英語故事 失竊的信埃德加?愛倫?坡ThePurloinedLetterbyEdgarAllanPoeOurstorytodayiscalled"ThePurloinedLetter.nItwaswrittenbyEdgarAllanPoe.Poeisgenerallyknownforhishorrorstories.ThisisthethirdofthreestorieshewroteaboutAugusteDupinandhowhesolvescrimes.Thestoryisaboutastolenletter.Itfirstappearedin1844inayearlymagazine.Itwasreprintedinmanypublications,newspapersandbooks.ThisisoneofPoe'sstoriesthatinfluencedthedevelopmentofthemoderndetectivestory.OneeveninginParis,duringtheautumnofeighteenforty-five,Iwenttovisitafriend,AugusteDupin.Weweresmokingourpipesandtalkingwhenthedoorofhisapartmentopened.Mr.GermontztheheadoftheParispoliceforce,cameintotheroom."Icametoaskyouradvice,"GermontsaidtomyfriendDupin,"Iamtryingtosolveaveryimportantcase.Itisalsoaverysimplecase,soIreallyneedyourhelp.ButIthoughtyouwouldliketohearaboutit,becauseitissostrange."MymenandIhaveworkedonthiscaseforthreemonths,'1Germontsaid,"Itisaverysimplecaseofrobbery.Butwestillcannotsolveit."Dupintookthepipeoutofhismouth,"Perhapsthemysteryistoosimple/'hesaid.EdmundQuinn'ssculptureofEdgarAllanPoeisondisplayatThePoeMuseuminRichmond,Virginia.Germontbegantolaugh,"Toosimple?"hesaid,"Whoeverheardofsuchathing?"IlookedatGermont."Whydon'tyoutellustheproblem?"Isaid.Germontstoppedlaughingandsatdown."Allright,"hesaid,"ButyoumustnevertellanyoneItoldyouthis.""Thewifeofaveryimportantpersonneedshelp.Icannottellyouhername,becauseherhusbandisapowerfulmanintheFrenchgovernment.LetusjustcallherMadameX.Threemonthsago,someonestolealetterfromMadameX.Sheisofferingalargeamountofmoneytoanyonewhocanreturnthelettertoher."Weknowthatherhusband'spoliticalenemy,Mr.D'Arcy,stoletheletter.Wealsoknowitissomewhereinhisapartment.D'ArcyplanstousethelettertoembarrassMadameX'shusbandanddestroyhispoliticalpower."Asyouknow,IhavekeyswhichcanopenanylockinParis.Forthelastthreemonths,mymenandIhavespenteveryeveninglookingfortheletterinhisapartment.Butwecannotfindit."Dupinstoppedsmoking,"Tellmehowyoulookedforit/'hesaid.Germontmovedforwardinhischair."Wetookourtime,"hesaid."First,weexaminedthefurnitureineveryroom.Weopenedallthedrawers.Welookedundertherugs.Wesearchedbehindallthepaintingsonthewalls."Weopenedeverybook.Weremovedtheboardsofthefloor.Weeventookthetopsoffthetablestoseeifhehadhiddentheletterinthetablelegs.Butwecannotfindit.Whatdoyouadvisemetodo?"Dupinpuffedonhispipe."Whatdoestheletterlooklike?"heasked."Itisinawhiteenvelopewitharedstamp,"Germontsaid."Theaddressiswritteninlargeblackletters."Dupinpuffedonhispipeagain."Iadviseyoutogobackandsearchtheapartmentagain/'hesaid.Aboutonemonthlater,Germontcamebacktoseeus."Ifollowedyouradvice,"hesaid."ButIstillhavenotfoundtheletter."Dupinsmiled."Iknewyouwouldnotfindit,"hesaid.Germontbecameveryredintheface."Thenwhydidyoumakemesearchtheapartmentagain?"heshouted."MydearGermont/'Dupinsaid.HLetmetellyoualittlestory.Doyourememberthefamousdoctor,LouisAbernathy?""No!"Germontshouted."Gettothepoint,Dupin!""Ofcourse!Ofcourse,"Dupinsaid."Once,aricholdmanmetAbernathyataparty.Theoldmanwasnotfeelingverywell.Hedecidedhewouldgetamedicalopinionfromthedoctorwithoutpayingforit.SohedescribedhisproblemstoAbernathy.'Nowdoctor/theoldmansaid,'supposeyouhadapatientlikethat.Whatwouldyoutellhimtotake?'"'"Oh,thatisquitesimple/saidAbernathy.'Iwouldtellhimtotakemyadvice.,HGermontlookedembarrassed,"Lookhere,Dupin.Iamperfectlywillingtopayforadvice."DupinsmiledatGermont."Howmuchmoneydidyousaytherewardwas?"heasked.Germontsighed."Idonotwanttotellyoutheexactamount.ButIwouldgivefiftythousandfrancstothepersonwhohelpsmefindthatletter.""Inthatcase,"Dupinsaid,"takeoutyourcheckbookandwritemeacheckforfiftythousandfrancs.Whenyouhavesignedthecheck,Iwillgiveyoutheletter."GermontlookedatDupinwithhismouthopen.Hiseyesseemedtojumpoutofhishead.Thenhetookouthischeckbookandpen,andwroteacheckforfiftythousandfrancs.HegaveittoDupin.Myfriendexaminedthecheckcarefullyandputitinhispocket.Thenheunlockedadrawerofhisdesk,tookouttheletter,andgaveittoGermont.Thepoliceman'shandsshookasheopenedtheletter.Hereaditquickly.Thenheputitinhispocketandranoutoftheroomwithoutsayingaword."Dupin!"Isaid,asIturnedtomyfriend,"Howdidyousolvethemystery?""Itwassimple,myfriend/'hesaid.HGermontandhispolicemencouldnotfindtheletter,becausetheydidnottrytounderstandthemindofthemanwhostoleit.Instead,theylookedfortheletterwheretheywouldhavehiddenit."Mr.D'Arcyisnotapoliceman.Heis,however,veryintelligent.Heknewthepolicewouldsearchhisapartment.Healsoknewhowpolicethink.So,hedidnothidetheletterwhereheknewtheywouldlookforit."DoyourememberhowGermontlaughedwhenIsaidthemysterywasdifficultforhimtosolvebecauseitwassosimple?"Dupinfilledhispipewithtobaccoandlitit."Well,themoreIthoughtaboutit,themoreIrealizedthepolicecouldnotfindtheletterbecauseD'Arcyhadnothiddenitatall."SoIwenttovisitD'Arcyinhisapartment.Itookapairofdarkgreeneyeglasseswithme.IexplainedtohimthatIwashavingtroublewithmyeyesandneededtowearthedarkglassesatalltimes.Hebelievedme.TheglassespermittedmetolookaroundtheapartmentwhileIseemedonlytobetalkingtohim."Ipaidspecialattentiontoalargedeskwheretherewerealotofpapersandbooks.However,Isawnothingsuspiciousthere.Afterafewminutes,however,Inoticedasmallshelfoverthefireplace.Afewpostcardsandaletterwerelyingontheshelf.Theletterlookedveryoldanddirty."AssoonasIsawthisletter,IdecideditmustbetheoneIwaslookingfor.Itmustbe,eventhoughitwascompletelydifferentfromtheoneGermonthaddescribed."Thisletterhadalargegreenstamponit.Theaddresswaswritteninsmalllettersinblueink.ImemorizedeverydetailoftheletterwhileItalkedtoD'Arcy.Thenwhenhewasnotlooking,Idroppedoneofmyglovesonthefloorundermychair."Thenextmorning,Istoppedathisapartmenttolookformyglove.Whileweweretalking,weheardpeopleshoutinginthestreet.D*Arcywenttothewindowandlookedout.Quickly,Isteppedtotheshelfandputtheletterinmypocket.ThenIreplaceditwithaletterthatlookedexactlylikeit,whichIhadtakenwithme.Ihadmadeitthenightbefore."Thetroubleinthestreetwascausedbyamanwhohadalmostbeenrunoverbyahorseandcarriage.Hewasnothurt.Andsoonthecrowdofpeoplewentaway.Whenitwasover,D'Arcycameawayfromthewindow.Isaidgood-byeandleft."Themanwhoalmosthadanaccidentwasoneofmyservants.Ihadpaidhimtocreatetheincident."Dupinstoppedtalkingtolighthispipe.Ididnotunderstand."But,Dupin,"Isaid,"whydidyougotothetroubleofreplacingtheletter?Whynotjusttakeitandleave?"Dupinsmiled."D'Arcyisadangerousman,"hesaid."Andhehasmanyloyalservants.IfIhadtakentheletter,Imightneverhavelefthisapartmentalive."ThePurloinedLetterwaswrittenbyEdgarAllanPoeandadaptedbyDonaDeSanctis.ThestorytellerwasShepO'Neal.TheproducerwasLawanDavis.WordsinThisStorycase