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The Tell-tale Heart by Edgar Alan Poe 1 TRUE!— nervous — very, very dreadfully nervous I had been, and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses — not destroyed — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in theearth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Harken! and observehow healthily — how calmly I can tell you the whole story. 2 It is impossible to say how first the ideaentered my brain; but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Objectthere was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had neverwronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I thinkit was his eye! — yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture — a pale blueeye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so,by degrees — very gradually — I made up my mind to take the life of the oldman, and thus rid myself of the eye forever. 3 Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should haveseen me. You should have seenhow wisely I proceeded — with what caution — with what foresight — with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during thewhole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned thelatch of his door and opened it — oh so gently! And then, when I had made anopening sufficient for my head, I first put in a dark lantern, all closed,closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head. Oh, you would have laughed to see how cunningly I thrust it in! I moved it slowly — very,very slowly, so that I might not disturb the old man’s sleep. It took me anhour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see the oldman as he lay upon his bed. Ha! — would a madman have been so wise as this? Andthen, when my head was well in the room, I undid the lantern cautiously — oh,so cautiously (for the hinges creaked) — I undid it just so much that a singlethin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights —every night just at midnight — but I found the eye always closed; and so it impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man whovexed me, but his Evil Eye. And every morning, when the day broke, I wentboldly into his chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name ina hearty tone, and inquiring how he has passed the night. So you see he would have been a very profound old man, indeed, to suspect that every night, just attwelve, I looked in upon him while he slept. 4 Upon the eighth night I was more than usually cautious in opening the door. A watch’s minute-hand moves more quickly than didmine. Never, before that night, had I feltthe extent of my own powers — of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph. To think that there I was, opening the door, little bylittle, and the old man not even to dream of my secret deeds or thoughts. Ifairly chuckled at the idea. And perhaps the old man heard me; for he moved inthe bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you may think that I drew back — but no.His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were close fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I knew that he could not seethe opening of the door, and I kept on pushing it steadily, steadily. 5 I had gotmy head in, und [[and]] was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slippedupon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out — “Who’sthere?” 6 I keptquite still and said nothing. For another hour I did not move a muscle, and inthe meantime I did not hear the old man lie down. He was still sitting up inthe bed, listening; — just as I have done, night after night, hearkening to thedeath-watches in the wall. 7 PresentlyI heard a slight groan, and I knew that it was the groan of mortal terror. Itwas not a groan of pain, or of grief — oh, no! — it was the low, stifled soundthat arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe. I knew the sound well. Many anight, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it has welled up from my ownbosom, deepening, with its dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I sayI knew it well. I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although Ichuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the firstslight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been, ever since,growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. Hehad been saying to himself — “It is nothing but the wind in the chimney — it isonly a mouse crossing the floor,” or “it is merely a cricket which has made asingle chirp.” Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with thesesuppositions; but he had found all in vain. All in vain: because death, in approaching the old man hadstalked with his black shadow before him, and the shadow had now reached andenveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceivedshadow that caused him to feel — although he neither saw nor heard me — to feel the presence of my head withinthe room. 8 When Ihad waited a long time, very patiently, without hearing the old man lie down, Iresolved to open a little — a very, very little crevice in the lantern. So Iopened it — you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily — until, at length, asingle dim ray, like the thread of the spider, shot from out the crevice andfell full upon the vulture eye. 9 It wasopen — wide, wide open — and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it withperfect distinctness — all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it thatchilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the oldman’s face or person; for I had directed the ray, as if by instinct, precisely uponthe damned spot. 10 And now— have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acutenessof the senses? — now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound — much such a sound as a watch makes whenenveloped in cotton. I knew thatsound well, too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased myfury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage. 11 But evenyet I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lanternmotionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the ray upon the eye.Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker, and louderand louder every instant. The old man’s terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder everymoment: — do you mark me well? I have told you that I am nervous: — so I am.And now, at the dead hour of the night, and amid the dreadful silence of thatold house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable wrath. Yet,for some minutes longer, I refrained and kept still. But the beating grewlouder, louder! I thought theheart must burst! And now a new anxiety seized me — the sound would be heard bya neighbor! The old man’s hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open thelantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once — once only. In an instant Idragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then sat uponthe bed and smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes,the heart beat on, with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; itwould not be heard through the walls. At length it ceased. The old man wasdead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead.I placed my hand upon the heart and held it there many minutes. There was no pulsation.The old man was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more. 12 If,still, you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wiseprecautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and Iworked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cutoff the head and the arms and the legs. [page 31:] I then took up threeplanks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between thescantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no humaneye — not even his — could havedetected anything wrong. There was nothing to wash out — no stain of any kind —no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all —ha! ha! 13 When Ihad made an end of these labors, it was four o‘clock — still dark as midnight.As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. I wentdown to open it with a light heart, — for what had I now to fear? There entered three men, who introduced themselves,with perfect suavity, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by aneighbor during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; informationhad been lodged at the police-office, and they (the officers) had been deputedto search the premises. 14 I smiled, — for what had I tofear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream.The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visiters allover the house. I bade them search — search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed.In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desiredthem here to rest from theirfatigues; while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed myown seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim. 15 The officers were satisfied. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at ease. They sat, and, while I answeredcheerily, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears:but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: Italked more freely, to get rid of the feeling; but it continued and gaineddefiniteness — until, at length, I found that the noise was not within my ears. 16 No doubt I now grew very pale; — but Italked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased —and what could I do? It was a low,dull, quick sound — much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.I gasped for breath — and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly— more vehemently; — but the noise steadily increased. I arose, and arguedabout trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; — but the noisesteadily increased. Why wouldthey not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro, with heavy strides, as ifexcited to fury by the observations of the men; — but the noise steadilyincreased. Oh God! what could Ido? I foamed — I raved — I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had sat, andgrated it upon the boards; — but the noise arose over all and continuallyincreased. It grew louder — louder — louder!And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heardnot? Almighty God! — no, no! They heard! — they suspected! — they knew! — they were making a mockery ofmy horror! — this I thought, and this I think. But anything [[was]] better thanthis agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear thosehypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! — and now —again! — hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!— 17 “Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear upthe planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!”
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