"I know
not," continued Dupin, "what impression I may have made, so far, upon
your own understanding; but I do not hesitate to say that legitimate deductions
even from this portion of the testimony—the portion respecting the gruff and shrill
voices—are in themselves sufficient to engender a suspicion which should give
direction to all farther progress in the investigation of the mystery. I said
'legitimate deductions;' but my meaning is not thus fully expressed. I designed
to imply that the deductions are the sole proper ones, and that the suspicion
arises inevitably from them as the single result. What the suspicion is,
however, I will not say just yet. I merely wish you to bear in mind that, with
myself, it was sufficiently forcible to give a definite form—a certain
tendency—to my inquiries in the chamber.
"Let us now
transport ourselves, in fancy, to this chamber. What shall we first seek here?
The means of egress employed by the murderers. It is not too much to say that
neither of us believe in præternatural events. Madame and Mademoiselle
L'Espanaye were not destroyed by spirits. The doers of the deed were material,
and escaped materially. Then how? Fortunately, there is but one mode of
reasoning upon the point, and that mode must lead us to a definite
decision.—Let us examine, each by each, the possible means of egress. It is
clear that the assassins were in the room where Mademoiselle L'Espanaye was
found, or at least in the room adjoining, when the party ascended the stairs.
It is then only from these two apartments that we have to seek issues. The
police have laid bare the floors, the ceilings, and the masonry of the walls,
in every
direction. No secret issues could have escaped their vigilance. 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. Let us turn to the chimneys. These, although of
ordinary width for some eight or ten feet above the hearths, will not admit,
throughout their extent, the body of a large cat. The impossibility of egress,
by means already stated, being thus absolute, we are reduced to the windows.
Through those of the front room no one could have escaped without notice from the
crowd in the street. The murderers must have passed, then, through those of the
back room. Now, brought to this conclusion in so unequivocal a manner as we
are, it is not our part, as reasoners, to reject it on account of apparent
impossibilities. It is only left for us to prove that these apparent
'impossibilities' are, in reality, not such.
Sherlock Holmes influenced by Dupin |
"There are
two windows in the chamber. One of them is unobstructed by furniture, and is
wholly visible. The lower portion of the other is hidden from view by the head
of the unwieldy bedstead which is thrust close up against it. The former was
found securely fastened from within. It resisted the utmost force of those who
endeavored to raise it. A large gimlet-hole had been pierced in its frame to
the left, and a very stout nail was found fitted therein, nearly to the head.
Upon examining the other window, a similar nail was seen similarly fitted in
it; and a vigorous attempt to raise this sash,
failed also. The police were now entirely satisfied that egress had not been in
these directions. And, therefore, it was thought a matter of supererogation to
withdraw the nails and open the windows.
"My own
examination was somewhat more particular, and was so for the reason I have just
given—because here it was, I knew, that all apparent impossibilities must be
proved to be not such in reality.
"I
proceeded to think thus—æ posteriori. The murderers did escape from one of
these windows. This being so, they could not have refastened the sashes from
the inside, as they were found fastened;—the consideration which put a stop,
through its obviousness, to the scrutiny of the police in this quarter. Yet the
sashes were fastened. They must, then, have the power of fastening themselves.
There was no escape from this conclusion. I stepped to the unobstructed
casement, withdrew the nail with some difficulty and attempted to raise the
sash. It resisted all my efforts, as I had anticipated. A concealed spring must, I now know, exist; and
this corroboration of my idea convinced me that my premises at least, were
correct, however mysterious still appeared the circumstances attending the
nails. A careful search soon brought to light the hidden spring. I pressed it,
and, satisfied with the discovery, forbore to upraise the sash.
"I now
replaced the nail and regarded it attentively. A person passing out through
this window might have reclosed it, and the spring would have caught—but the
nail could not have been replaced. The conclusion was plain, and again narrowed
in the field of my investigations. The assassins must have escaped through the
other window. Supposing, then, the springs upon each sash to be the same, as
was probable, there must be found a difference between the nails, or at least
between the modes of their fixture. Getting upon the sacking of the bedstead, I
looked over the head-board minutely at the second casement. Passing my hand
down behind the board, I readily discovered and pressed the spring, which was,
as I had supposed, identical in character with its neighbor. I now looked at the
nail. It was as stout as the other, and apparently fitted in the same
manner—driven in nearly up to the head...
Vocabulary
Spring: a coil
of wire or other similar device which can be compressed or squeezed down but
returns to its original shape when released. a watch-spring; the springs in a
chair.
Sash: a frame
that contains the panes of a window or door
Checking
understanding
What was Dupin
doing?
What did the
police find?
What did he say
about ghosts or preternatural entities?
What does he
mean by egress?
How big were the
chimneys?
How many windows
were there in the room?
What did he find
on further investigation in relation with the windows?
Did the witnesses
see someone going outside the room where one victim was found?
Resources
in the internet
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