The Yelllow Face - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Solve crimes with the great detective in "Sherlock Holmes Short Stories." Featuring classic tales by Arthur Conan Doyle, this podcast brings you the brilliant deductions and thrilling adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the world of Holmes, these timeless mysteries will keep you captivated.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Yellow Face. In publishing these short sketches, based upon
the numerous cases in which my companion's singular gifts have
made us the listeners to and eventually the actors in
some strange drama. It is only natural that I should
dwell rather upon his successes than upon his failures. And

(00:20):
this not so much for the sake of his reputation.
For indeed, it was when he was at his wits
end that his energy and his versatility were most admirable.
But because where he failed, it happened too often that
no one else succeeded, and that the tale was left
forever without a conclusion. Now and again, however, it chanced

(00:42):
that even when he erred, the truth was still discovered.
I have noted of some half dozen cases of the kind.
The adventure of the Musgrave Ritual and that which I
am about to recount are the two which present the
strongest features of interest Sherlock Holmes was a man who
who seldom took exercise. For exercise's sake. Few men were

(01:04):
capable of greater muscular effort, and he was undoubtedly one
of the finest boxers of his weight that I have
ever seen. But he looked upon aimless bodily exertion as
a waste of energy, and he seldom bestirred himself, save
when there was some professional object to be served. Then
he was absolutely untiring and indefatigable. That he should have

(01:26):
kept himself in training under such circumstances is remarkable. But
his diet was usually of the sparest, and his habits
were simple to the verge of austerity. Save for the
occasional use of cocaine. He had no vices, and he
only turned to the drug as a protest against the
monotony of existence when cases were scanty and the papers uninteresting.

(01:49):
One day in early spring, he had so far relaxed
as to go for a walk with me in the park,
where the first faint shoots of green were breaking out
upon the elms, and the sticky spear heads of the
chestnuts were just beginning to burst into their fivefold leaves.
For two hours we rambled about together in silence, for
the most part, as befits, two men who know each

(02:11):
other intimately. He was nearly five before we were back
in Baker Street. Once more. Beg pardon, sir, said our
page boy as he opened the door. There's been a
gentleman here? Ask him for you, sir. Holmes glanced reproachfully
at me. So much for afternoon, Walks said, he has

(02:32):
this gentleman gone? Then, yes, sir, didn't you ask him in? Yes, sir,
he came in. How long did he wait? Half an hour? Sir?
He was a very restless gentleman, a walking and a
stamping all the time he was here. I was waiting
outside the door, sir, and I could hear him. At

(02:52):
last he outs into the passage and he cries, is
that man never going to come? Those were his very words, Sir.
You only need to wait a little longer, says I.
Then I'll wait in the open air, for I feel
half choked, says he. I'll be back before long. And
with that he up send ye outs and all I

(03:14):
could say wouldn't hold him back. Well, well you did
your best, said Holmes as we walked into our room.
It's very annoying, though, Watson. I was badly in need
of a case, and this looks from the man's impatience
as if it were of importance. Hullo, that's not your
pipe on the table. He must have left his behind him,

(03:35):
A nice old briar with a good long stem of
what the tobacconists call amber. I wonder how many real
amber mouthpieces there are in London. Some people think that
a fly in it is a sign. Well, he must
have been disturbed in his mind to leave a pipe
behind him which he evidently values highly. How do you
know that he values it highly? I asked, Well, I

(03:58):
should put the original cost of the pie at seven
and sixpence. Now it has, you see, been twice mended,
once in the wooden stem and once in the amber.
Each of these mends, done as you observe, with silver brands,
must have cost more than the pipe did originally. The
man must value the pipe highly when he prefers to

(04:18):
patch it up rather than buy a new one with
the same money. Anything else I asked for. Holmes was
turning the pipe about in his hand and staring at
it in his peculiar, pensive way. He held it up
and tapped on it with his long, thin forefinger, as
a professor might who is lecturing on a bone. Pipes

