the works of edgar allan poe-1-第41部分

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hair。　It　must　have　been　a　peculiarity　of　color；　of　quantity；　of　
length；　or　of　situation。　

〃　'Her　foot；'　says　the　journal；　'was　small　…　so　are　thousands　of　
feet。　Her　garter　is　no　proof　whatever　…　nor　is　her　shoe　…　for　shoes　
and　garters　are　sold　in　packages。　The　same　may　be　said　of　the　flowers　
in　her　hat。　One　thing　upon　which　M。　Beauvais　strongly　insists　is；　
that　the　clasp　on　the　garter　found；　had　been　set　back　to　take　it　in。　
This　amounts　to　nothing；　for　most　women　find　it　proper　to　take　a　pair　
of　garters　home　and　fit　them　to　the　size　of　the　limbs　they　are　to　
encircle；　rather　than　to　try　them　in　the　store　where　they　purchase。'　
Here　it　is　difficult　to　suppose　the　reasoner　in　earnest。　Had　M。　
Beauvais；　in　his　search　for　the　body　of　Marie；　discovered　a　corpse　
corresponding　in　general　size　and　appearance　to　the　missing　girl；　he　
would　have　been　warranted　（without　reference　to　the　question　of　
habiliment　at　all）　in　forming　an　opinion　that　his　search　had　been　
successful。　If；　in　addition　to　the　point　of　general　size　and　contour；　
he　had　found　upon　the　arm　a　peculiar　hairy　appearance　which　he　had　
observed　upon　the　living　Marie；　his　opinion　might　have　been　justly　
strengthened；　and　the　increase　of　positiveness　might　well　have　been　
in　the　ratio　of　the　peculiarity；　or　unusualness；　of　the　hairy　mark。　
If；　the　feet　of　Marie　being　small；　those　of　the　corpse　were　also　
small；　the　increase　of　probability　that　the　body　was　that　of　Marie　
would　not　be　an　increase　in　a　ratio　merely　arithmetical；　but　in　one　
highly　geometrical；　or　accumulative。　Add　to　all　this　shoes　such　as　
she　had　been　known　to　wear　upon　the　day　of　her　disappearance；　and；　
although　these　shoes　may　be　'sold　in　packages；'　you　so　far　augment　
the　probability　as　to　verge　upon　the　certain。　What；　of　itself；　would　
be　no　evidence　of　identity；　becomes　through　its　corroborative　
position；　proof　most　sure。　Give　us；　then；　flowers　in　the　hat　
corresponding　to　those　worn　by　the　missing　girl；　and　we　seek　for　
nothing　farther。　If　only　one　flower；　we　seek　for　nothing　farther　…　
what　then　if　two　or　three；　or　more？　Each　successive　one　is　multiple　
evidence　…　proof　not　_added_　to　proof；　but　multiplied　by　hundreds　or　
thousands。　Let　us　now　discover；　upon　the　deceased；　garters　such　as　
the　living　used；　and　it　is　almost　folly　to　proceed。　But　these　garters　
are　found　to　be　tightened；　by　the　setting　back　of　a　clasp；　in　just　
such　a　manner　as　her　own　had　been　tightened　by　Marie；　shortly　
previous　to　her　leaving　home。　It　is　now　madness　or　hypocrisy　to　
doubt。　What　L'Etoile　says　in　respect　to　this　abbreviation　of　the　
garter's　being　an　usual　occurrence；　shows　nothing　beyond　its　own　
pertinacity　in　error。　The　elastic　nature　of　the　clasp…garter　is　
self…demonstration　of　the　unusualness　of　the　abbreviation。　What　is　
made　to　adjust　itself；　must　of　necessity　require　foreign　adjustment　
but　rarely。　It　must　have　been　by　an　accident；　in　its　strictest　sense；　
that　these　garters　of　Marie　needed　the　tightening　described。　They　
alone　would　have　amply　established　her　identity。　But　it　is　not　that　
the　corpse　was　found　to　have　the　garters　of　the　missing　girl；　or　
found　to　have　her　shoes；　or　her　bonnet；　or　the　flowers　of　her　bonnet；　
or　her　feet；　or　a　peculiar　mark　upon　the　arm；　or　her　general　size　and　
appearance　…　it　is　that　the　corpse　had　each；　and　_all　collectively_。　
Could　it　be　proved　that　the　editor　of　L'Etoile　_really_　entertained　a　
doubt；　under　the　circumstances；　there　would　be　no　need；　in　his　case；　
of　a　commission　de　lunatico　inquirendo。　He　has　thought　it　sagacious　
to　echo　the　small　talk　of　the　lawyers；　who；　for　the　most　part；　
content　themselves　with　echoing　the　rectangular　precepts　of　the　
courts。　I　would　here　observe　that　very　much　of　what　is　rejected　as　
evidence　by　a　court；　is　the　best　of　evidence　to　the　intellect。　For　
the　court；　guiding　itself　by　the　general　principles　of　evidence　…　the　
recognized　and　_booked_　principles　…　is　averse　from　swerving　at　
particular　instances。　And　this　steadfast　adherence　to　principle；　with　
rigorous　disregard　of　the　conflicting　exception；　is　a　sure　mode　of　
attaining　the　maximum　of　attainable　truth；　in　any　long　sequence　of　
time。　The　practice；　in　mass；　is　therefore　philosophical；　but　it　is　
not　the　less　certain　that　it　engenders　vast　individual　error。　｛*16｝　

