Speaker 1: The Oblong Box by Edgar Allan Poe. Some years ago
I engaged passage from Charleston, South Carolina, to the city
of New York in the fine packet ship Independence Captain Hardy.
We were to sail on the fifteenth the month June,
weather permitting, and on the fourteenth I went on board
to arrange some matters in my state room. I found
that we were to have a great many passengers, including
a more than unusual number of ladies. On the list
were several of my acquaintances, and among other names, I
was rejoiced to see that of mister Cornelius Wyatt, a
young artist for whom I entertained feelings of warm friendship.
He had been with me a fellow student at Sea University,
where we were very much together. He had the ordinary
temperament of genius, and was a compound of misanthropy, sensibility,
and enthusiasm. To these qualities he united the warmest and
truest heart which ever beat in the human bosom. I
observed that his name was carded upon three state rooms,
and upon again referring to the list of passengers, I
found that he had engaged passage for himself, wife and
two sisters his own. The state rooms were sufficiently roomy,
and each had two berths, one above the other. These berths,
to be sure, were so exceedingly narrow as to be
insufficient for more than one person. Still, I could not
comprehend why there were three state rooms for these four persons.
I was just at this epoch in one of those
moody frames of mind which makes a man abnormally inquisitive
about trifles. And I confess with shame that I busied
myself in a variety of ill bred and preposterous conjectures
about this matter of the supernumery state room. It was
no business of mine, to be sure, But with none
the less pertinacity did I occupy myself in attempts to
resolve the enigma. At last I reached a conclusion which
wrought in me great wonder why I had not arrived
at it before. It is a servant, of course, I said,
what a fool, I am not sooner to have thought
of so obvious a solution. And then I again repaired
to the list. But here I saw it distinctly that
no servant was to come with the party, although in
fact it had been the original design to bring one,
for the words and servant had been first written and
then overscored, Oh extra baggage. To be sure, I now
said to myself something he wishes not to be put
in the hold, something to be kept under his own eye. Ah,
I have it a painting or so, and this is
what he has been bargaining about with Nicolino, the Italian Jew.
This idea satisfied me, and I dismissed my curiosity for
the nonce. Wyatt's two sisters I knew very well and
most amiable and clever girls. They were his wife, he
had newly married, and I had never yet seen her.
He had often talked about her in my presence, however,
and in his usual style of enthusiasm, he described her
as of surpassing beauty, wit and accomplishment. I was therefore
quite anxious to make her acquaintance. On the day in
which I visited the ship, the fourteenth, Wyatt and party
were also to visit it, so the captain informed me,
and I waited on board an hour longer than I
had designed, in hope of being presented to the bride.
But then an apology came. Missus w was a little
indisposed and would decline coming on board until to morrow
at the hour of sailing. The morrow having arrived, I
was going from my hotel to the wharf when Captain
Hardy met me and said that owing to circumstances a
stupid but convenient phrase. He rather thought the Independence would
not sail for a day or two, and that when
all was ready, he would send up and let me know. This.
I thought strange, for there was a stiff southerly breeze.
But as the circumstances were not forthcoming, although I pumped
for them with much perseverance, I had nothing to do
but to return home and digest my impatience at leisure.
I did not receive the expected message from the captain
for nearly a week. It came at length, however, and
I immediately went on board. The ship was crowded with passengers,
and everything was in a bustle, attended upon making sail.
Wyatt's party arrived in about ten minutes after myself. There
were two sisters, the bride and the artist, the latter
in one of his customary fits of moody misanthropy. I
was too well used to these, however, to pay them
any special attention. He did not even introduce me to
his wife, this courtesy devolving perforce upon his sister Marian,
a very sweet and intelligent girl, who, in a few
hurried words made us acquainted. Missus Wyatt had been closely veiled,
and when she raised her veil in acknowledging my bow,
I confessed that I was very profoundly astonished. I should
have been much more so, however, had not long experience
advised me not to trust with too implicit a reliance
the enthusiastic description of my friend the artist when indulging
in comments upon the loveliness of women, when beauty was
the theme, I well knew with what facility he soared
into the regions of the purely ideal. The truth is
I could not help regarding Missus Wyatt as a decidedly
plain looking woman, If not positively ugly, she was not,
I think, very far from it. She was dressed, however,
in exquisite taste, and then I had no doubt that
she had captivated my friend's heart by more enduring graces
of the intellect and soul. She said very few words
and passed at once into her state room with mister
w my old inquisitiveness now returned, there was no servant
that was a settled point. I looked, therefore for the
extra baggage. After some delay, a cart arrived at the
wharf with an obmong pine box, which was everything that
seemed to be expected. Immediately upon its arrival we made sail,
and in a short time was safely over the bar
and standing out to sea. The box in question was,
as I say, oblong. It was about six feet in
length by two and a half in breadth. I observed
it attentively and liked to be precise. Now this shape
was peculiar, and no sooner had I seen it than
I took credit to myself for the accuracy of my guessing.