(04:40):
are occasionally of extraordinary interest, said he. Nothing has more individuality,
save perhaps watches and boot laces. The indications here, however,
are neither very marked nor very important. The owner is
obviously a muscular man, left handed, with an excellent set
of teeth, careless in his habits, and with no need

(05:03):
to practice economy. My friend threw out the information in
a very off hand way, but I saw that he
cocked his eye at me to see if I had
followed his reasoning. You think a man must be well
to do if he smokes a seven shilling pipe, said I.
This is grove and a mixture at eightpence an ounce.

(05:23):
Holmes answered, knocking a little out on his palm, as
he might get an excellent smoke for half the price.
He has no need to practice economy. And the other points.
He has been in the habit of lighting his pipe
at lamps and gas jets, and you can see that
it is quite charred, all down one side. Of course,

(05:43):
a match could not have done that. Why should a
man hold a match to the side of his pipe,
But you cannot light it at a lamp without getting
the bowl charred, and it is all on the right
side of the pipe. From that I gather that he
is a left handed man. You hold your own pipe
to the lamp, and see how naturally you, being right handed,

(06:06):
hold the left side to the flame. You might do
it once the other way, but not as a constancy.
This has always been held. So then he has bitten
through his amber. It takes a muscular, energetic fellow, and
one with a good set of teeth to do that.
But if I am not mistaken, I hear him upon
the stair, so we shall have something more interesting than

(06:29):
his pipe to study. An instant later our door opened
and a tall young man entered the room. He was
well but quietly dressed in a dark gray suit, and
carried a brown wide awake in his hand. I should
have put him at about thirty, though he is really
some years older. I beg your pardon, said he, with
some embarrassment. I suppose I should have not. Yes, of

(06:53):
course I should have noted. The fact is that I
am a little upset, and you must put it all
down to that. He passed his hand over his forehead
like a man who is half dazed, and then fell
rather than sat down upon a chair. I can see
that you have not slept for a night or two,
said Holmes, in his easy, genial way that tries a

(07:14):
man's nerves more than work, and more even than pleasure.
May I ask how I can help you. I wanted
your advice, sir. I don't know what to do, and
my whole life seems to have gone to pieces. You
wish to employ me as a consulting detective, not that
only I want your opinion as a judicious man, as

(07:35):
a man of the world. I want to know what
I ought to do next. I hope to God you'll
be able to tell me. He spoke in little, sharp,
jerky outbursts, and it seemed to me that to speak
at all was very painful to him, and that his
will all through was overriding his inclinations. It's a very
delicate thing, said he. One does not like to speak

(07:57):
of one's domestic affairs to strangers. It seems dreadful to
discuss the conduct of one's wife with two men whom
I have never seen before. It's horrible to have to
do it. But I've got to the end of my tether,
and I must have advice. My dear mister Grant Monroe,
began Holmes, our visitor, sprang from his chair what he cried.

(08:20):
You know my name. If you wish to preserve your incognito,
said Holmes, smiling, I would suggest that you cease to
write your name upon the lining of your hat, or
else that you turn the crown towards the person whom
you are addressing. I was about to say that my
friend and I have listened to a good many strange
secrets in this room, and that we have had the

(08:41):
good fortune to bring peace to many troubled souls. I
trust that we may do as much for you might.
I beg you, as time may prove to be of importance,
to furnish me with the facts of your case without
further delay. Our visitor again passed his hand over his forehead,
as if he found it bitter hard. From every gesture

(09:02):
and expression I could see that he was a reserved,
self contained man, with a dash of pride in his nature,
more likely to hide his wounds than to expose them.
Then suddenly, with a fierce gesture of his closed hand,
like one who throws reserve to the winds, he began
The facts are these, said he. I am a married man,

