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I keep near me on my desk a book called Roget's Thesaurus, which is a rich treasure-house of the English language. And though I thought I knew what Livingstone meant when he called Robert Gordon a single-hearted man, at the same time I felt sure that Roget would help me to see Gordon better. And so he did.
Again at a later date Poe wrote a remarkable story, "The Mystery of Marie Roget." A young girl had been murdered in New York. The newspapers were full of accounts of the crime, but the police could get no clew to the murderers. In Poe's story he wrote out exactly what happened on the night of the murder, and explained the whole thing, as if he were an expert detective.
"We have received several forcibly written communications, apparently from various sources, and which go far to render it a matter of certainty that the unfortunate Marie Rogêt has become a victim of one of the numerous bands of blackguards which infest the vicinity of the city upon Sunday. Our own opinion is decidedly in favor of this supposition.
The rest of the passengers, however, "took" to the clerical gentleman at once. With old Father Roget the Marist missionary who sat opposite him he soon entered into an animated conversation, while the two De Boos girls, vivacious Samoan half-castes, attached themselves to his wife.
He rubbed the arm and found hair upon it something as indefinite, we think, as can readily be imagined as little conclusive as finding an arm in the sleeve. M. Beauvais did not return that night, but sent word to Madame Rogêt, at seven o'clock, on Wednesday evening, that an investigation was still in progress respecting her daughter. Nobody went over.
It will be proper that I submit to the reader some passages which embody the suggestion alluded to. "Mademoiselle Rogêt left her mother's house on Sunday morning, June the twenty-second, 18 , with the ostensible purpose of going to see her aunt, or some other connexion, in the Rue des Drômes. From that hour, nobody is proved to have seen her.
I asked him if Babbage was in the room, and he said, 'Not yet, so I hoped he would come. "He told me that a fine-looking, white-headed, good-featured old man was Roget, of the 'Thesaurus; and another old man in the corner was Dr. Arnott, of the 'Elements of Physics. I had supposed he was dead long ago. Afterwards I was introduced to him.
Go below and get a glass of port wine for Father Roget, a bottle of champagne for Mrs. Lacy and my sister and myself, and a cup of tea for Mrs. Weidermann, and bring some biscuits, too." "Come and help me, then," said the supercargo, who was indeed dirty-faced and ragged. Sukie danced towards the companion way with him. Half-way down he put his arms round her and kissed her vigorously.
As time passed and no discovery ensued, a thousand contradictory rumors were circulated, and journalists busied themselves in suggestions. Among these, the one which attracted the most notice, was the idea that Marie Rogêt still lived that the corpse found in the Seine was that of some other unfortunate.
Those who are guilty of such horrid crimes, choose darkness rather the light.... Thus we see that if the body found in the river was that of Marie Rogêt, it could only have been in the water two and a half days, or three at the outside.
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