I had reached the conclusion, it will be remembered, that
the extra baggage of my friend the artist would prove
to be pictures, or at least a picture, for I
knew he had been for several weeks in conference with Nicolino,
and now here was a box which, from its shape,
could possibly contain nothing in the world but a copy
of Leonardo's last supper, and a copy of this very
last supper done by Rubini the younger at Florence. I
had known for some time to be in the possession
of Nicolino. This point, therefore, I considered as sufficiently settled.
I chuckled excessively when I thought of my acumen. It
was the first time I had ever known why to
keep from me any of his artistic secrets. But here
he evidently intended to steal a march upon me and
smuggle a fine picture to New York under my very nose,
expecting me to know nothing of the matter. I resolved
to quiz him well now and hereafter. One thing, however,
annoyed me not a little. The box did not go
into the extra state room. It was deposited in Wyre's own,
and there too it remained, occupying very nearly the whole
of the floor, no doubt to the exceeding discovers comfort
of the artist and his wife. This the more especially
as the tar or paint with which it was lettered
in sprawling capitals emitted as strong, disagreeable, and to my fancy,
a peculiarly disgusting odor. On the lid were painted the
words Missus Adelaide Curtis Albany, New York, charge of Cornelie's
wiret esquire this side up to be handled with care.
Now I was aware that Missus Adelaide Curtis of Albany
was the artist's wife's mother. But then I looked upon
the whole address as a mystification intended especially for myself.
I made up my mind, of course, that the box
and the contents would never get farther north than the
studio of my misanthropic friend in Chambers Street, New York.
For the first three or four days we had fine weather,
although the wind was dead ahead, having chopped round to
the northward immediately upon our losing sight of the coast.
The passengers were consequently in high spirits and disposed to
be social. I must accept, however, Wyatt and his sisters,
who behave stiffly, and I could not help thinking uncourteously
to the rest of the party. Wyatt's conduct I did
not so much regard. He was gloomy, even beyond his
usual habit. In fact, he was morose, But in him
I was prepared for eccentricity. For the sisters, however, I
could make no excuse. They secluded themselves in their state
rooms during the greater part of the passage, and absolutely
refused Although I repeatedly urged them to hold communication with
any person on board. Missus Wyatt herself was far more agreeable.
That is to say, she was chatty, and to be
chatty is no slight recommendation. At sea, she became excessively
intimate with most of the ladies, and to my profound astonishment,
evinced no equivocal disposition to coquet with the men. She
amused us all very much, I say, amused, and scarcely
know how to explain myself. The truth is, I soon
found that Missus w was far more often a laughed
at than with. The gentleman said little about her, but
the ladies in a little while pronounced her a good
hearted thing, rather indifferent, looking, totally uneducated, and decidedly vulgar.
The great wonder was how Wyatt had been entrapped into
such a match. Wealth was the general solution, But this
I knew to be no solution at all, for Wyatt
had told me that she neither brought him a dollar,
nor had any expectation from any source. Whatever he had married,
he said, for love, and for love only, and his
bride was far more than worthy of his love. When
I thought of these expressions on the part of my friend.
I confess that I felt indescribably puzzled. Could it be
possible that he was taking leave of his senses? What
else could I think? He so refined, so intellectual, so fastidious,
with so exquisite a perception of the faulty, and so
keen an appreciation of the beautiful. To be sure, the
lady seemed especially fond of him, particularly so in his absence,
when she made herself ridiculous by frequent quotations of what
had been said by her beloved husband, mister Wyatt. The
word husband seemed forever to use, one of her own
delicate expressions, forever on the tip of her tongue. In
the meantime, it was observed by all on board that
he avoided her in the most pointed manner, and for
the most part shut himself up alone in his state room,
where in fact he might have been said to live altogether,
leaving his wife at full liberty to amuse herself as
she thought best in the public society of the main cabin.
