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THEMANOFTHECROWD.
Cegrandmalheur,denepouvoirêtreseul.
—LaBruyère.
ItwaswellsaidofacertainGermanbookthat“erlasstsichnicht
lesen”—itdoesnotpermititselftoberead.Therearesomesecrets
whichdonotpermitthemselvestobetold.Mendienightlyintheir
beds,wringingthehandsofghostlyconfessorsandlookingthem
piteouslyintheeyes—diewithdespairofheartandconvulsion
ofthroat,onaccountofthehideousnessofmysterieswhichwillnot
sufferthemselvestoberevealed.Nowandthen,alas,theconscience
ofmantakesupaburthensoheavyinhorrorthatitcanbethrown
downonlyintothegrave.Andthustheessenceofallcrime
isundivulged.
Notlongago,abouttheclosinginofaneveninginautumn,Isat
atthelargebowwindowoftheD——Coffee-HouseinLondon.For
somemonthsIhadbeenillinhealth,butwasnowconvalescent,and,
withreturningstrength,foundmyselfinoneofthosehappymoods
whicharesopreciselytheconverseofennui—moodsofthekeenest
appetency,whenthefilmfromthementalvisiondeparts—theαχλυξ
ηπριυεπευ—andtheintellect,electrified,surpassesasgreatlyits
every-daycondition,asdoesthevividyetcandidreasonofLeibnitz,
themadandflimsyrhetoricofGorgias.Merelytobreathewas
enjoyment;andIderivedpositivepleasureevenfrommanyofthe
legitimatesourcesofpain.Ifeltacalmbutinquisitiveinterestinevery
thing.Withacigarinmymouthandanewspaperinmylap,Ihadbeen
amusingmyselfforthegreaterpartoftheafternoon,nowinporing
overadvertisements,nowinobservingthepromiscuouscompanyinthe
room,andnowinpeeringthroughthesmokypanesintothestreet.
Thislatterisoneoftheprincipalthoroughfaresofthecity,andhad
beenverymuchcrowdedduringthewholeday.But,asthedarkness
cameon,thethrongmomentlyincreased;and,bythetimethelamps
werewelllighted,twodenseandcontinuoustidesofpopulationwere
rushingpastthedoor.AtthisparticularperiodoftheeveningIhad
neverbeforebeeninasimilarsituation,andthetumultuoussea
ofhumanheadsfilledme,therefore,withadeliciousnovelty
ofemotion.Igaveup,atlength,allcareofthingswithinthehotel,and
becameabsorbedincontemplationofthescenewithout.
