Dupinwas the last member family, a family which had once been rich and famous He cared little about money. He had enough to buy the most necessary things of life and a few books; he did not trouble himself about the rest. Just books. With books he was happy. We first met when we were both trying to find the same book. As it was a book which few had ever heard of, this chance brought us together in an old bookstore. Later we met again in the same store. Then again in another bookstore. Soon we began to talk. I was deeply interested in the family history he told me. I was surprised, too, at how much and how widely he had read; more important, the force of his busy mind was like a bright light in my soul. I felt that the friendship of such a man would be for me riches without price. I therefore told him of my feelings toward him, and he agreed to come and live with me. He would have, I thought, the joy of using my many fine books. And I would have the pleasure of having someone with me, for I was not happy alone. One night we were walking down one of Paris’s long and dirty streets. Both of us were busy with our thoughts. Neither had spoken for perhaps fifteen minutes. It seemed as if we had each forgotten that the other was there, at his side. I soon learned that Dupin had not forgotten me“Then we came to a small street where they are putting down street stones which they have cut in a new and very special way. Here your face became brighter and I saw your lips move. I could not doubt that you were saying the word stereotomy, the name for this new way of cutting stones. It is a strange word, isn’t it? But you will remember that we read about it in the newspaper only yesterday. I thought that the word stereotomy must make you think of that old Greek writer named Epicurus, who wrote of something he called atoms; he believed that the world and everything in the heavens above are made of these atoms.
“Not long ago you and I were talking about Epicurus and his
ideas, his atoms, ideas which Epicurus wrote about more than 2,000
years ago. We were talking about how much those old ideas are like
today’s ideas about the earth and the stars and the sky. I felt sure that
you would look up to the sky. You did look up. Now I was certain thatOne morning this strangely interesting man showed me once
again his unusual reasoning power. We heard that an old woman had
been killed by unknown persons. The killer, or the killers, had cut
her head off — and escaped into the night. Who was this killer, this
murderer? The police had no answer. They had looked everywhere
and found nothing that helped them. They did not know what to do
next. And so — they did nothing.
But not Dupin. He knew what to do.