Франція. La lettre volée

Edgar Allan Poe

La lettre volée

J’étais à Paris en 18... Après une sombre et orageuse soirée d’automne, je jouissais de la double volupté de la méditation et d’une pipe d’écume de mer, en compagnie de mon ami Dupin, dans sa petite bibliothèque ou cabinet d’étude, rue Dunot, n° 33, au troisième, faubourg Saint-Germain. Pendant une bonne heure, nous avions gardé le silence ; chacun de nous, pour le premier observateur venu, aurait paru profondément et exclusivement occupé des tourbillons frisés de fumée qui chargeaient l’atmosphère de la chambre. Pour mon compte, je discutais en moi-même certains points, qui avaient été dans la première partie de la soirée l’objet de notre conversation ; je veux parler de l’affaire de la rue Morgue, et du mystère relatif à l’assassinat de Marie Roget. Je rêvais donc à l’espèce d’analogie qui reliait ces deux affaires, quand la porte de notre appartement s’ouvrit et donna passage à notre vieille connaissance, à M. G. , le préfet de police de Paris.

Nous lui souhaitâmes cordialement la bienvenue ; car l’homme avait son côté charmant comme son côté méprisable, et nous ne l’avions pas vu depuis quelques années. Comme nous étions assis dans les ténèbres, Dupin se leva pour allumer une lampe ; mais il se rassit et n’en fit rien, en entendant G. dire qu’il était venu pour nous consulter, ou plutôt pour demander l’opinion de mon ami relativement à une affaire qui lui avait causé une masse d’embarras.

- Si c’est un cas qui demande de la réflexion, observa Dupin, s’abstenant d’allumer la mèche, nous l’examinerons plus convenablement dans les ténèbres.

- Voilà encore une de vos idées bizarres, dit le préfet, qui avait la manie d’appeler bizarres toutes les choses situées au- delà de sa compréhension, et qui vivait ainsi au milieu d’une immense légion de bizarreries.

- C’est, ma foi, vrai ! dit Dupin en présentant une pipe à notre visiteur, et roulant vers lui un excellent fauteuil.

- Et maintenant, quel est le cas embarrassant ? demandai- je ; j’espère bien que ce n’est pas encore dans le genre assassinat.

- Oh ! non. Rien de pareil. Le fait est que l’affaire est vraiment très-simple, et je ne doute pas que nous ne puissions nous en tirer fort bien nous-mêmes ; mais j’ai pensé que Dupin ne serait pas fâché d’apprendre les détails de cette affaire, parce qu’elle est excessivement bizarre.

- Simple et bizarre, dit Dupin.

- Mais oui ; et cette expression n’est pourtant pas exacte ; l’un ou l’autre, si vous aimez mieux.

Le fait est que nous avons été tous là-bas fortement embarrassés par cette affaire ; car, toute simple qu’elle est, elle nous déroute complètement.

- Peut-être est-ce la simplicité même de la chose qui vous induit en erreur, dit mon ami.

- Quel non-sens nous dites-vous là ! répliqua le préfet, en riant de bon cœur.

- Peut-être le mystère est-il un peu trop clair, dit Dupin.

- Oh ! bonté du ciel ! qui a jamais ouï parler d’une idée pareille.

- Un peu trop évident.

- Ha ! ha ! - ha ! ha ! - oh ! oh ! criait notre hôte, qui se divertissait profondément. oh ! Dupin, vous me ferez mourir de joie, voyez-vous.

- Et enfin, demandai-je, quelle est la chose en question ?

- Mais, je vous la dirai, répliqua le préfet, en lâchant une longue, solide et contemplative bouffée de fumée, et s’établissant dans son fauteuil. Je vous la dirai en peu de mots. Mais, avant de commencer, laissez-moi vous avertir que c’est une affaire qui demande le plus grand secret, et que je perdrais très-probablement le poste que j’occupe, si l’on savait que je l’ai confiée à qui que ce soit.

- Commencez, dis-je.

- Ou ne commencez pas, dit Dupin.

- C’est bien ; je commence. J’ai été informé personnellement, et en très-haut lieu, qu’un certain document de la plus grande importance avait été soustrait dans les appartements royaux. on sait quel est l’individu qui l’a volé ; cela est hors de doute ; on l’a vu s’en emparer. on sait aussi que ce document est toujours en sa possession.

- Comment sait-on cela ? demanda Dupin.

- Cela est clairement déduit de la nature du document et de la non-apparition de certains résultats qui surgiraient immédiatement s’il sortait des mains du voleur ; en d’autres termes, s’il était employé en vue du but que celui-ci doit évidemment se proposer.

- Veuillez être un peu plus clair, dis-je.

- Eh bien, j’irai jusqu’à vous dire que ce papier confère à son détenteur un certain pouvoir dans un certain lieu où ce pouvoir est d’une valeur inappréciable. - Le préfet raffolait du cant diplomatique.

- Je continue à ne rien comprendre, dit Dupin.

