the works of edgar allan poe-1-第43节

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It　was　soon　after　dark；　upon　this　same　evening；　that　Madame　Deluc；　as　
well　as　her　eldest　son；　heard　the　screams　of　a　female　in　the　vicinity　
of　the　inn。　The　screams　were　violent　but　brief。　Madame　D。　recognized　
not　only　the　scarf　which　was　found　in　the　thicket；　but　the　dress　
which　was　discovered　upon　the　corpse。　An　omnibus　driver；　Valence；　
｛*13｝　now　also　testified　that　he　saw　Marie　Rog阾　cross　a　ferry　on　the　
Seine；　on　the　Sunday　in　question；　in　company　with　a　young　man　of　dark　
complexion。　He；　Valence；　knew　Marie；　and　could　not　be　mistaken　in　her　
identity。　The　articles　found　in　the　thicket　were　fully　identified　by　
the　relatives　of　Marie。　

The　items　of　evidence　and　information　thus　collected　by　myself；　from　
the　newspapers；　at　the　suggestion　of　Dupin；　embraced　only　one　more　
point　　but　this　was　a　point　of　seemingly　vast　consequence。　It　
appears　that；　immediately　after　the　discovery　of　the　clothes　as　above　
described；　the　lifeless；　or　nearly　lifeless　body　of　St。　Eustache；　
Marie's　betrothed；　was　found　in　the　vicinity　of　what　all　now　supposed　
the　scene　of　the　outrage。　A　phial　labelled　〃laudanum；〃　and　emptied；　
was　found　near　him。　His　breath　gave　evidence　of　the　poison。　He　died　
without　speaking。　Upon　his　person　was　found　a　letter；　briefly　stating　
his　love　for　Marie；　with　his　design　of　self…　destruction。　

〃I　need　scarcely　tell　you；〃　said　Dupin；　as　he　finished　the　perusal　of　
my　notes；　〃that　this　is　a　far　more　intricate　case　than　that　of　the　
Rue　Morgue；　from　which　it　differs　in　one　important　respect。　This　is　
an　ordinary；　although　an　atrocious　instance　of　crime。　There　is　
nothing　peculiarly　outr？about　it。　You　will　observe　that；　for　this　
reason；　the　mystery　has　been　considered　easy；　when；　for　this　reason；　
it　should　have　been　considered　difficult；　of　solution。　Thus；　at　
first；　it　was　thought　unnecessary　to　offer　a　reward。　The　myrmidons　of　
G…　were　able　at　once　to　comprehend　how　and　why　such　an　atrocity　
might　have　been　committed。　They　could　picture　to　their　imaginations　a　
mode　…　many　modes　…　and　a　motive　…　many　motives；　and　because　it　was　
not　impossible　that　either　of　these　numerous　modes　and　motives　could　
have　been　the　actual　one；　they　have　taken　it　for　granted　that　one　of　
them　must。　But　the　case　with　which　these　variable　fancies　were　
entertained；　and　the　very　plausibility　which　each　assumed；　should　
have　been　understood　as　indicative　rather　of　the　difficulties　than　of　
the　facilities　which　must　attend　elucidation。　I　have　before　observed　
that　it　is　by　prominences　above　the　plane　of　the　ordinary；　that　
reason　feels　her　way；　if　at　all；　in　her　search　for　the　true；　and　that　
the　proper　question　in　cases　such　as　this；　is　not　so　much　'what　has　
occurred？'　as　'what　has　occurred　that　has　never　occurred　before？'　In　
the　investigations　at　the　house　of　Madame　L'Espanaye；　｛*14｝　the　
agents　of　G　were　discouraged　and　confounded　by　that　very　
unusualness　which；　to　a　properly　regulated　intellect；　would　have　
afforded　the　surest　omen　of　success；　while　this　same　intellect　might　
have　been　plunged　in　despair　at　the　ordinary　character　of　all　that　
met　the　eye　in　the　case　of　the　perfumery…girl；　and　yet　told　of　
nothing　but　easy　triumph　to　the　functionaries　of　the　Prefecture。　

〃In　the　case　of　Madame　L'Espanaye　and　her　daughter　there　was；　even　at　
the　beginning　of　our　investigation；　no　doubt　that　murder　had　been　
committed。　The　idea　of　suicide　was　excluded　at　once。　Here；　too；　we　
are　freed；　at　the　commencement；　from　all　supposition　of　self…　murder。　
The　body　found　at　the　Barri鑢e　du　Roule；　was　found　under　such　
circumstances　as　to　leave　us　no　room　for　embarrassment　upon　this　
important　point。　But　it　has　been　suggested　that　the　corpse　
discovered；　is　not　that　of　the　Marie　Rog阾　for　the　conviction　of　
whose　assassin；　or　assassins；　the　reward　is　offered；　and　respecting　
whom；　solely；　our　agreement　has　been　arranged　with　the　Prefect。　We　
both　know　this　gentleman　well。　It　will　not　do　to　trust　him　too　far。　
If；　dating　our　inquiries　from　the　body　found；　and　thence　tracing　a　
murderer；　we　yet　discover　this　body　to　be　that　of　some　other　
individual　than　Marie；　or；　if　starting　from　the　living　Marie；　we　find　
her；　yet　find　her　unassassinated　　in　either　case　we　lose　our　labor；　
since　it　is　Monsieur　G　with　whom　we　have　to　deal。　For　our　own　
purpose；　therefore；　if　not　for　the　purpose　of　justice；　it　is　
indispensable　that　our　first　step　should　be　the　determination　of　the　
identity　of　the　corpse　with　the　Marie　Rog阾　who　is　missing。　

