Випадок Чарльза Декстера Варда

           NotevenEinstein,hedeclared,couldmoreprofoundlyrevolutionizethecurrentconceptionofthings.

           Astohisgraveyardsearch,whoseobjecthefreelyadmitted,butthedetailsofwhoseprogresshedidnotrelate,hesaidhehadreasontothinkthatJosephCurwen’smutilatedheadstoneborecertainmysticsymbols—carvedfromdirectionsinhiswillandignorantlysparedbythosewhohadeffacedthename—whichwereabsolutelyessentialtothefinalsolutionofhiscrypticsystem.Curwen,hebelieved,hadwishtoguardhissecretwithcare;andhadconsequentlydistributedthedatainanexceedinglycuriousfashion.WhenDr.Willettaskedtoseethemysticdocuments,WarddisplayedmuchreluctanceandtriedtoputhimoffwithsuchthingsasphotostaticcopiesoftheHutchinsoncipherandOrneformulaeanddiagrams;butfinallyshowedhimtheexteriorsofsomeoftherealCurwenfinds—the’JournallandNotes’,thecipher(titleincipheralso),andtheformula-filledmessage’ToHimWhoShalComeAfter’—andlethimglanceinsidesuchaswereinobscurecharacters.

           HealsoopenedthediaryatapagecarefullyselectedforitsinnocuousnessandgaveWillettaglimpseofCurwen’sconnectedhandwritinginEnglish.Thedoctornotedverycloselythecrabbedandcomplicatedletters,andthegeneralauraoftheseventeenthcenturywhichclungroundbothpenmanshipandstyledespitethewriter’ssurvivalintotheeighteenthcentury,andbecamequicklycertainthatthedocumentwasgenuine.