My conclusion from what I saw and heard was that
the artist, by some unaccountable freak of fate, or perhaps
in some fit of enthusiastic and fence passion had been
induced to unite himself with a person altogether beneath him,
and that the natural result, entire and speedy disgust had ensued.
I pitied him from the bottom of my heart, but
could not for that reason quite forgive his incommunicativeness in
the matter of the last Supper. For this I resolved
to have my revenge. One day he came upon deck,
and taking his arm, as has been my wont I
saunted with him back and forward. His gloom, however, which
I considered quite natural under any circumstances, seemed entirely unabated.
He said little, and that moodily and with evident effort.
I ventured a jest or two, and he made a
sickening attempt at a smile. Poor fellow. As I thought
of his wife, I wondered that he could have heart
to put on even the semblance of mirth. At last,
I ventured a home thrust. I determined to commence a
series of covert in signoryuations or innuendoes about the oblong box,
just to let him perceive gradually that I was not
altogether the butt or victim of his little bit of
a pleasant mystification. My first observation was by the way
of opening a masked battery. I said something about the
peculiar shape of that box, And as I spoke the words,
I smiled knowingly, winked, and touched him gently with my
forefinger in the ribs. The manner in which Wyat received
this harmless pleasantry convinced me at once that he was mad.
At first, he stared at me as if he found
it impossible to comprehend the witticism of my remark. But
as its point seemed slowly to make its way into
his brain, his eyes, in the same proportion, seemed protruding
from their sockets. Then he grew very red, then hideously pale. Then,
as if highly amused with what I had insinuated, he
began a loud and boisterous laugh, which, to my astonishment,
he kept up with gradually increasing vigor for ten minutes
or more. In conclusion, he fell flat and heavily upon
the deck. When I ran to uplift him, to all
appearance he was dead. I called assistance, and with much
difficulty we brought him to himself. Upon reviving, he spoke
incoherently for some time. At length we bled him and
put him to bed. The next morning he was quite recovered,
so far as regarded his mere bodily health of his mind,
I say nothing. Of course, I avoided him during the
rest of the passage, by advice of the captain, who
seemed to coincide with me altogether in my views of
his insanity, but cautioned to me to say nothing on
this head to any person on board. Several circumstances occurred
immediately after this fit of wires, which contributed to heighten
the curiosity which I was already possessed. Among other things
this I had been nervous, drank too much much strong
green tea, and slept ill at night. In fact, for
two nights I could not be properly said to sleep
at all. Now my stateroom opened into the main cabin
or dining room, as did those of all the single
men on board. Wyatt's three rooms were in the after cabin,
which was separated from the main one by a slight
sliding door never locked even at night. As we were
almost constantly on a wind and the breeze was not
a little stiff, the ship heeled to leeward very considerably
and whenever her starboard side was to leeward, the sliding
door between the cabins slid open, and so remained, nobody
taking the trouble to get up and shut it. But
my berth was in such a position that when my
own stateroom door was open as well as the sliding
door in question, and my own door was always open
on account of the heat, I could see into the
after cabin quite distinctly, and just at that portion of
it too, where was situated the staterooms of mister Wyatt.
Well during the two nights not consecutive, while I lay awake,
I clearly saw missus W about eleven o'clock upon each night,
steal cautiously from the stateroom of mister W and enter
the extra room, where she remained until daybreak when she
was called by her husband and went back. That they
were virtually separated was clear they had separate apartments, no doubt,
in contemplation of a more permanent divorce. And here, after
all I thought, was the mystery of the ext room.
There was another circumstance too, which interested me much during
the two wakeful nights in question, and immediately after the
disappearance of missus Wyatt into the extra stateroom. I was
attracted by certain singular, cautious, subdued noises in that of
her husband. After listening to them for some time with
thoughtful attention, I at length succeeded perfectly in translating their
import They were sounds occasioned by the artist in prying
open the oblong box by means of a chisel and
a mallet, the latter being apparently muffled or deadened by
some soft woolen or cotton substance in which its head
was enveloped. In this manner, I fancied I could distinguish
the precise moment when he fairly disengaged the lid, Also
that I could determine when he removed it altogether, and
when he deposited upon the lower berth in his room.
