planting him. He encountered his associate late in the evening at one
of his accustomed haunts, and said, "Mr. Poe, I am astonished: Give me my
manuscripts so that I can attend to the duties you have so shamefully
neglected, and when you are sober we will settle." Poe interrupted him
with "Who are you that presume to address me in this manner? Burton, I
am--_the editor--of the Penn.--Magazine_--and you are--hiccup--_a fool_."
Of course this ended his relations with the "Gentleman's."

In November, 1840, Burton's miscellany was merged in "The Casket," owned
by Mr. George R. Graham, and the new series received the name of its
proprietor, who encouraged Poe in its editorship. His connection with
"Graham's Magazine" lasted about a year and a half, and this was one of
the most active and brilliant periods of his literary life. He wrote in
it several of his finest tales and most trenchant criticisms, and
challenged attention by his papers entitled "Autography," and those on
cryptology and ciphers. In the first, adopting a suggestion of Lavater,
he attempted the illustration of character from handwriting; and in the
second, he assumed that human ingenuity could construct no secret writing
which human ingenuity could not resolve; a not very dangerous
proposition, since it implied no capacity in himself to discover every
riddle of this kind that should be invented. He however succeeded with
several difficult cryptographs that were sent to him, and the direction
of his mind to the subject led to the composition of some of the tales of
ratiocination which so largely increased his reputation. The infirmities
which induced his separation from Mr. White and Mr. Burton at length
compelled Mr. Graham to seek for another editor; but Poe still remained
in Philadelphia, engaged from time to time in various literary
occupations, and in the vain effort to establish a journal of his own to
be called "The Stylus." Although it requires considerable capital to
carry on a monthly of the description he proposed, I think it would not
have been difficult, with his well-earned fame as a magazinist, for him
to have found a competent and suitable publisher, but for the unfortunate
notoriety of his habits, and the failure in succession of three persons
who had admired him for his genius and pitied him for his misfortunes, by
every means that tact or friendship could suggest, to induce the
consistency and steadiness of application indispensable to success