the works of edgar allan poe-1-第48节

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continued　absence　from　home。　She　must　have　thought　of　these　things；　I　
say。　She　must　have　foreseen　the　chagrin　of　St。　Eustache；　the　
suspicion　of　all。　She　could　not　have　thought　of　returning　to　brave　
this　suspicion；　but　the　suspicion　becomes　a　point　of　trivial　
importance　to　her；　if　we　suppose　her　not　intending　to　return。　

〃We　may　imagine　her　thinking　thus　…　'I　am　to　meet　a　certain　person　
for　the　purpose　of　elopement；　or　for　certain　other　purposes　known　
only　to　myself。　It　is　necessary　that　there　be　no　chance　of　
interruption　…　there　must　be　sufficient　time　given　us　to　elude　
pursuit　…　I　will　give　it　to　be　understood　that　I　shall　visit　and　
spend　the　day　with　my　aunt　at　the　Rue　des　Dr鬽es　…　I　well　tell　St。　
Eustache　not　to　call　for　me　until　dark　…　in　this　way；　my　absence　from　
home　for　the　longest　possible　period；　without　causing　suspicion　or　
anxiety；　will　be　accounted　for；　and　I　shall　gain　more　time　than　in　
any　other　manner。　If　I　bid　St。　Eustache　call　for　me　at　dark；　he　will　
be　sure　not　to　call　before；　but；　if　I　wholly　neglect　to　bid　him　call；　
my　time　for　escape　will　be　diminished；　since　it　will　be　expected　that　
I　return　the　earlier；　and　my　absence　will　the　sooner　excite　anxiety。　
Now；　if　it　were　my　design　to　return　at　all　…　if　I　had　in　
contemplation　merely　a　stroll　with　the　individual　in　question　…　it　
would　not　be　my　policy　to　bid　St。　Eustache　call；　for；　calling；　he　
will　be　sure　to　ascertain　that　I　have　played　him　false　…　a　fact　of　
which　I　might　keep　him　for　ever　in　ignorance；　by　leaving　home　without　
notifying　him　of　my　intention；　by　returning　before　dark；　and　by　then　
stating　that　I　had　been　to　visit　my　aunt　in　the　Rue　des　Dr鬽es。　But；　
as　it　is　my　design　never　to　return　…　or　not　for　some　weeks　…　or　not　
until　certain　concealments　are　effected　…　the　gaining　of　time　is　the　
only　point　about　which　I　need　give　myself　any　concern。'　

〃You　have　observed；　in　your　notes；　that　the　most　general　opinion　in　
relation　to　this　sad　affair　is；　and　was　from　the　first；　that　the　girl　
had　been　the　victim　of　a　gang　of　blackguards。　Now；　the　popular　
opinion；　under　certain　conditions；　is　not　to　be　disregarded。　When　
arising　of　itself　　when　manifesting　itself　in　a　strictly　
spontaneous　manner　　we　should　look　upon　it　as　analogous　with　that　
_intuition_　which　is　the　idiosyncrasy　of　the　individual　man　of　
genius。　In　ninety…nine　cases　from　the　hundred　I　would　abide　by　its　
decision。　But　it　is　important　that　we　find　no　palpable　traces　of　
_suggestion_。　The　opinion　must　be　rigorously　_the　public's　own_；　and　
the　distinction　is　often　exceedingly　difficult　to　perceive　and　to　
maintain。　In　the　present　instance；　it　appears　to　me　that　this　'public　
opinion'　in　respect　to　a　gang；　has　been　superinduced　by　the　
collateral　event　which　is　detailed　in　the　third　of　my　extracts。　All　
Paris　is　excited　by　the　discovered　corpse　of　Marie；　a　girl　young；　
beautiful　and　notorious。　This　corpse　is　found；　bearing　marks　of　
violence；　and　floating　in　the　river。　But　it　is　now　made　known　that；　
at　the　very　period；　or　about　the　very　period；　in　which　it　is　supposed　
that　the　girl　was　assassinated；　an　outrage　similar　in　nature　to　that　
endured　by　the　deceased；　although　less　in　extent；　was　perpetuated；　by　
a　gang　of　young　ruffians；　upon　the　person　of　a　second　young　female。　
Is　it　wonderful　that　the　one　known　atrocity　should　influence　the　
popular　judgment　in　regard　to　the　other　unknown？　This　judgment　
awaited　direction；　and　the　known　outrage　seemed　so　opportunely　to　
afford　it！　Marie；　too；　was　found　in　the　river；　and　upon　this　very　
river　was　this　known　outrage　committed。　The　connexion　of　the　two　
events　had　about　it　so　much　of　the　palpable；　that　the　true　wonder　
would　have　been　a　failure　of　the　populace　to　appreciate　and　to　seize　
it。　But；　in　fact；　the　one　atrocity；　known　to　be　so　committed；　is；　if　
any　thing；　evidence　that　the　other；　committed　at　a　time　nearly　
coincident；　was　not　so　committed。　It　would　have　been　a　miracle　
indeed；　if；　while　a　gang　of　ruffians　were　perpetrating；　at　a　given　
locality；　a　most　unheard…of　wrong；　there　should　have　been　another　
similar　gang；　in　a　similar　locality；　in　the　same　city；　under　the　same　
circumstances；　with　the　same　means　and　appliances；　engaged　in　a　wrong　
of　precisely　the　same　aspect；　at　precisely　the　same　period　of　time！　
Yet　in　what；　if　not　in　this　marvellous　train　of　coincidence；　does　the　
accidentally　suggested　opinion　of　the　populace　call　upon　us　to　
believe？　