This latter point I knew, for example, by certain slight
taps which the lid made in striking against the wooden
edges of the berth, as he endeavored to lay it
down very gently, there being no room for it on
the floor. After this there was a dead stillness, and
I heard nothing more upon either occasion until nearly daybreak,
unless perhaps I may mention a low sobbing or murmuring sound,
so very much suppressed as to be nearly inaudible, if
indeed the whole of this Latin noise were not rather
produced by my own imagination. I say it seemed to
resemble sobbing or sighing, but of course it could not
have been either. I rather think it was a ringing
in my own ears. Mister Wyatt, no doubt, according to custom,
was merely giving the rein to one of his hobbies.
Indulging in one of his fits of artistic enthusiasm. He
had opened his oblong box in order to feast his
eyes on the pictureal treasure within. There was nothing in this, however,
to make him sob I repeat therefore, that it must
have been simply a freak of my own fancy, distempered
by good Captain Hardy's green tea. Just before dawn on
each of the two nights of which I speak, I
distinctly heard mister Wyatt replace the lid upon the oblong
box and force the nails into their old places by
means of the muffled mallet. Having done this, he issued
from his stateroom fully dressed, and proceeded to call missus
w from hers. We had been at sea seven days
and were now of Cape Hatteras when there came a
tremendously heavy blow from the southwest. Were were in a
measure prepared for it. However, as the weather had been
holding out threats for some time, everything was made snug,
a low and aloft, and as the wind steadily freshened,
we lay too at length under spanker and fore top sail,
both double reefed. In this trim, we rowed safely enough
for forty eight hours, the ship proving herself an excellent
sea boat in many respects, and shipping no water of
any consequence. At the end of this period, however, the
gale had freshened into a hurricane, and our after sails
split into ribbons, bringing us so much in the trough
of the water that we shipped several prodigious seas, one
immediately after the other. By this accident, we lost three
men overboard with the caboose, and nearly the whole of
the larboard bulwarks. Scarcely had we recovered our senses before
the foretop sail went into shreds. When we we got
up a storm staysail and with this did pretty well
for some hours, the ship heading the sea much more
steadily than before. The gale still held on, however, and
we saw no signs of its abating. The rigging was
found to be ill fitted and greatly strained, and on
the third day of the blow, about five in the afternoon,
our mizen mast, in a heavy lurch to winwood, went
by the board for an hour or more. We tried
in vain to get rid of it on account of
the prodigious rolling of the ship, and before we had succeeded,
the carpenter came aft and announced four feet water in
the hold. To add toile dilemma, we found the pumps
choked and nearly useless. All was now confusion and despair,
but an effort was made to lighten the ship by
throwing overboard as much of her cargo as could be reached,
and by cutting away the two masts that remained. This
we at last accomplished, but we were still unable to
do anything at the pumps, and in the meantime the
leak gained on us very far. At sundown, the gale
had sensibly diminished in violence, and as the sea went
down with it, we still entertained faint hopes of saving
ourselves in the boats. At eight p m. The clouds
broke away to windward, and we had the advantage of
a full moon, a piece of good fortune, which served
wonderfully to cheer our drooping spirits. After incredible labor, we
succeeded at length in getting the long boat over the
side without material accident, and into this we crowded the
whole of the crew and most of the passengers. This
party made off immediately, and after undergoing much suffering, finally
arrived in safety at Ocracoke Inlet on the third day
after the wreck. Fourteen passengers with the captain, remained on board,
resolving to trust their fortunes to the jolly boat. At
the stern, we lowered it without difficulty, although it was
only by a miracle that we prevented it from swamping
as it touched the water. It contained when a float.
The captain and his wife, mister Wyitatt and party, a
Mexican officer, wife, four children, and myself with a negro valet.