- Rien, vraiment ? Allons ! Ce document, révélé à un troisième personnage, dont je tairai le nom, mettrait en question l’honneur d’une personne du plus haut rang ; et voilà ce qui donne au détenteur du document un ascendant sur l’illustre personne dont l’honneur et la sécurité sont ainsi mis en péril.

- Mais cet ascendant, interrompis-je, dépend de ceci : le voleur sait-il que la personne volée connaît son voleur ? Qui oserait. ?

- Le voleur, dit G. , c’est D... , qui ose tout ce qui est indigne d’un homme, aussi bien que ce qui est digne de lui. Le procédé du vol a été aussi ingénieux que hardi. Le document en question, une lettre, pour être franc, a été reçu par la personne volée pendant qu’elle était seule dans le boudoir royal. Pendant qu’elle le lisait, elle fut soudainement interrompue par l’entrée de l’illustre personnage à qui elle désirait particulièrement le cacher.

Après avoir essayé en vain de le jeter rapidement dans un tiroir, elle fut obligée de le déposer tout ouvert sur une table. La lettre, toutefois, était retournée, la suscription en dessus, et, le contenu étant ainsi caché, elle n’attira pas l’attention. Sur ces entrefaites arriva le ministre D. Son œil de lynx perçoit immédiatement le papier, reconnaît l’écriture de la suscription, remarque l’embarras de la personne à qui elle était adressée, et pénètre son secret.

Après avoir traité quelques affaires, expédiées tambour battant, à sa manière habituelle, il tire de sa poche une lettre à peu près semblable à la lettre en question, l’ouvre, fait semblant de la lire, et la place juste à côté de l’autre. Il se remet à causer, pendant un quart d’heure environ, des affaires publiques. A la longue, il prend congé, et met la main sur la lettre à laquelle il n’a aucun droit. La personne volée le vit, mais, naturellement, n’osa pas attirer l’attention sur ce fait, en présence du troisième personnage qui était à son côté. Le ministre décampa, laissant sur la table sa propre lettre, une lettre sans importance.

- Ainsi, dit Dupin en se tournant à moitié vers moi, voilà précisément le cas demandé pour rendre l’ascendant complet : le voleur sait que la personne volée connaît son voleur.

- Oui, répliqua le préfet, et, depuis quelques mois, il a été largement usé, dans un but politique, de l’empire conquis par ce stratagème, et jusqu’à un point fort dangereux. La personne volée est de jour en jour plus convaincue de la nécessité de retirer sa lettre. Mais, naturellement, cela ne peut pas se faire ouvertement. Enfin, poussée au désespoir, elle m’a chargé de la commission.

- Il n’était pas possible, je suppose, dit Dupin dans une auréole de fumée, de choisir ou même d’imaginer un agent plus sagace.

- Vous me flattez, répliqua le préfet ; mais il est bien possible qu’on ait conçu de moi quelque opinion de ce genre.

- Il est clair, dis-je, comme vous l’avez remarqué, que la lettre est toujours entre les mains du ministre ; puisque c’est le fait de la possession et non l’usage de la lettre qui crée l’ascendant. Avec l’usage, l’ascendant s’évanouit.

- C’est vrai, dit G. , et c’est d’après cette conviction que j’ai marché. Mon premier soin a été de faire une recherche minutieuse à l’hôtel du ministre ; et, là, mon principal embarras fut de chercher à son insu. Par-dessus tout, j’étais en garde contre le danger qu’il y aurait eu à lui donner un motif de soupçonner notre dessein.

- Mais, dis-je, vous êtes tout à fait à votre affaire, dans ces espèces d’investigations. La police parisienne a pratiqué la chose plus d’une fois.

- oh ! sans doute ; - et c’est pourquoi j’avais bonne espérance. Les habitudes du ministre me donnaient d’ailleurs un grand avantage. Il est souvent absent de chez lui toute la nuit. Ses domestiques ne sont pas nombreux. Ils couchent à une certaine distance de l’appartement de leur maître, et, comme ils sont napolitains avant tout, ils mettent de la bonne volonté à se laisser enivrer. J’ai, comme vous savez, des clefs avec lesquelles je puis ouvrir toutes les chambres et tous les cabinets de Paris. Pendant trois mois, il ne s’est pas passé une nuit, dont je n’aie employé la plus grande partie à fouiller, en personne, l’hôtel D... Mon honneur y est intéressé, et, pour vous confier un grand secret, la récompense est énorme. Aussi je n’ai abandonné les recherches que lorsque j’ai été pleinement convaincu que le voleur était encore plus fin que moi. Je crois que j’ai scruté tous les coins et recoins de la maison dans lesquels il était possible de cacher un papier.

- Mais ne serait-il pas possible, insinuai-je, que, bien que la lettre fût au pouvoir du ministre, - elle y est indubitablement, - il l’eût cachée ailleurs que dans sa propre maison ?

- Cela n’est guère possible, dit Dupin. La situation particulière, actuelle, des affaires de la cour, spécialement la nature de l’intrigue dans laquelle

D. a pénétré, comme on sait, font de l’efficacité immédiate du document, - de la possibilité de le produire à la minute, - un point d’une importance presque égale à sa possession.

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