I took the guns, but I didn't really understand why, or who we were waiting for. So I was pleased when Dupin began to explain his thoughts to me.
'Now, let's think,' he said, 'about those angry voices heard by the neighbours running up the stairs. Think about the newspaper reports of what the witnesses said. Do you remember anything peculiar in what they said?'
'Well,' I replied, 'all the witnesses agreed that the deep voice was that of a Frenchman. But none of them agreed about the other voice, the shrill one - they all thought something different.'
'Yes, that was what they said, but you haven't understood what's peculiar about it,' said Dupin. 'The peculiar thing is - not that they disagreed - but that they all thought it was the voice of a foreigner. Each witness thought the voice spoke a language that they didn't know. Look at this list.'
He showed me a piece of paper.
One Frenchman thought the voice spoke in Spanish, but he didn't hear any words.
A second Frenchman thought the voice spoke in Italian, because of the sound of the words, but he didn't know Italian himself.
A Dutchman thought the voice spoke in French, but he himself didn't speak French.
An Englishman thought the voice spoke in German, but he didn't understand German.
A Spaniard thought the voice spoke in English – he couldn't speak English but he knew what it sounded like.
And last, an Italian thought the voice spoke in Russian, but this man has never spoken to a Russian person.
'So! What a strangely unusual voice this was!' said Dupin. 'Speakers of five European languages did not hear one word - not one word - that they knew. It was also a strangely shrill voice, and was it a man's voice or a woman's? No one could tell.'
'But perhaps the voice was speaking an African language,' I said. 'Or an Asian one.'
'That is always possible,' Dupin agreed, 'but do you begin to see what question we must ask next?'
Puzzled, I shook my head.
I took the guns, but I didn't really understand why, or who we were waiting for. So I was pleased when Dupin began to explain his thoughts to me.'Now, let's think,' he said, 'about those angry voices heard by the neighbours running up the stairs. Think about the newspaper reports of what the witnesses said. Do you remember anything peculiar in what they said?''Well,' I replied, 'all the witnesses agreed that the deep voice was that of a Frenchman. But none of them agreed about the other voice, the shrill one - they all thought something different.''Yes, that was what they said, but you haven't understood what's peculiar about it,' said Dupin. 'The peculiar thing is - not that they disagreed - but that they all thought it was the voice of a foreigner. Each witness thought the voice spoke a language that they didn't know. Look at this list.'He showed me a piece of paper.One Frenchman thought the voice spoke in Spanish, but he didn't hear any words.A second Frenchman thought the voice spoke in Italian, because of the sound of the words, but he didn't know Italian himself.A Dutchman thought the voice spoke in French, but he himself didn't speak French.An Englishman thought the voice spoke in German, but he didn't understand German.A Spaniard thought the voice spoke in English – he couldn't speak English but he knew what it sounded like.And last, an Italian thought the voice spoke in Russian, but this man has never spoken to a Russian person.'So! What a strangely unusual voice this was!' said Dupin. 'Speakers of five European languages did not hear one word - not one word - that they knew. It was also a strangely shrill voice, and was it a man's voice or a woman's? No one could tell.''But perhaps the voice was speaking an African language,' I said. 'Or an Asian one.''That is always possible,' Dupin agreed, 'but do you begin to see what question we must ask next?'Puzzled, I shook my head.
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