acquaintance, Monsieur G--, the Prefect of the Parisian police.

We gave him a hearty welcome; for there was nearly half as much of

the entertaining as of the contemptible about the man, and we had not

seen him for several years. We had been sitting in the dark, and

Dupin now arose for the purpose of lighting a lamp, but sat down

again, without doing so, upon G.'s saying that he had called to

consult us, or rather to ask the opinion of my friend, about some

official business which had occasioned a great deal of trouble.

"If it is any point requiring reflection," observed Dupin, as he

forebore to enkindle the wick, "we shall examine it to better purpose

in the dark."

"That is another of your odd notions," said the Prefect, who had a

fashion of calling every thing

"odd" that was beyond his comprehension, and thus lived amid an

absolute legion of "oddities."

"Very true," said Dupin, as he supplied his visiter with a pipe, and

rolled towards him a comfortable chair.

"And what is the difficulty now?" I asked. "Nothing more in the

assassination way, I hope?"

"Oh no; nothing of that nature. The fact is, the business is very

simple indeed, and I make no doubt that we can manage it sufficiently

well ourselves; but then I thought Dupin would like to hear the

details of it, because it is so excessively odd."

"Simple and odd," said Dupin.

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe – Volume 2

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"Why, yes; and not exactly that, either. The fact is, we have all

been a good deal puzzled because the affair is so simple, and yet

baffles us altogether."

"Perhaps it is the very simplicity of the thing which puts you at

fault," said my friend.

"What nonsense you do talk!" replied the Prefect, laughing heartily.

"Perhaps the mystery is a little too plain," said Dupin.

"Oh, good heavens! who ever heard of such an idea?"

"A little too self-evident."

"Ha! ha! ha - ha! ha! ha! - ho! ho! ho!" roared our visiter,

profoundly amused, "oh, Dupin, you will be the death of me yet!"

"And what, after all, is the matter on hand?" I asked.

"Why, I will tell you," replied the Prefect, as he gave a long,

steady and contemplative puff, and settled himself in his chair. "I

will tell you in a few words; but, before I begin, let me caution you

that this is an affair demanding the greatest secrecy, and that I

should most probably lose the position I now hold, were it known that

I confided it to any one."

"Proceed," said I.

"Or not," said Dupin.

"Well, then; I have received personal information, from a very high

quarter, that a certain document of the last importance, has been

purloined from the royal apartments. The individual who purloined it

is known; this beyond a doubt; he was seen to take it. It is known,

also, that it still remains in his possession."

"How is this known?" asked Dupin.

"It is clearly inferred," replied the Prefect, "from the nature of

the document, and from the non-appearance of certain results which

would at once arise from its passing out of the robber's possession;

that is to say, from his employing it as he must design in the end to

employ it."

"Be a little more explicit," I said.

"Well, I may venture so far as to say that the paper gives its holder

a certain power in a certain quarter where such power is immensely

valuable." The Prefect was fond of the cant of diplomacy.

"Still I do not quite understand," said Dupin.

"No? Well; the disclosure of the document to a third person, who

shall be nameless, would bring in question the honor of a personage

of most exalted station; and this fact gives the holder of the

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe – Volume 2

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document an ascendancy over the illustrious personage whose honor and

peace are so jeopardized."

"But this ascendancy," I interposed, "would depend upon the robber's

knowledge of the loser's knowledge of the robber. Who would dare -"

"The thief," said G., "is the Minister D--, who dares all things,

those unbecoming as well as those becoming a man. The method of the

theft was not less ingenious than bold. The document in question - a

letter, to be frank - had been received by the personage robbed while

alone in the royal boudoir. During its perusal she was suddenly

interrupted by the entrance of the other exalted personage from whom

especially it was her wish to conceal it. After a hurried and vain

endeavor to thrust it in a drawer, she was forced to place it, open

as it was, upon a table. The address, however, was uppermost, and,

the contents thus unexposed, the letter escaped notice. At this

juncture enters the Minister D--. His lynx eye immediately perceives

the paper, recognises the handwriting of the address, observes the

confusion of the personage addressed, and fathoms her secret. After

some business transactions, hurried through in his ordinary manner,

he produces a letter somewhat similar to the one in question, opens

it, pretends to read it, and then places it in close juxtaposition to

the other. Again he converses, for some fifteen minutes, upon the

public affairs. At length, in taking leave, he takes also from the

table the letter to which he had no claim. Its rightful owner saw,

but, of course, dared not call attention to the act, in the presence

of the third personage who stood at her elbow. The minister decamped;

leaving his own letter - one of no importance - upon the table."

"Here, then," said Dupin to me, "you have precisely what you demand

to make the ascendancy complete - the robber's knowledge of the

loser's knowledge of the robber."

"Yes," replied the Prefect; "and the power thus attained has, for

some months past, been wielded, for political purposes, to a very

dangerous extent. The personage robbed is more thoroughly convinced,

every day, of the necessity of reclaiming her letter. But this, of

course, cannot be done openly. In fine, driven to despair, she has

committed the matter to me."

"Than whom," said Dupin, amid a perfect whirlwind of smoke, "no more

sagacious agent could, I suppose, be desired, or even imagined."

"You flatter me," replied the Prefect; "but it is possible that some

such opinion may have been entertained."

"It is clear," said I, "as you observe, that the letter is still in

possession of the minister; since it is this possession, and not any

employment of the letter, which bestows the power. With the

employment the power departs."

"True," said G.; "and upon this conviction I proceeded. My first care

was to make thorough search of the minister's hotel; and here my

chief embarrassment lay in the necessity of searching without his

knowledge. Beyond all things, I have been warned of the danger which

would result from giving him reason to suspect our design."

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TheWorksofEdgarAllanPoe–Volume2Getanybookforfreeon:www.Abika.com1TheWorksofEdgarAllanPoeVolume2Getanybookforfreeon:www.Abika.comTheWorksofEdgarAllanPoe–Volume2Getanybookforfreeon:www.Abika.com2ContentsVOLUMEIIThePurloinedLetterTheThousand-and-SecondTaleofScheherezadeADescentintotheMaelströmVonKempel...

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Poe, Edgar Allen - The Works of Edgar Allen Poe - Volume 02

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