We had no room, of course, for anything, except a
few positively necessary instruments, some provisions, and the clothes upon
our backs. No one had thought of even attempting to
save anything more. What must have been the astonishment of all. Then,
when having proceeded a few fathoms from the ship, mister
Wyatt stood up in the stern sheets and coolly demanded
of Captain Hardy that the boat should be put back
for the purpose of taking in his oblong box. Sit down,
mister Wyatt replied the captain, somewhat sternly. You will capsize
us if you do not sit quite still. Our gunwale
is almost in the water. Now the box, vociferated mister Wyatt,
still standing the box, I say, Captain Hardy, you cannot
You will not refuse me. Its weight will be but
a trifle. It is nothing, mean nothing by the mother
who bore you, for the love of Heaven, by your
hope of salvation. I implore you to put back for
the box. The captain for a moment seemed touched by
the earnest appeal of the artist, but he regained his
stern composure and merely said, mister Wyatt, you are mad.
I cannot listen to you. Sit down, I say, or
you will swamp the boat. Stay hold him, seize him.
He is about to spring overboard. There I knew it.
He is over As the captain said this, mister Wyatt
in fact sprang from the boat, and, as we were
yet in the lee of the wreck, succeeded by almost
superhuman exertion in getting hold of a rope which hung
from the fore chains. In another moment he was on
board and rushing frantically down into the cabin. In the meantime,
we had been swept astern of the ship, and being
quite out of her lee, were at the mercy of
the tremendous sea, which was still running. We made a
determined effort to put back, but our little boat was
like a feather in the breath of the tempest. We
saw at a glance that the doom of the unfortunate
artist was sealed. As our distance from the wreck rapidly increased.
The madman, for as such only could we regard him,
was seen to emerge from the companionway up, which, by
dint of strength as it appeared gigantic, he dragged bodily
the oblong box. While we gazed in the extreme of astonishment.
He passed rapidly several turns of a three inch rope,
first around the box and then around his body. In
another instant, both body and the box were in the sea,
disappearing suddenly at once and forever. We lingered awhile sadly
upon our oars, with our eyes riveted upon the spot.
At length we pulled away. The silence remained unbroken for
an hour. Finally I hazarded a remark, did you observe, Captain,
how suddenly they sank? Was not not that an exceedingly
singular thing. I confess that I entertained some feeble hope
of his final deliverance when I saw him lash himself
to the box and commit himself to the sea. They
sank as a matter of course, replied the captain, and
that like a shot, they will soon rise again. However,
but not till the salt melts the salt I ejaculated. Hush,
said the captain, pointing to the wife and sister of
the deceased. We must talk of these things at some
more appropriate time. We suffered much and made a narrow escape,
but fortune befriended us, as well as our mates in
the longboat. We landed in Fine, more dead than alive.
After four days of intense distress, upon the beach opposite
Roanoke Island. We remained here a week, were not ill
treated by the wreckers, and at length obtained a passage
to New York. About a month after the long of
the Independence, I happened to meet Captain Hardy in Broadway.
Our conversation turned naturally upon the disaster, and especially upon
the sad fate of poor Wyatt. I thus learned the
following particulars. The artist had engaged passage for himself, wife,
two sisters, and a servant. His wife was, indeed, as
she had been presented, a most lovely and most accomplished woman.
On the morning of the fourteenth of June, the day
in which I first visited the ship, the lady suddenly
sickened and died. The young husband was frantic with grief,
but circumstances imperatively forbade the deferring of his voyage to
New York. It was necessary to take to her mother
the corpse of his adored wife. And on the other hand,
the universal prejudice which would prevent his doing so openly
was well known. Nine tenths of the passengers would have
abandoned the ship rather than take passage with the dead body.
In this dilemma. Captain Hardy arranged that the corpse, being
first partially embalmed and packed with a large quantity of
salt in a box of suitable dimensions, should be conveyed
on board as merchandise. Nothing was to be said of
the lady's decease, and as it was well understood that
mister Wyatt had engaged passage for his wife, it became
necessary that some person should personate her during the voyage.
This the deceased lady's maid, was easily prevailed on to
do the extra stateroom originally engaged for this girl during
her mistress's life, was now merely retained in this state room.
The pseudo wire slept, of course every night. In the
daytime she performed to the best of her ability. The
part of her mistress, whose person it had been carefully ascertained,
was unknown to any of the passengers on board. My
own mistake arose naturally enough through two careless, too inquisitive,
and too impulsive temperament. But of late it is the
rare thing that I sleep soundly at night. There is
a countenance which haunts me. Turn as I will. There
is an hysterical laugh which will forever ring within my ears.
End of the oblong Box