A quick step was now heard upon the staircase and a loud knock at the door rapidly succeeded. I was hastening to anticipate a second disturbance, when a page of Mentoni's household burst into the room, and faltered out, in a voice choking with emotion, the incoherent words, "My mistress!-my mistress-poisoned— poisoned," etc.

Bewildered, I flew to the ottoman, and endeavored to arouse the sleeper to a sense of the startling intelligence. But his limbs were rigid in death. I staggered back towards the table my hand fell upon a cracked and blackened goblet and a consciousness of the entire and terrible truth flashed suddenly upon my soul.to

The lovers have kept their tryst. They poison themselves simultaneously, and this is the "Assignation."

Hoffmann's denouement is certainly more in harmony with the setting of his story. He makes copious use of the Venetian legends of the sea, and in the end it is the sea that claims the lovers as its victims.

The Venetian setting, the story of the old Venetian noble and his young wife, the latter's lover, and the tragic death of the two lovers. These are elements for the suggestion of which Poe is indebted to Hoffmann. In the development of his story he departs radically, both as to method and incident, from his model. It is in the picture of the young and beautiful Marchesa and her gray-headed husband, as they appear in the opening pages of Poe's story, that one recognizes most readily their prototypes from Hoffmann's tale, namely, the old Doge Falieri, his young and beautiful wife, Annunziata, and the latter's lover, Antonio. "

10 Harrison, Vol. II, page 124.

11 This same story has been made the subject of a tragedy by Byron and by Casimir Delavigne. Cf. Kaiser, Ueber Byron's und Delavigne's Marino Falieri, Schulprogramm Düsseldorf, 1870. Byron and Delavigne make the conspiracy of the old Doge and his tragic end the subject of their dramas. Hoffmann and Poe disregard this element, making the fate of the young Dogaressa and her lover of paramount interest in their stories.

POE'S STYLIStic IndebteDNESS TO HOFFMANN

Reference has been made to an implication which Prof. Gruener makes in his article in the Publications of the Modern Language Association to the effect that Poe imbibed a certain trick of style from Hoffmann. The statement is as follows:

Every one conversant with Poe's Tales, who has read them with some attention to their style, has probably noticed one idiosyncrasy of style, which, owing to its frequent occurrence becomes a downright vice. I refer to the peculiar habit of the author in conversational dialogue of beginning a sentence with one or more words, inserting thereupon the word of saying, by itself or with others, and then repeating the opening words before proceeding with the rest of the sentence. E. g., "Thou hast conquered," she said, or the murmurs of the water deceived me "thou hast conquered."

"What think you," said he, turning abruptly as he spoke "What think you of this Madonna della Pieta?"

These

"They have given the signal at last," cried the Phari-
see, "they have given the signal at last!"
Such examples might be multiplied by scores.
repetitions take various forms, differing in minor de-
tails, which may be classified in three types for the sake
of convenience.

The first type is the one of which examples have just
been given, i. e., with some expression of saying inter-

1 Harrison, Vol. II, page 114. 2 Harrison, Vol. II, page 118. 3 Harrison, Vol. II, page 218.

The Assignation.
The Assignation.
Tale of Jerusalem.

vening between the opening words and their repetition. The second type is that in which a statement is made and followed by a parenthetical explanation or interruption, whereupon the first words are repeated with "I say!" E. g., "Do you know, however," continued he musingly, "that at Sparta (which is now Palaeschori), at Sparta, I say, to the west of the citadel," etc.4

There is a sub-class of this type in which the phrase "I say" is omitted. As, "The person of the stranger - let me call him by this title, who to all the world was still a stranger the person of the stranger is one

of these subjects," etc.5
The third type is a mere repetition with or without
any parenthetical phrase, but with a change to
strengthen the opening statement. E. g., "Very well!
- very well, sir! Very well indeed, sir!" said his Maj-
esty, etc." "See! See!" cried he, shrieking in my ears,
See! See!"

"Almighty God!

