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voice was that of an Italian; but, not being cognizant of that tongue,
is, like the Spaniard, 'convinced by the intonation.' Now, how strangely
unusual must that voice have really been, about which such testimony as
this could have been elicited!--in whose tones, even, denizens of
the five great divisions of Europe could recognise nothing familiar! You
will say that it might have been the voice of an Asiatic--of an African.
Neither Asiatics nor Africans abound in Paris; but, without denying the
inference, I will now merely call your attention to three points.
The voice is termed by one witness 'harsh rather than shrill.' It
is represented by two others to have been 'quick and unequal.' No
words--no sounds resembling words--were by any witness mentioned as
distinguishable.
"I know not," continued Dupin, "what impression I may have made, so
far, upon your own understanding; but I do not hesitate to say that
legitimate deductions even from this portion of the testimony--the
portion respecting the gruff and shrill voices--are in themselves
sufficient to engender a suspicion which should give direction to all
farther progress in the investigation of the mystery. I said 'legitimate
deductions;' but my meaning is not thus fully expressed. I designed
to imply that the deductions are the sole proper ones, and that the
suspicion arises inevitably from them as the single result. What the
suspicion is, however, I will not say just yet. I merely wish you to
bear in mind that, with myself, it was sufficiently forcible to give a
definite form--a certain tendency--to my inquiries in the chamber.
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