(09:24):
and have been so for three years. During that time,
my wife and I have loved each other as fondly
and lived as happily as any two that ever were joined.
We have not had a difference not one in thought,
or word or deed. And now since last Monday, there
has suddenly sprung up a barrier between us, and I
find that there is something in her life and in

(09:46):
her thought of which I know as little as if
she were the woman who brushes by me in the street.
We are estranged, and I want to know why. Now.
There is one thing that I want to impress upon
you before I go any further, mister Holmes, Effie loves me.
Don't let there be any mistake about that. She loves
me with her whole heart and soul, and never more

(10:07):
than now I know it, I feel it. I don't
want to argue about that. A man can tell easy
enough when a woman loves him. But there's this secret
between us, and we can never be the same until
it is cleared. Kindly, let me have the facts, mister Monroe,
said Holmes, with some impatience. I'll tell you what I

(10:28):
know about Effie's history. She was a widow when I
met her first, though quite young, only twenty five. Her
name then was missus Hebron. She went out to America
when she was young and lived in the town of Atlanta,
where she married this Hebron who was a lawyer with
a good practice. They had one child, but the yellow

(10:48):
fever broke out badly in the place, and both husband
and child died of it. I've seen his death certificate.
This sickened her of America, and she came back to
live with a maiden aunt at Pinna in miss Sex.
I may mention that her husband had left her comfortably off,
and that she had a capital of about four thousand,
five hundred pounds, which had been so well invested by

(11:10):
him that it returned an average of seven percent. She
had only been six months at Pinna when I met her.
We fell in love with each other, and we married
a few weeks afterwards. I am a hot merchant myself,
and as I have an income of seven or eight hundred,
we found ourselves comfortably off and took a nice eighty
pound a year villa at Norbury. Our little place was

(11:32):
very countrified, considering that it is so close to town.
We had an inn and two houses a little above us,
and a single cottage at the other side of the
field which faces us, And except those there were no
houses until you got half way to the station. My
business took me into town at certain seasons but in
summer I had less to do, and then in our

(11:54):
country home, my wife and I were just as happy
as could be wished. I tell you that there never
was a shadow between us until this a cursed affair began.
There's one thing I ought to tell you before I
go further. When we're married, my wife made over all
her property to me, rather against my will, for I
saw how awkward it would be if my business affairs

(12:15):
went wrong. However, she would have it so, and it
was done well. About six weeks ago she came to me, Jack,
said she. When you took my money, you said that
if ever I wanted any I was to ask you
for it certainly, said I. It's all your own. Well,
said she, I want a hundred pounds. I was a

(12:38):
bit staggered at this, for I had imagined it was
simply a new dress or something of the kind. That
she was after What on earth for, I asked, Oh,
said she, in her playful way, You said that you
were only my banker, and bankers never ask questions. You know,
if you really mean it, of course you shall have

(12:59):
the money, said I. Oh, yes, I really mean it,
and you won't tell me what you want it for
some day perhaps, but not just at present. Jack, so
I had to be content with that, though it was
the first time that there had ever been any secret
between us. I gave her a check and never thought

(13:20):
any more of the matter. It may have nothing to
do with what came afterwards, but I thought it only
right to mention it. Well. I told you just now
that there is a cottage not far from our house.
There is just a field between us, but to reach
it you have to go along the road and then
turn down a lane. Just beyond it is a nice
little grove of Scotch firs, and I used to be

(13:43):
very fond of strolling down there, for trees are always
a neighborly kind of thing. The cottage had been standing
empty this eight months, and it was a pity, for
it was a pretty two storied place, with an old
fashioned porch and honeysuckle about it. I have stood many
a time and thought what a neat little homestead it
would make. Well. Last Monday evening I was taking a

(14:06):
stroll down that way when I met an empty van
coming up the lane and saw a pile of carpets
and things lying about on the grass plot beside the porch.
It was clear that the cottage had at last been let.
I walked past it and wondered what sort of folk
they were who had come to live so near us.
And as I looked, I suddenly became aware that a