〃With　the　public　the　arguments　of　L'Etoile　have　had　weight；　and　that　
the　journal　itself　is　convinced　of　their　importance　would　appear　from　
the　manner　in　which　it　commences　one　of　its　essays　upon　the　subject　…　
'Several　of　the　morning　papers　of　the　day；'　it　says；　'speak　of　the　
_conclusive_　article　in　Monday's　Etoile。'　To　me；　this　article　appears　
conclusive　of　little　beyond　the　zeal　of　its　inditer。　We　should　bear　
in　mind　that；　in　general；　it　is　the　object　of　our　newspapers　rather　
to　create　a　sensation　　to　make　a　point　…　than　to　further　the　cause　
of　truth。　The　latter　end　is　only　pursued　when　it　seems　coincident　
with　the　former。　The　print　which　merely　falls　in　with　ordinary　
opinion　（however　well　founded　this　opinion　may　be）　earns　for　itself　
no　credit　with　the　mob。　The　mass　of　the　people　regard　as　profound　
only　him　who　suggests　_pungent　contradictions_　of　the　general　idea。　
In　ratiocination；　not　less　than　in　literature；　it　is　the　epigram　
which　is　the　most　immediately　and　the　most　universally　appreciated。　
In　both；　it　is　of　the　lowest　order　of　merit。　

〃What　I　mean　to　say　is；　that　it　is　the　mingled　epigram　and　melodrame　
of　the　idea；　that　Marie　Rog阾　still　lives；　rather　than　any　true　
plausibility　in　this　idea；　which　have　suggested　it　to　L'Etoile；　and　
secured　it　a　favorable　reception　with　the　public。　Let　us　examine　the　
heads　of　this　journal's　argument；　endeavoring　to　avoid　the　
incoherence　with　which　it　is　originally　set　forth。　

〃The　first　aim　of　the　writer　is　to　show；　from　the　brevity　of　the　
interval　between　Marie's　disappearance　and　the　finding　of　the　
floating　corpse；　that　this　corpse　cannot　be　that　of　Marie。　The　
reduction　of　this　interval　to　its　smallest　possible　dimension；　
becomes　thus；　at　once；　an　object　with　the　reasoner。　In　the　rash　
pursuit　of　this　object；　he　rushes　into　mere　assumption　at　the　outset。　
'It　is　folly　to　suppose；'　he　says；　'that　the　murder；　if　murder　was　
committed　on　her　body；　could　have　been　consummated　soon　enough　to　
have　enabled　her　murderers　to　throw　the　body　into　the　river　before　
midnight。'　We　demand　at　once；　and　very　naturally；　why？　Why　is　it　
folly　to　suppose　that　the　murder　was　committed　_within　five　minutes_　
after　the　girl's　quitting　her　mother's　house？　Why　is　it　folly　to　
suppose　that　the　murder　was　committed　at　any　given　period　of　the　day？　
There　have　been　assassinations　at　all　hours。　But；　had　the　murder　
taken　place　at　any　moment　between　nine　o'clock　in　the　morning　of　
Sunday；　and　a　quarter　before　midnight；　there　would　still　have　been　
time　enough　''to　throw　the　body　into　the　river　before　midnight。'　This　
assumption；　then；　amounts　precisely　to　this　…　that　the　murder　was　not　
committed　on　Sunday　at　all　…　and；　if　we　allow　L'Etoile　to　assume　
this；　we　may　permit　it　any　liberties　whatever。　The　paragraph　
beginning　'It　is　folly　to　suppose　that　the　murder；　etc。；'　however　it　
appears　as　printed　in　L'Etoile；　may　be　imagined　to　have　existed　
actually　thus　in　the　brain　of　its　inditer　…　'It　is　folly　to　suppose　
that　the　murder；　if　murder　was　committed　on　the　body；　could　have　been　
committed　soon　enough　to　have　enabled　her　murderers　to　throw　the　body　
into　the　river　before　midnight；　it　is　folly；　we　say；　to　suppose　all　
this；　and　to　suppose　at　the　same　time；　（as　we　are　resolved　to　
suppose；）　that　the　body　was　not　thrown　in　until　after　midnight'　　a　
sentence　sufficiently　inconsequential　in　itself；　but　not　so　utterly　
preposterous　as　the　one　printed。　

〃Were　it　my　purpose；〃　continued　Dupin；　〃merely　to　_make　out　a　case_　
against　this　passage　of　L'Etoile's　argument；　I　might　safely　leave　it　
where　it　is。　It　is　not；　however；　with　L'Etoile　that　we　have　to　do；　
but　with　the　truth。　The　sentence　in　question　has　but　one　meaning；　as　
it　stands；　and　this　meaning　I　have　fairly　stated：　but　it　is　material　
that　we　go　behind　the　mere　words；　for　an　idea　which　these　words　have　
obviously　intended；　and　failed　to　convey。　It　was　the　design　of　the　
journalist　to　say　that；　at　whatever　period　of　the　day　or　night　of　
Sunday　this　murder　was　committed；　it　was　improbable　that　the　
assassins　would　have　ventured　to　bear　the　corpse　to　the　river　before　
midnight。　And　herein　lies；　really；　the　assumption　of　which　I　
complain。　It　is　assumed　that　the　murder　was　committed　at　such　a　
position；　and　under　such　circumstances；　that　the　bearing　it　to　the　
river　became　necessary。　Now；　the　assassination　might　have　taken　place　
upon　the　river's　brink；　or　on　the　river　itself；　and；　thus；　the　
throwing　the　corpse　in　the　water　might　have　been　resorted　to；　at　any　
period　of　the　day　or　night；　as　the　most　obvious　and　most　immediate　
mode　of　disposal。　You　will　understand　that　I　suggest　nothing　here　as　
prob