Prof. Gruener cites many examples of these types of repetition from Poe's works and observes further that they "can be accounted for only as a habit, a trick of style, which, as far as I have been able to recall or learn by inquiry, is peculiar to Poe, at least among English writers." In a foot-note he states that he has applied to Professors Lounsbury, Beers and Cross, who "were unable to recall any other English writer who shows this peculiarity to anywhere near such an extent, if at all.

Prof. Gruener then calls attention to the fact that examples of such repetition abound in the works of Hoffmann. He quotes a correspondingly large number of examples from the latter's tales. After examining the facts, he reaches the following conclusion:

4 The Assignation. Vol. II, page 117. 5 The Assignation. Vol. II, page 114. 6 Bon Bon. Vol. II, page 140.

7 M. S. Found in a Bottle.

Hence there can only be one inference from these facts; Hoffmann grew into the peculiarity, Poe grew out of it; with Hoffmann it was natural, self-developed, with Poe something extraneous, acquired, but thrown off as he grew more and more independent in style and in method. So much seems established beyond a reasonable doubt. But, if this peculiar habit was acquired, if it was an imitation, there is only one writer Poe could have learned it from, and that was Hoffmann, from whom he seems to have obtained so many suggestions for his tales, particularly the earlier ones. Is the statement that this peculiarity of style is not common to any other English writers accurate? Is there anything so singular in this trick of style that its repeated use by any author would constitute a distinguishing characteristic of the style of the author in question? If it can be shown that an indefinite number of examples of this form of repetition can be found in the works of other English authors, and such authors as Poe must have been well acquainted with, is it not seeking too far afield to make him the debtor of Hoffmann for this stylistic characteristic? As a matter of fact, the peculiarity in question seems to be a tolerably common rhetorical device, used by various authors in greater or less degree, as an aid to clearness.

Among English writers, with whose work Poe must have been familiar, such repetitions are particularly common in the weird novels of terror by Mrs. Ann Radcliff. Among American writers, both Hawthorne and Cooper make copious use of the same device.

Following are a few examples from Mrs. Radcliff's Mysteries of Udolpho, taken from a cursory survey of the first one hundred and thirty pages.

"You are worse then, sir!" said Emily, extremely alarmed by his manner; "you are worse, and here is no assistance." (Page 31.)

"I feel," said he at length, "I feel how insufficient all

8 The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Mrs. Ann Radcliff, London, 1824.

attempt at consolation must be on this subject." (Page 49.) "His hand deposited them here," said she, as she kissed some pieces of the coin, and wetted them with her tears"his hand which is now dust." (Page 51.)

"Ah, I see," said Valancourt, after a long pause, during which Emily had begun and left unfinished two or three sentences - "I see that I have nothing to hope." (Page 52.)

"So, niece," said Madame Cheron, casting a look of surprise and inquiry on Valancourt - "so, niece! how do you do?" (Page 54.)

"Emily," said Valancourt at length, as he pressed her hand in his, "Emily!" and he was again silent. (Page 75.) "I had hoped, sir, that it was no longer necessary for me to disclaim it," said Emily; "I had hoped from your silence," etc. (Page 102.)

"But this morning," continued Annette, lowering her voice and looking around the room, "this morning as it was broad daylight," etc. (Page 124.)

"Nay, prythee, good Annette, stay not talking," said Emily in a voice of agony - "go, prythee, go, and see what it is." (Page 125.)

Nobody, I believe, ma'am," replied Annette, "nobody has been with her," etc. (Page 128.)

"Hear me, Emily," resumed Morano, "Hear me! I love, and am in despair-yes- in despair." (Page 128.)

The same sorts of repetition are to be found in the Italian' by the same author.

"Stop! for heaven's sake stop!" said Bonarmo. (Page 26.) "Tell me, I conjure you, instantly tell me," etc. (Page 37.) "Three weeks ago, say you! you said three weeks, I think?" (Page 58.)

"Yet I will not suppose, Signor, I say I will not suppose," raising his voice significantly, "that you have dared," etc. (Page 63.)

"I understand," said the abbess, on whose appearance the alarmed Ellena had arisen, "I understand," said she, without

9 The Italian, Mrs. Ann Radcliff. Londony: 1826.