〃In　respect　to　the　insinuations　levelled　at　Beauvais；　you　will　be　
willing　to　dismiss　them　in　a　breath。　You　have　already　fathomed　the　
true　character　of　this　good　gentleman。　He　is　a　busy…body；　with　much　
of　romance　and　little　of　wit。　Any　one　so　constituted　will　readily　so　
conduct　himself；　upon　occasion　of　real　excitement；　as　to　render　
himself　liable　to　suspicion　on　the　part　of　the　over　acute；　or　the　
ill…　disposed。　M。　Beauvais　（as　it　appears　from　your　notes）　had　some　
personal　interviews　with　the　editor　of　L'Etoile；　and　offended　him　by　
venturing　an　opinion　that　the　corpse；　notwithstanding　the　theory　of　
the　editor；　was；　in　sober　fact；　that　of　Marie。　'He　persists；'　says　
the　paper；　'in　asserting　the　corpse　to　be　that　of　Marie；　but　cannot　
give　a　circumstance；　in　addition　to　those　which　we　have　commented　
upon；　to　make　others　believe。'　Now；　without　re…adverting　to　the　fact　
that　stronger　evidence　'to　make　others　believe；'　could　never　have　
been　adduced；　it　may　be　remarked　that　a　man　may　very　well　be　
understood　to　believe；　in　a　case　of　this　kind；　without　the　ability　to　
advance　a　single　reason　for　the　belief　of　a　second　party。　Nothing　is　
more　vague　than　impressions　of　individual　identity。　Each　man　
recognizes　his　neighbor；　yet　there　are　few　instances　in　which　any　one　
is　prepared　to　give　a　reason　for　his　recognition。　The　editor　of　
L'Etoile　had　no　right　to　be　offended　at　M。　Beauvais'　unreasoning　
belief。　

〃The　suspicious　circumstances　which　invest　him；　will　be　found　to　
tally　much　better　with　my　hypothesis　of　romantic　busy…bodyism；　than　
with　the　reasoner's　suggestion　of　guilt。　Once　adopting　the　more　
charitable　interpretation；　we　shall　find　no　difficulty　in　
comprehending　the　rose　in　the　key…hole；　the　'Marie'　upon　the　slate；　
the　'elbowing　the　male　relatives　out　of　the　way；'　the　'aversion　to　
permitting　them　to　see　the　body；'　the　caution　given　to　Madame　B；　
that　she　must　hold　no　conversation　with　the　gendarmeuntil　his　return　
（Beauvais'）；　and；　lastly；　his　apparent　determination　'that　nobody　
should　have　anything　to　do　with　the　proceedings　except　himself。'　It　
seems　to　me　unquestionable　that　Beauvais　was　a　suitor　of　Marie's；　
that　she　coquetted　with　him；　and　that　he　was　ambitious　of　being　
thought　to　enjoy　her　fullest　intimacy　and　confidence。　I　shall　say　
nothing　more　upon　this　point；　and；　as　the　evidence　fully　rebuts　the　
assertion　of　L'Etoile；　touching　the　matter　of　apathy　on　the　part　of　
the　mother　and　other　relatives　…　an　apathy　inconsistent　with　the　
supposition　of　their　believing　the　corpse　to　be　that　of　the　
perfumery…　girl　…　we　shall　now　proceed　as　if　the　question　of　identity　
were　settled　to　our　perfect　satisfaction。〃　

