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Iconsidered,couldnotfailtobeawareoftheordinarypolicialmodes
ofaction.Hecouldnothavefailedtoanticipate—andeventshave
provedthathedidnotfailtoanticipate—thewaylayingstowhich
hewassubjected.Hemusthaveforeseen,Ireflected,thesecret
investigationsofhispremises.Hisfrequentabsencesfromhome
atnight,whichwerehailedbythePrefectascertainaidstohissuccess,
Iregardedonlyasruses,toaffordopportunityforthoroughsearch
tothepolice,andthusthesoonertoimpressthemwiththeconviction
towhichG——,infact,didfinallyarrive—theconvictionthatthe
letterwasnotuponthepremises.Ifelt,also,thatthewholetrain
ofthought,whichIwasatsomepainsindetailingtoyoujustnow,
concerningtheinvariableprincipleofpolicialactioninsearchesfor
articlesconcealed—Ifeltthatthiswholetrainofthoughtwould
necessarilypassthroughthemindoftheMinister.Itwould
imperativelyleadhimtodespisealltheordinarynooksofconcealment.
Hecouldnot,Ireflected,besoweakasnottoseethatthemost
intricateandremoterecessofhishotelwouldbeasopenashis
commonestclosetstotheeyes,totheprobes,tothegimlets,andtothe
microscopesofthePrefect.Isaw,infine,thathewouldbedriven,
asamatterofcourse,tosimplicity,ifnotdeliberatelyinduced
toitasamatterofchoice.Youwillremember,perhaps,how
desperatelythePrefectlaughedwhenIsuggested,uponourfirst
interview,thatitwasjustpossiblethismysterytroubledhimsomuch
onaccountofitsbeingsoveryself-evident.”
“Yes,”saidI,“Irememberhismerrimentwell.Ireallythought
hewouldhavefallenintoconvulsions.”
“Thematerialworld,”continuedDupin,“aboundswithverystrict
analogiestotheimmaterial;andthussomecoloroftruthhasbeen
giventotherhetoricaldogma,thatmetaphor,orsimile,maybemade
tostrengthenanargument,aswellastoembellishadescription.The
principleofthevisinertiæ,forexample,seemstobeidentical
inphysicsandmetaphysics.Itisnotmoretrueintheformer,that
alargebodyiswithmoredifficultysetinmotionthanasmallerone,
andthatitssubsequentmomentumiscommensuratewiththis
difficulty,thanitis,inthelatter,thatintellectsofthevastercapacity,
whilemoreforcible,moreconstant,andmoreeventfulintheir
movementsthanthoseofinferiorgrade,areyetthelessreadilymoved,
andmoreembarrassedandfullofhesitationinthefirstfewsteps
oftheirprogress.Again:haveyouevernoticedwhichofthestreet
