sustaining her character and protracting her own life through the life of her child. (Meyers, 1992, p.79).The question of whether Poe was in love with Virginia in a romantic or sexual sense has never been answered. That he felt destined to be with her, however, there is no doubt. Although Poe admired Virginia greatly and admits to having passionately loved her, many feel that a hint towards his feelings for her may be found in "Morella," in which the author wrote:...fate has bound us together at the altar; and I never spoke of love, nor thought of passion. She however, shunned society, and, attaching herself to me alone rendered me happy. It is a happiness to wonder; it is a happiness to dream."The need for such emotional security motivated Poe to cling to Virginia, and the idea of leaving Baltimore drove him to distraction that summer. (Krutch, 1926, p.51-55).Overwhelmed by loneliness and frustration, Poe drank to excess repeatedly. It was the first time in many years that that he had overindulged in alcohol. It was a habit his system could not tolerate. His bouts would leave him sick for days, unable to work, unable to write and in deepest of despair.His work with the writing and editorial departments of the Messenger increased the circulation of the magazine, however his drinking habits forced White to eventually let him go. Edgar moved around to New York and Philadelphia trying to establish a name in literary journalism but without any major success. Again he tried editing, first for Burton's Gentlemen's magazine, and then for Grahams Magazine. His work was praised but he was paid little. His efforts to fulfill his lifelong dream of organizing his own magazine, The Stylus (originally The Penn.) were unsuccessful. For the next two years he turned to free-lance writing.Many of his best stories were written as part of his editorial work. Those he sold for a fee rarely brought him more that $100 each but they gave him great publicity...
