For a purpose such as this the cellar was well adapted.
Its walls were loosely constructed, and had lately been
plastered throughout with a rough plaster, which the
dampness of the atmosphere had prevented from hardening.
Moreover, in one of the walls was a projection, caused by a
false chimney, or fireplace, that had been filled up and made
to resemble the rest of the cellar. I made no doubt that I
could readily displace the bricks at this point, insert the
corpse, and wall the whole up as before, so that no eye could
detect any thing suspicious.
And in this calculation I was not deceived. By means of
a crowbar I easily dislodged the bricks, and, having carefully
deposited the body against the inner wall, I propped it in that
position, while with little trouble, I re-laid the whole
structure as it originally stood. Having procured mortar,
sand, and hair, with every possible precaution, I prepared a
plaster which could not be distinguished from the old, and
with this I very carefully went over the new brickwork.
When I had finished, I felt satisfied that all was right. The
wall did not present the slightest appearance of having been
disturbed. The rubbish on the floor was picked up with the
minutest care. I looked around triumphantly, and said to
myself: “Here at least, then, my labor has not been in vain.”
My next step was to look for the beast which had been
the cause of so much wretchedness; for I had, at length,
firmly resolved to put it to death. Had I been able to meet
with it at the moment, there could have been no doubt of its
fate; but it appeared that the crafty animal had been alarmed
at the violence of my previous anger, and forbore to present
itself in my present mood. It is impossible to describe or to imagine the deep, the blissful sense of relief which the
absence of the detested creature occasioned in my bosom. It
did not make its appearance during the night; and thus for
one night, at least, since its introduction into the house, I
soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden
of murder upon my soul.