Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-10-24
THE TELL-TALE HEART.
By EDGAR A. POE.

STILL like muftied drums, are beating -..-
Funeral marches to the grave.-Longfellotc.
True rue,-nervous-very, very dreadfully ner-
veus had been, and am; but why will you say
that am mad? The disease had sbsrpened
my senses; not destroyed, not dulled them
Above all was the sense Of hearing acute
heard all thiDgsin the heaven and in the earth
i hoard many things in hell. How then am /
mad Hearken : and observe how healthily,
how calmly, can tell you the whole story
1t is impossible to say how first the idea en-
tered my brain; bat, once conceived, il haunted
me day and night Object there was none
Passion there was none. L loved the old man
He had never vronged mo. He had never given
me insult. For his gold had no desire 1
think 1t was his sye-yes, Ii was this He
had the eye Of a yulturo-a pale blue eye, with
film over il. Whenever il fell upon me nv
blood ran cold; and so, by degrces-very gradu-
ally made up my mind to take the life Of the
old man, and thus rid myself Of the eye forever
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad
Madmen know nothing. But you should have
seen me. You should have seen how wisely /
proceeded with what caution-with what fore
sight-with what dissimulation went to work.
L was never kinder to the old man than during
the whole week before Il killed him And
every night, about midnight, / turned the
latch Of his door and opened it-oh, so gently
And then, when had made an opening suf-
fcient for my head, l first put in a dark Ian
tern all closed, so that no light shone out, and
then l thrust in my head. On. Won would
have laughed to see how cunningly thrust
ut IN moved il slewly-very, very slOwly-so
that might not disturb the old mans sleep.
IL took me an hour to place my whole head
within the opening 30 far that could see the
old man as be lay upon his bed. Ha, would
madman have been so wise as this And
then, when head was we'll in the room, undid
the lantern cautiOusly-oh. so cautiously for
the hinges creaked. 1 undid it Just 80 much
that single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye
And this did for seven long nights-every
night just at midnight-but found the eve
always closed; and 30 ii was impossible to do
the work; for il was not the old man who vexed
me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning,
when the day broke, 1 went boldly into his
chamber and spoke eOurageously to him, call
ing him by name in hearty tone, and in
curing how be had passed the night. So you
see he would have been a very profound old
man, indeed, to suspect that every night. just
at twelve, looked in upon him while he slept
Upon the eighth night / was more than usu-
ally cautions in opening the door. watchis
minute hand moves moro quickly than. did
nine Never, before that night, had felt the
extent Of my own powers-Of my sagacity.
could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph.
To think that there I was, opening the door lit
tie by little, and the old man not even to dream
OF my secret deeds or thoughts I fairly
chuokled at the idea. And perhaps the old
man heard me; for he moved in the bed sud-
denly, as if startled. Now you may think that
drew back-but no. His room was as black
as pitch with the thick darkness flor the shut
tiers we're close fastened, through fear Of rob-
bers,) and so knew that he could not see the
opening OF the door, and ! kept on pushing it
steadily, steadily.
had got my head in, and was about to open
the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the
tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in
bed, crying out :. Who's there ~
kept quite still and said nothing; for an
hour did not move muscle. and in the mean
time did not hear the old man lie down. He
was sstll sitting up in the bed listening; just as
Il have done. night after night hearkening to
the death watches in the wall
Presently heard aslight groan, and / knew
that IL was the grOan Of mortal terror 1t was
not grosn Of pain or of grief, Oh no it was
the low, stifed sound that rises from the bottom
Si the soul when overcharged with awe
knsw the sound well. Many night. lust at
midnight, when all the world slept. it has
sHeIied up from my own bosom, deepening
with Its dreadful echo, the terrors that dis
tracted me- l say L knew it we'll knew
what the old man felt, and pitied him, although
chuekled at heart. ] knew that he had been
lying awake ever since the first slight noise.
when he had turned in the bed. His fears had
been ever siIce growing upon him. He had
been trying 70 fancy them causeless but could
not; He had been saying to himself, q 1t is |
nothing but the wind in the chimney: il il only
mouse crossing the foOr;;' or {" it is merely
srlsket which has made n single chirp."
Yes he had been trying to comfort himself
Win these suppOSiuOns; but ne had found all In
vain. All In vain; because death in approach
ing the old man, had stalked with his black
shadow before him, and the shallow had now
reached and enyelOped the victim. And il was
the mournful influence Of the unperceiyed sha- |
dow that caused him to feel-although he |
neither saw nor beard me-to feel the pressure |
Of my head within the room.
When l had waited long time, very patient |
ly, without hearing the old man lie down re- |
solved to open little very very little creyice
In the lantern. So L opened it-you cannot
imagine how stealthily, stealthily-until at
length q single dim ray, like the thread of the |
spider, shot from out Of the crevics and fell
upon the vulture eye.
1t was open, wide, wide open; and grow fu |
nous as L gazed upon il. 1 saw it with perfect
distinctness-all a dull blue with a hideous
veil over il that chilled the very marrow in nv
bones; but could see nothing else of the old |
mans face or person. for had directed the ray.
ssf ~ instinct precisely upon the damns SPOT
And now-haye not told you that what YOU I
mistake for madness is but over acuteness of
the senses now, say, there came to nv ears !
low, dull, quick sOund-mueh such sound
"a watch makes when enyelOped in cotton
knew that sound we'll, too. 1t was the beat.
ing Of the old mans heart. 1t increased nv
fury, ~ the beating Of u drum stimulates the |
soldier into courage.
But even yet refrained and kept still; I
scarcely breathed. held the lantern motion
less ] tried how steadily could maintain the
ray upon the eye. Meantime the hellish tattoo
Of the heart increased. 1t grew quicker and
louder and louder every instant The old
mans terror must have been extreme. Itrrew
louder, say, louder every moment Do YOU |
mark me well? have told you that am
nervous-so am. And now, at the dead hour
of the night, and amid the dreadful silence Of
that house, 20 strange q noise as this excited
me 10 uncomfortable wrath. Ye: for some mi
mute. longer, 1 refrained and kept still. But
the beating grew louder, louder. thought
the heart must burst
And now a new anxiety seized me, that the
sound would be heard by = neighb0r. His last
hour had come With loud yell threw open
the lantern and lsaped into the room. lie
shrieked ODce-Only once. In an instant L
DRAGGED him 20 the floor and pulled the heavy