(14:26):
face was watching me out of one of the upper windows.
I don't know what there was about that face, mister Holmes,
but it seemed to send a chill right down my back.
I was some little way off so that I could
not make out the features, but there was something unnatural
and inhuman about the face. That was the impression that
I had, and I moved quickly forwards to get a

(14:48):
nearer view of the person who was watching me. But
as I did so, the face suddenly disappeared, so suddenly
that it seemed to have been plucked away into the
darkness of the room. I stood for five minutes, thinking
the business over and trying to analyze my impressions. I
could not tell of the face with that of a
man or a woman, it had been too far from

(15:10):
me for that. But its color was what had impressed
me most. It was of a livid, chalky white, and
with something set and rigid about it, which was shockingly
and natural So disturbed was I that I determined to
see a little more of the new inmates of the cottage.
I approached and knocked at the door, which was instantly

(15:31):
opened by a tall, gaunt woman with a harsh, forbidding face.
What may you be want in, she asked, in a
northern accent. I am your neighbor over yonder, said I,
nodding towards my house. I see that you have only
just moved in, so I thought that if I could
be of any help to you in any ay, we'll

(15:53):
just ask you when we want, ye, said she, and
shut the door in my face. Annoyed at the churlish rebuff,
I turned my back and walked home. All evening, though
I tried to think of other things, my mind would
still turn to the apparition at the window and the
rudeness of the woman. I determined to say nothing about
the former to my wife, for she is a nervous,

(16:16):
highly strung woman, and I had no wish that she
should share the unpleasant impression which had been produced upon myself.
I remarked to her, however, before I fell asleep, that
the cottage was now occupied, to which she returned no reply.
I am usually an extremely sound sleeper. It has been
a standing jest in the family that nothing could ever

(16:38):
wake me during the night. And yet somehow on that
particular night, Whether it may have been the slight excitement
produced by my little adventure or not, I know not,
but I slept much more lightly than usual. Half in
my dreams, I was dimly conscious that something was going
on in the room, and gradually became aware that my

(16:58):
wife had dressed herself and was slipping on her mantle
and her bonnet. My lips were parted to murmur out
some sleepy words of surprise or remonstrance at this untimely preparation,
when suddenly my half opened eyes fell upon her face,
illuminated by the candle light, and astonishment held me dumb.

(17:19):
She wore an expression such as I had never seen before,
such as I should have thought her incapable of, assuming
she was deadly pale and breathing fast, glancing furtively towards
the bed as she fastened her mantle to see if
she had disturbed me. Then, thinking that I was still asleep,
she slipped noiselessly from the room, and an instant later

(17:42):
I heard a sharp creaking which could only come from
the hinges of the front door. I sat up in
bed and wrapped my knuckles against the rail to make
certain that I was truly awake. Then I took my
watch from under the pillow. It was three in the morning.
What on this earth could my wife doing out on
the country road at three in the morning. I had

(18:04):
sat for about twenty minutes, turning the thing over in
my mind and trying to find some possible explanation. The
more I thought, the more extraordinary and inexplicable did it appear.
I was still puzzling over it when I heard the
door gently close again and her footsteps coming up the stairs.
Where in the world have you been, Effie? I asked?

(18:26):
As she entered. She gave a violent start and a
kind of gasping cry when I spoke, And that cry
and start troubled me more than all the rest, for
there was something indescribably guilty about them. My wife had
always been a woman of a frank and open nature,
and it gave me a chill to see her slinking

(18:46):
into her own room and crying out and wincing. When
her own husband spoke to her, you wake Jack, She
cried with a nervous laugh. Why I thought that nothing
could a wake you? Where have you been? I asked
more sternly. I don't wonder that you're surprised, said she,
and I could see that her fingers were trembling as