〃Before　proceeding　farther；　let　us　consider　the　supposed　scene　of　the　
assassination；　in　the　thicket　at　the　Barri鑢e　du　Roule。　This　thicket；　
although　dense；　was　in　the　close　vicinity　of　a　public　road。　Within　
were　three　or　four　large　stones；　forming　a　kind　of　seat　with　a　back　
and　footstool。　On　the　upper　stone　was　discovered　a　white　petticoat；　
on　the　second；　a　silk　scarf。　A　parasol；　gloves；　and　a　
pocket…handkerchief；　were　also　here　found。　The　handkerchief　bore　the　
name；　'Marie　Rog阾。'　Fragments　of　dress　were　seen　on　the　branches　
around。　The　earth　was　trampled；　the　bushes　were　broken；　and　there　was　
every　evidence　of　a　violent　struggle。　

〃Notwithstanding　the　acclamation　with　which　the　discovery　of　this　
thicket　was　received　by　the　press；　and　the　unanimity　with　which　it　
was　supposed　to　indicate　the　precise　scene　of　the　outrage；　it　must　be　
admitted　that　there　was　some　very　good　reason　for　doubt。　That　it　was　
the　scene；　I　may　or　I　may　not　believe　…　but　there　was　excellent　
reason　for　doubt。　Had　the　true　scene　been；　as　Le　Commerciel　
suggested；　in　the　neighborhood　of　the　Rue　Pav閑　St。　Andr閑；　the　
perpetrators　of　the　crime；　supposing　them　still　resident　in　Paris；　
would　naturally　have　been　stricken　with　terror　at　the　public　
attention　thus　acutely　directed　into　the　proper　channel；　and；　in　
certain　classes　of　minds；　there　would　have　arisen；　at　once；　a　sense　
of　the　necessity　of　some　exertion　to　redivert　this　attention。　And　
thus；　the　thicket　of　the　Barri鑢e　du　Roule　having　been　already　
suspected；　the　idea　of　placing　the　articles　where　they　were　found；　
might　have　been　naturally　entertained。　There　is　no　real　evidence；　
although　Le　Soleil　so　supposes；　that　the　articles　discovered　had　been　
more　than　a　very　few　days　in　the　thicket；　while　there　is　much　
circumstantial　proof　that　they　could　not　have　remained　there；　without　
attracting　attention；　during　the　twenty　days　elapsing　between　the　
fatal　Sunday　and　the　afternoon　upon　which　they　were　found　by　the　
boys。　'They　were　all　_mildewed_down　hard；'　says　Le　Soleil；　adopting　
the　opinions　of　its　predecessors；　'with　the　action　of　the　rain；　and　
stuck　together　from　_mildew_。　The　grass　had　grown　around　and　over　
some　of　them。　The　silk　of　the　parasol　was　strong；　but　the　threads　of　
it　were　run　together　within。　The　upper　part；　where　it　bad　been　
doubled　and　folded；　was　all　_mildewed_　and　rotten；　and　tore　on　being　
opened。'　In　respect　to　the　grass　having　'。grown　around　and　over　some　
of　them；'　it　is　obvious　that　the　fact　could　only　have　been　
ascertained　from　the　words；　and　thus　from　the　recollections；　of　two　
small　boys；　for　these　boys　removed　the　articles　and　took　them　home　
before　they　had　been　seen　by　a　third　party。　But　grass　will　grow；　
especially　in　warm　and　damp　weather；　（such　as　was　that　of　the　period　
of　the　murder；）　as　much　as　two　or　three　inches　in　a　single　day。　A　
parasol　lying　upon　a　newly　turfed　ground；　might；　in　a　single　week；　be　
entirely　concealed　from　sight　by　the　upspringing　grass。　And　touching　
that　mildew　upon　which　the　editor　of　Le　Soleil　so　pertinaciously　
insists；　that　he　employs　the　word　no　less　than　three　times　in　the　
brief　paragraph　just　quoted；　is　be　really　unaware　of　the　nature　of　
this　mildew？　Is　he　to　be　told　that　it　is　one　of　the　many　classes　of　
fungus；　of　which　the　most　ordinary　feature　is　its　upspringing　and　
decadence　within　twenty…four　hours？　

〃Thus　we　see；　at　a　glance；　that　what　has　been　most　triumphantly　
adduced　in　support　of　the　idea　that　the　articles　bad　been　'for　at　
least　three　or　four　weeks'　in　the　thicket；　is　most　absurdly　null　as　
regards　any　evidence　of　that　fact。　On　the　other　hand；　it　is　
exceedingly　difficult　to　believe　that　these　articles　could　have　
remained　in　the　thicket　specified；　for　a　longer　period　than　a　single　
week　…　for　a　longer　period　than　from　one　Sunday　to　the　next。　Those　
who　know　any　thing　of　the　vicinity　of　Paris；　know　the　extreme　
difficulty　of　finding　seclusion　unless　at　a　great　distance　from　its　
suburbs。　Such　a　thing　as　an　unexplored；　or　even　an　unfrequently　
visited　recess；　amid　its　woods　or　groves；　is　not　for　a　moment　to　be　
imagined。　Let　any　one　who；　being　at　heart　a　lover　of　nature；　is　yet　
chained　by　duty　to　the　dust　and　heat　of　this　great　metropolis　…　let　
any　such　one　attempt；　even　during　the　weekdays；　to　slake　his　thirst　
for　solitude　amid　the　scenes　of　natural　loveliness　which　immediately　
surround　us。　At　every　second　step；　he　will　find　the　growing　charm　
dispelled　by　the　voice　and　personal　intrusion　of　some　ruffian　or　
party　of　carousing　blackguards。　He　will　seek　privacy　amid　the　densest　
foliage；　all　in　vain。　Here　are　the　very　nooks　where　the　unwashed　most　
abound　…　here　are　the　temples　most　desecrate。　With　sickness