rding to Miss Valentine, Poe never at
any time ceased entirely to correspond with Mrs. Allan, who never, to
her dying day, lost her interest in the boy whom she had loved as a son,
and neither ceased her endeavors to reconcile himself and her husband,
urging Edgar to return and Mr. Allan to receive him. In anticipation of
such result, she kept his room as he had left it, ready for his
occupation at any time that it might suit his wayward fancy to return.

Mr. Allan talked to Poe seriously, and, finding that his great desire
was to get a discharge from the army, promised to assist him; but only
upon condition of his entering West Point, by which there would be
secured to him an honorable and independent position for life, and Allan
himself be relieved from all responsibility concerning him. But that he
had not entirely forgiven Edgar was evident from a letter to the
latter's commanding officer, wherein he exposes, unnecessarily, perhaps,
the youth's gambling habits at the University, declaring that "he is no
relation of mine whatever, and no more to me than many others who, being
in need, I have regarded as being my care." Poe must have felt this
latter as a humiliation; and it was certainly not calculated to increase
his regard for the writer.

Poe's career at West Point is well known. At first all went well. One of
his Virginia comrades, Col. Allan Magruder, describes him as of a simple
and kindly nature, but, by reason of his distance and reserve, not
popular with the cadets, and that he at length confined his association
exclusively to Virginians. But the old discontent and impatience of
restraint returned upon him, and after some months he wrote to Mr. Allan
that he wished to leave West Point--a step to which the latter
positively refused his assistance.

Finding nobody inclined to help him, he resolved to force his discharge.
He purposely neglected his studies and military duties, deliberately
violated the rules, engaged--it was said by some--in all sorts of
disgraceful pranks; and finally was tried by court-martial and, on March
7, 1831, dismissed from the institute.

It has been naturally inferred that Poe's object in this voluntary
self-sacrifice was simply to free himself from the irksomeness of
military duties which, on trial, he found so opposed to his taste and
inclination. But perhaps the real motive was one which has never yet
been suspected.

Some time after Poe's death I was informed by a lady that,