her devoted mother, then living under very straitened circumstances in a little cottage at Fordham, NY :
“Here is one of the finest scholars, one of the most original men of genius, and one of the most industrious of the literary profession of our country, whose temporary suspension of labor, from bodily illness, drops him immediately to a level with the common objects of public charity. There is no intermediate stopping-place, no respectful shelter, where, with the delicacy due to genius and culture, he might secure aid, till, with returning health, he would resume his labors, and his unmortified sense of independence.”
And this was the tribute paid by the American public to the master who had given to it such tales of conjuring charm, of witchery and mystery as “ The Fall of the House of Usher ” and “ Ligeia ”; such fascinating hoaxes as “ The Unparalleled Adventure of Hans Pfaall ,” “ MS. Found in a Bottle ,” “ A Descent Into the Maelström ” and “ The Balloon Hoax ”; such tales of conscience as “ William Wilson ,” “ The Black Cat ” and “ The Telltale Heart ,” wherein the retributions of remorse are portrayed with an awful fidelity; such tales of natural beauty as “ The Island of the Fay ” and “ The Domain of Arnheim ”; such marvellous studies in ratiocination as the “ Gold-Bug ,” “ The Murders in the Rue Morgue ,” “ The Purloined Letter ” and “ The Mystery of Marie Rogêt ,” the latter, a recital of fact, demonstrating the author’s wonderful capability of correctly analyzing the mysteries of the human mind; such tales of illusion and banter as “ The Premature Burial ” and “ The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether ”; such bits of extravaganza as “ The Devil in the Belfry ” and “ The Angel of the Odd ”; such tales of adventure as The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym ; such papers of keen criticism and review as won for Poe the enthusiastic admiration of Charles Dickens, although they made him many enemies among the over-puffed minor