〃And　what；〃　I　here　demanded；　〃do　you　think　of　the　opinions　of　Le　
Commerciel？〃　

〃That；　in　spirit；　they　are　far　more　worthy　of　attention　than　any　
which　have　been　promulgated　upon　the　subject。　The　deductions　from　the　
premises　are　philosophical　and　acute；　but　the　premises；　in　two　
instances；　at　least；　are　founded　in　imperfect　observation。　Le　
Commerciel　wishes　to　intimate　that　Marie　was　seized　by　some　gang　of　
low　ruffians　not　far　from　her　mother's　door。　'It　is　impossible；'　it　
urges；　'that　a　person　so　well　known　to　thousands　as　this　young　woman　
was；　should　have　passed　three　blocks　without　some　one　having　seen　
her。'　This　is　the　idea　of　a　man　long　resident　in　Paris　…　a　public　man　
…　and　one　whose　walks　to　and　fro　in　the　city；　have　been　mostly　
limited　to　the　vicinity　of　the　public　offices。　He　is　aware　that　he　
seldom　passes　so　far　as　a　dozen　blocks　from　his　own　bureau；　without　
being　recognized　and　accosted。　And；　knowing　the　extent　of　his　
personal　acquaintance　with　others；　and　of　others　with　him；　he　
compares　his　notoriety　with　that　of　the　perfumery…girl；　finds　no　
great　difference　between　them；　and　reaches　at　once　the　conclusion　
that　she；　in　her　walks；　would　be　equally　liable　to　recognition　with　
himself　in　his。　This　could　only　be　the　case　were　her　walks　of　the　
same　unvarying；　methodical　character；　and　within　the　same　species　of　
limited　region　as　are　his　own。　He　passes　to　and　fro；　at　regular　
intervals；　within　a　confined　periphery；　abounding　in　individuals　who　
are　led　to　observation　of　his　person　through　interest　in　the　kindred　
nature　of　his　occupation　with　their　own。　But　the　walks　of　Marie　may；　
in　general；　be　supposed　discursive。　In　this　particular　instance；　it　
will　be　understood　as　most　probable；　that　she　proceeded　upon　a　route　
of　more　than　average　diversity　from　her　accustomed　ones。　The　parallel　
which　we　imagine　to　have　existed　in　the　mind　of　Le　Commerciel　would　
only　be　sustained　in　the　event　of　the　two　individuals'　traversing　the　
whole　city。　In　this　case；　granting　the　personal　acquaintances　to　be　
equal；　the　chances　would　be　also　equal　that　an　equal　number　of　
personal　rencounters　would　be　made。　For　my　own　part；　I　should　hold　it　
not　only　as　possible；　but　as　very　far　more　than　probable；　that　Marie　
might　have　proceeded；　at　any　given　period；　by　any　one　of　the　many　
routes　between　her　own　residence　and　that　of　her　aunt；　without　
meeting　a　single　individual　whom　she　knew；　or　by　whom　she　was　known。　
In　viewing　this　question　in　its　full　and　proper　light；　we　must　hold　
steadily　in　mind　the　great　disproportion　between　the　personal　
acquaintances　of　even　the　most　noted　individual　in　Paris；　and　the　
entire　population　of　Paris　itself。　

〃But　whatever　force　there　may　still　appear　to　be　in　the　suggestion　of　
Le　Commerciel；　will　be　much　diminished　when　we　take　into　
consideration　the　hour　at　which　the　girl　went　abroad。　'It　was　when　
the　streets　were　full　of　people；'　says　Le　Commerciel；　'that　she　went　
out。'　But　not　so。　It　was　at　nine　o'clock　in　the　morning。　Now　at　nine　
o'clock　of　every　morning　in　the　week；　_with　the　exception　of　Sunday_；　
the　streets　of　the　city　are；　it　is　true；　thronged　with　people。　At　
nine　on　Sunday；　the　popul