I soon realized, though, that I could not help his melancholy. His books, his songs and his pictures showed me the state of his mind. One of his pictures was a very long, brightly lit white tomb deep in the earth. I will never forget it, and the many strange hours that I spent with him.
Then, one evening Usher told me suddenly of the lady Madeline’s death. He wanted to place her body in one of the many tombs under the house. I agreed to help him put the body there.
The tomb, I soon learned, was below my bedroom. It was very small and completely dark. Its walls were wet and it smelled of death. When we opened the door, it grated loudly. I was glad that it was made of thick, heavy metal.