(19:08):
she undid the fastenings of her mantle. Why I never
remember having done such a thing in my life before.
The fact is that I felt as though I were
choking and had a perfect longing for a breath of
fresh air. I really think that I should have fainted
if I had not gone out. I stood at the
door for a few minutes, and now I am quite

(19:28):
myself again. All the time she was telling me this story,
she never once looked in my direction, and her voice
was quite unlike her usual tones. It was evident to
me that she was saying what was false. I said
nothing in reply, but turned my face to the wall,
sick at heart, with my mind filled with a thousand

(19:50):
venomous doubts and suspicions. What was it that my wife
was concealing from me? Where had she been during that
strange expedition? I felt that I should have no peace
until I knew, And yet I shrank from asking her
again after once she had told me what was false.
All the rest of the night I tossed and tumbled,

(20:11):
framing theory after theory, each more unlikely than the last.
I should have gone to the city that day, but
I was too disturbed in my mind to be able
to pay attention to business matters. My wife seemed to
be as upset as myself, and I could see from
the little questioning glances which she kept shooting at me

(20:31):
that she understood that I disbelieved her statement, and that
she was at her wits end what to do. We
hardly exchanged a word during breakfast, and immediately afterwards I
went out for a walk that I might think the
matter out in the fresh morning air. I went as
far as the Crystal Palace, spent an hour in the grounds,

(20:51):
and was back in Norbury by one o'clock. It happened
that my way took me past the cottage, and I
stopped for an instant to look at the windows and
see if I could catch a glimpse of the strange
face which had looked out at me on the day before.
As I stood there, imagine my surprise, mister Holmes, when
the door suddenly opened and my wife walked out. I

(21:14):
was struck dumb with astonishment at the sight of her,
But my emotions were nothing to those which showed themselves
upon her face. When our eyes met, she seemed for
an instant to wish to shrink back inside the house again,
And then, seeing how useless all concealment must be, she
came forward with a very white face and frightened eyes

(21:34):
which belied the smile upon her lips. Ah, Jack, she said,
I have just been in to see if I can
be of any assistance to our new neighbors. Why do
you look at me like that? Jack? You are not
angry with me, so said I. This is where you
went during the night. What do you mean, she cried,

(21:56):
you came here. I am sure of it. Who are
these people that you should visit them at such an hour?
I have not been here before. How can you tell
me what you know is false? I cried? Your very
voice changes as you speak. When have I ever had
a secret from you? I shall enter that cottage and

(22:17):
I shall probe the matter to the bottom. No, No, Jack,
for God's sake, she gasped in uncontrollable emotion. Then, as
I approached the door, she seized my sleeve and pulled
me back with convulsive strength. I implore you not to
do this, Jack, she cried. I swear that I will

(22:38):
tell you everything some day, but nothing but misery can
come of it if you enter that cottage. Then, as
I tried to shake her off, she clung to me
in a frenzy of entreaty. Trust me, Jack, she cried,
Trust me only this once. You will never have cause
to regret it. You know that I would not have

(22:58):
a secret from you if it were not for your
own sake. Our whole lives are at stake in this.
If you come home with me, all will be well.
If you force your way into that cottage, all is
over between us. There was such an earnestness, such despair
in her manner, that her words arrested me, and I

(23:19):
stood irresolute before the door. I will trust you on
one condition, and on one condition only, said I. At last,
it is that this mystery comes to an end. From
now you are at liberty to preserve your secret. But
you must promise me that there shall be no more
knightly visits, no more doings which are kept from my knowledge.
I am willing to forget those which are past if

(23:41):
you will promise that there shall be no more in
the future. I was sure that you would trust me,
she cried, with a great sigh of relief. It shall
be just as you wish. Come away, oh, come away,
up to the house. Still pulling at my sleeve, she
led me away from the cottage. As we went, I

(24:01):
glanced back, and there was that yellow, livid face watching
us out of the upper window. What link could there
be between that creature and my wife? Or how could
the coarse rough woman whom I had seen the day
before be connected with her? It was a strange puzzle,
and yet I knew that my mind could never know
ease again until I had solved it. For two days

