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In her captivating novella, "The Staircase At The Heart's Delight," Anna Katharine Green masterfully weaves a complex narrative that delves into the intricacies of human emotion and moral ambiguity. Set against a richly painted backdrop of urban life, Green explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption through her signature atmospheric prose and meticulous attention to detail. The story, characterized by its layered character development and suspenseful pacing, reflects the broader literary movement of the late 19th century, where female authors began to assert their voices in the male-dominated detective genre, establishing a space for complexity and nuance in their storytelling. Anna Katharine Green, often regarded as the mother of the American detective novel, was instrumental in shaping the genre's conventions. Her background in literature, combined with her keen insights into human psychology, undoubtedly influenced her writing. Green's exploration of the darker aspects of society stemmed not just from her observations as a contemporary of her time, but also from her fervent belief in the power of narrative to critique social mores and advocate for justice. This novella is highly recommended for readers seeking to understand the roots of detective fiction while simultaneously enjoying a poignant tale of the heart. Green's keen observations and rich character portrayals will leave readers reflecting long after the final page, making "The Staircase At The Heart's Delight" a timeless addition to any literary collection.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
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The Staircase At The Heart's Delight
Table of Contents
By Anna Katharine Green (Mrs. Charles Rohlfs)
Copyright, 1894, by Anna Katharine Green
AS TOLD BY MR. GRYCE.
“In the spring of 1840, the attention of the New York police was attracted by the many cases of well-known men found drowned in the various waters surrounding the lower portion of our great city. Among these may be mentioned the name of Elwood Henderson, the noted tea merchant, whose remains were washed ashore at Redhook Point; and of Christopher Bigelow, who was picked up off Governor’s Island after having been in the water for five days, and of another well-known millionaire whose name I cannot now recall, but who, I remember, was seen to walk towards the East River one March evening, and was not met with again till the 5th of April, when his body floated into one of the docks near Peck Slip.
“As it seemed highly improbable that there should have been a concerted action among so many wealthy and distinguished men to end their lives within a few weeks of each other, and all by the same method of drowning, we soon became suspicious that a more serious verdict than that of suicide should have been rendered in the case of Henderson, Bigelow and the other gentleman I have mentioned. Yet one fact, common to all these cases, pointed so conclusively to deliberate intention on the part of the sufferers that we hesitated to take action.
“This was, that upon the body of each of the above-mentioned persons there were found, not only valuables in the shape of money and jewelry, but papers and memoranda of a nature calculated to fix the identity of the drowned man, in case the water should rob him of his personal characteristics. Consequently, we could not ascribe these deaths to a desire for plunder on the part of some unknown person.
“I was a young man in those days, and full of ambition. So, though I said nothing, I did not let this matter drop when the others did, but kept my mind persistently upon it and waited, with odd results as you will hear, for another victim to be reported at police headquarters.
“Meantime I sought to discover some bond or connection between the several men who had been found drowned, which would serve to explain their similar fate. But all my efforts in this direction were fruitless. There was no bond between them, and the matter remained for a while an unsolved mystery.
“Suddenly one morning a clew was placed, not in my hands, but in those of a superior official who at that time exerted a great influence over the whole force. He was sitting in his private room, when there was ushered into his presence a young man of a dissipated but not unprepossessing appearance, who, after a pause of marked embarrassment, entered upon the following story:
“I don’t know whether or no, I should offer an excuse for the communication I am about to make; but the matter I have to relate is simply this: Being hard up last night (for though a rich man’s son I often lack money), I went to a certain pawn-shop in the Bowery where I had been told I could raise money on my prospects. This place—you may see it sometime, so I will not enlarge upon it—did not strike me favorably; but, being very anxious for a certain definite sum of money, I wrote my name in a book which was brought to me from some unknown quarter, and proceeded to follow the young woman who attended me into what she was pleased to call her good master’s private office. He may have been a good master, but he was anything but a good man, In short, sir, when he found out who I was, and how much I needed money, he suggested that I should make an appointment with my father at a place he called Judah’s in Grand Street, where, said he, ‘your little affair will be arranged, and you made a rich man within thirty days. That is,’ he slyly added, ‘unless your father has already made a will, disinheriting you.’
