Убийство на улице Морг

           Thewitnesses,asyouremark,agreedaboutthegruffvoice;theywerehereunanimous.Butinregardtotheshrillvoice,thepeculiarityisnotthattheydisagreed—butthat,whileanItalian,anEnglishman,aSpaniard,aHollander,andaFrenchmanattemptedtodescribeit,eachonespokeofitasthatofaforeigner.Eachissurethatitwasnotthevoiceofoneofhisowncountrymen.Eachlikensit—nottothevoiceofanindividualofanynationwithwhoselanguageheisconversant—buttheconverse.TheFrenchmansupposesitthevoiceofaSpaniard,and‘mighthavedistinguishedsomewordshadhebeenacquaintedwiththeSpanish.’TheDutchmanmaintainsittohavebeenthatofaFrenchman;butwefinditstatedthat‘notunderstandingFrenchthiswitnesswasexaminedthroughaninterpreter.’TheEnglishmanthinksitthevoiceofaGerman,and‘doesnotunderstandGerman.’TheSpaniard‘issure’thatitwasthatofanEnglishman,but‘judgesbytheintonation’altogether,‘ashehasnoknowledgeoftheEnglish.’TheItalianbelievesitthevoiceofaRussian,but‘hasneverconversedwithanativeofRussia.’AsecondFrenchmandiffers,moreover,withthefirst,andispositivethatthevoicewasthatofanItalian;but,notbeingcognizantofthattongue,is,liketheSpaniard,‘convincedbytheintonation.’