Случай Чарльза Декстера Варда
Chapter 1
,DeliveranceW.,JosephC.,SusanP.,MehitableC.,andDeborahB.’
ThentherewasacatalogueofHutchinson’suncannylibraryasfoundafterhisdisappearance,andanunfinishedmanuscriptinhishandwriting,couchedinaciphernonecouldread.Wardhadaphotostaticcopyofthismanuscriptmade,andbegantoworkcasuallyonthecipherassoonasitwasdeliveredtohim.AfterthefollowingAugusthislaborsonthecipherbecameintenseandfeverish,andthereisreasontobelievefromhisspeechandconductthathehituponthekeybeforeOctoberorNovember.Heneverstated,though,whetherornothehadsucceeded.
ButofgreatestimmediateinterestwastheOrnematerial.IttookWardonlyashorttimetoprovefromidentityofpenmanshipathinghehadalreadyconsideredestablishedfromthetextofthelettertoCurwen;namely,thatSimonOrneandhissupposedsonwereoneandthesameperson.AsOrnehadsaidtohiscorrespondent,itwashardlysafetolivetoolonginSalem,henceheresortedtoathirty-yearsojournabroad,anddidnotreturntoclaimhislandsexceptasarepresentativeofanewgeneration.Ornehadapparentlybeencarefultodestroymostofhiscorrespondence,butthecitizenswhotookactionin1771foundandpreservedafewlettersandpaperswhichexcitedtheirwonder.
