Kitobni o'qish: «Убийство на улице Морг. Уровень 1 / The Murders in the Rue Morgue», sahifa 4

The evening edition of the paper stated that the greatest excitement still continued in the Quartier St. Roch. A postscript, however, mentioned that Adolphe Le Bon was arrested and imprisoned.

Dupin seemed singularly interested and he asked me my opinion about the murders.

I saw no means by which it would be possible to trace the murderer.

“We must not judge of the means,” said Dupin. “The Parisian police are cunning, but no more. There is no method in their proceedings. Simple diligence and activity. Truth is not always in a well. Let us take the contemplation of the heavenly bodies. It is possible to make even Venus herself vanish by a scrutiny too concentrated, or too direct.

“As for these murders, let us enter into some examinations for ourselves, before we make a decision. We will go and see the premises with our own eyes. I know the Prefect of Police⁵¹, and we shall have no difficulty to obtain the necessary permission.”

The permission was obtained, and we proceeded to the Rue Morgue. This is one of those miserable streets which intervene between the Rue Richelieu⁵² and the Rue St. Roch⁵³. It was late in the afternoon when we reached it. The house was readily found, for there were still many persons gazing up at the closed shutters. It was an ordinary Parisian house, with a gateway. Dupin was examining the whole neighborhood, as well as the house, with great attention.

We came again to the front, rang, and went up stairs-into the chamber where the body of Mademoiselle L’Espanaye was found, and where both the deceased still lay. I saw nothing beyond what was stated in the “Gazette des Tribunaux.” Dupin scrutinized every thing-not excepting the bodies of the victims. We then went into the other rooms, and into the yard. On our way home my companion went for a moment at the office of one of the daily papers.

My friend declined all conversation on the subject of the murder, until about noon the next day. He then asked me, suddenly, if I observed anything peculiar.

“No, nothing peculiar,” I said; “nothing more, at least, than we both saw stated in the paper.”

“The ‘Gazette’,” he replied, “has not entered into the unusual horror of the thing. The murder paralyzed the powers. In this investigation one must not ask ‘what has occurred,’ but ‘what has occurred that has never occurred before’.”

I stared at Dupin in mute astonishment.

“I am now awaiting,” continued he, “I am now awaiting a person who is connected with the murder. Of the worst portion of the crimes committed, it is probable that he is innocent. I hope that I am right in this supposition. I look for the man here-in this room-every moment. It is true that he may not arrive; but the probability is that he will. If he comes, it will be necessary to detain him. Here are pistols; and we both know how to use them when occasion demands their use.”

I took the pistols, scarcely knowing what I did. Dupin went on, and his eyes, vacant in expression, regarded only the wall.

“The voices,” he said, “were not the voices of the women themselves, it was fully proved by the evidence. So the old lady could not first killed the daughter, and afterward committed suicide. Madame L’Espanaye did not have enough power to thrust her daughter’s corpse up the chimney. And the nature of the wounds upon her own person entirely preclude the idea of self-destruction. Murder, then, was committed by some third party; and the voices of this third party were heard. Did you observe anything peculiar about it?”

I remarked that, while all the witnesses said that the gruff voice was that of a Frenchman, and there was much disagreement in regard to the shrill, or the harsh voice.

“That was the evidence itself,” said Dupin, “but it was not the peculiarity of the evidence. You observed nothing distinctive. Yet there was something to be observed.⁵⁴ The witnesses, as you remark, agreed about the gruff voice. But the shrill voice, the peculiarity is-not that they disagreed-but that, while an Italian, an Englishman, a Spaniard, a Hollander, and a Frenchman attempted to describe it, each one spoke of it as that of a foreigner. Each is sure that it was not the voice of one of his own countrymen. The Frenchman supposes it the voice of a Spaniard. The Dutchman-of a Frenchman. The Englishman thinks it the voice of a German, and ‘does not understand German.’ The Spaniard ‘is sure’ that it was that of an Englishman, but ‘judges by the intonation’, as he has no knowledge of the English. The Italian believes it the voice of a Russian. Denizens of the five great divisions of Europe could recognise nothing familiar! You will say that it can be the voice of an Asiatic-of an African. The voice is quick and unequal. No words-no sounds resembling words.

“Let us look at the chamber,” continued Dupin, “What shall we first seek here? How did the murderers go away? Neither of us believe in magic events. Madame and Mademoiselle L’Espanaye were not destroyed by spirits. The doers of the deed were material, and escaped materially. Then how? The police examined everything. But, not trusting to their eyes, I examined with my own. There were, then, no secret issues. Both doors leading from the rooms into the passage were securely locked, with the keys inside.