Edgar Allan Poe and the London Monster Read Online Free PDF

sofa and two conversation chairs were of rosewood and covered with crimson silk patterned with gold flowers. Next to these was an octagonal marble table with a tall candelabrum upon it. If I had the means to house my family in a manner more compatible with my taste, these pleasant furnishings would compose the environment of my reading room, a place for contemplation, study and composition.
    As I unpacked my trunk and readied myself for supper, the pleasing environment raised my spirits. At ten o’clock I made my way to room twelve, carrying the mahogany box under my arm, and rapped on the door.
    â€œEnter.”
    When I pushed the door open, Dupin rose from a large armchair to greet me, and I was momentarily taken aback—itwas as if I were unexpectedly confronted by my own image in a looking glass. We were the same age, thirty-one, and of the same build and height. Even our clothing was similar, for Dupin habitually dressed entirely in black, like an entity of the night, as was my own predilection.
    â€œPoe, it is my great pleasure to see you again.”
    â€œAnd I am very pleased to see you, Dupin.” I stepped forward, prepared to shake his hand, but he dipped his head and shoulders into a formal bow; wrong-footed, I awkwardly reciprocated. My happiness at seeing my friend after such a lengthy interlude had made me forget his disinclination for displays of amity.
    â€œPlease, sit.” He nodded to the armchair opposite his and made his way to a side table where a decanter of wine stood breathing. I did as he bid and placed the mahogany box next to my chair as the octagonal marble table was full with covered serving dishes, which could not contain the delicious aroma of our supper. Dupin handed me a glass of wine and retreated into his seat, where he gazed at me intently, waiting for me to speak. We might have been back in his library, debating some intellectual puzzle or a perplexing mystery delivered to him by the Paris Prefect of Police; it was as if eight years had not passed since we had last seen each other.
    â€œTo your health.” I raised my glass and he reciprocated. As we sipped and contemplated the wine, I scrutinized my companion. Dupin had a noble bearing inherited from his illustrious family and a high forehead that added to his aura of intellect, but he had not been gifted with a robust constitution. I was gratified to note that the usual drawn pallor of his face was improved, and his large gray eyes were clear and alert. I knew the same could not be said of my own appearance.
    â€œI hope your journey was bearable,” he offered, as if reading my thoughts.
    â€œBearable enough.”
    â€œThe hotel is most agreeable. I must—”
    â€œI am delighted you find the accommodation agreeable,” I said, halting his words of thanks so they might not embarrass us both. Dupin’s financial circumstances had improved little since our last meeting, and I had, of course, offered to finance our investigation. The poverty into which my Pa’s unkindness had thrown me had been auspiciously, if temporarily, alleviated by the handsome sum I had received from a wealthy English woman named Helena Loddiges for editing an amateur ornithologist’s study of rare Central and South American birds. The fact that my benefactress lived in London allowed me to provide my wife with a reason for my journey, and as I had every intention of calling on Miss Loddiges, my conscience was not burdened by a falsehood. “You do me a great favor, Dupin, and I am relieved that Brown’s Genteel Inn honors its name with such pleasing rooms.” Happily, his suite was of the same quality as mine, with the harmonious addition of several large Sevres vases filled with vivid flowers that curiously had no scent. “It may surprise you that I cannot find any fault with the decorations,” I added.
    Dupin smiled, knowing full well my philosophy of furniture. “Most surprised. But I am