Chapter 41

34 MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE has been justly characterized by one of the witnesses (Montani, the confectioner) as an expression of remonstrance or expostulation. Upon these two words, therefore, I have mainly built my hopes of a full solution of the riddle. A Frenchman was cognizant of the murder. It is possible — indeed it is far more than probable — that he was innocent of all participation in the bloody transactions which took place. The Ourang-outang may have escaped from him. He may have traced it to the chamber; but, under the agitating circumstances which ensued, he could never have recaptured it. It is still at large. I will not pursue these guesses — for I have no right to call them more — since the shades of reflection upon which they are based are scarcely of sufficient depth to be appreciable by my own intellect, and since I could not pretend to make them intelligible to the understanding of another. We will call them guesses, then, and speak of them as such. If the Frenchman in question is indeed, as I suppose, innocent of this atrocity, this advertisement which I left last night upon our return home at the office of ‘Le Monde’ (a paper devoted to the shipping interest, and much sought by sailors) will bring him to our residence.” He handed me a paper, and I read thus : “Caught. — In the Bois de Boulogne , early in the morning of the inst. (the morning of the murder), a very large, tawny Ourang-outang of the Bornese species. The owner (who is ascertained to he a sailor , belonging to a Maltese vessel) may have the animal again , upon identifying it satisfactorily , and paying a few charges arising from its capture and keeping. Call at No. — Rue , Faubourg St. Germain — au troisieme. “How was it possible,” I asked, “that you should know the man to be a sailor, and belonging to a Maltese vessel?” “I do not know it,” said Dupin. “I am not sure of it. Here, however, is a small piece of ribbon, which, from