(24:25):
after this, I stayed at home, and my wife appeared
to abide loyally by our engagement. For as far as
I know, she never stirred out of the house. On
the third day, however, I had ample evidence that her
solemn promise was not enough to hold her back from
this secret influence which drew her away from her husband

(24:45):
and her duty. I had gone into town on that day,
but I returned by the two forty instead of the
three thirty six, which is my usual train. As I
entered the house, the maid ran into the hall with
a startled face. Where is your mistress, I asked, I
think that she's gone out for a walk, she answered.

(25:06):
My mind was instantly filled with suspicion. I rushed upstairs
to make sure that she was not in the house.
As I did so, I happened to glance out of
one of the upper windows and saw the maid with
whom I had just been speaking running across the field
in the direction of the cottage. Then, of course I
saw exactly what it all meant. My wife had gone

(25:28):
over there and had asked the servant to call her
if I should return. Tingling with anger, I rushed down
and hurried across, determined to end the matter once and
for ever. I saw my wife and the maid hurrying
back along the lane, but I did not stop to
speak with them. In the cottage lay the secret which

(25:49):
was casting a shadow over my life. I vowed that
come what might, it should be a secret no longer.
I did not even knock when I reached it, but
turned the handle and rushed into the passage. It was
all still and quiet upon the ground floor. In the kitchen,
a kettle was singing on the fire, and a large
black cat lay coiled up in the basket, but there

(26:10):
was no sign of the woman whom I had seen before.
I ran into the other room, but it was equally deserted.
Then I rushed up the stairs, only to find two
other rooms empty and deserted. At the top, there was
no one at all in the whole house. The furniture
and pictures were of the most common and vulgar description,

(26:31):
save in the one chamber, at the window of which
I had seen the strange face that was comfortable and elegant.
And all my suspicions rose into a fierce, bitter flame
when I saw that on the mantel piece stood a
copy of a full length photograph of my wife, which
had been taken at my request only three months ago.

(26:51):
I stayed long enough to make certain that the house
was absolutely empty. Then I left it, feeling a weight
at my heart such as I had never had before.
My wife came out into the hall as I entered
my house, but I was too hurt and angry to
speak with her, and pushing past her, I made my
way into my study. She followed me. However, before I

(27:14):
could close the door, I am so sorry that I
broke my promise, Jack, said she. But if you knew
all the circumstances, I am sure that you would forgive
me tell me everything, then said I. I cannot, Jack,
I cannot, she cried, Until you tell me who it

(27:34):
is that has been living in that cottage, and who
it is to whom you have given that photograph. There
can never be any confidence between us, said I, and
breaking away from her, I left the house. That was yesterday,
mister Holmes, and I have not seen her since, nor
do I know anything more about this strange business. It
is the first shadow that has come between us, and

(27:57):
it has so shaken me that I do not know
what I should do for the best. Suddenly this morning
it occurred to me that you were the man to
advise me. So I have hurried to you now, and
I place myself unreservedly in your hands. If there is
any point which I have not made clear, pray question
me about it, but above all, tell me quickly what

(28:20):
I am to do, for this misery is more than
I can bear. Holmes and I had listened with the
utmost interest to this extraordinary statement, which had been delivered
in the jerky, broken fashion of a man who is
under the influence of extreme emotions. My companion sat silent
for some time, with his chin upon his hand, lost

(28:42):
in thought. Tell me, said he at last. Could you
swear that this was a man's face which you saw
at the window? Each time that I saw it, I
was some distance away from it, so that it is
impossible for me to say. You appear, however, to have
been disagreeably impressed by it. It seemed to be of

(29:04):
an unnatural color, and to have a strange rigidity about
the features. When I approached it vanished with a jerk.
How long is it since your wife asked you for
a hundred pounds? Nearly two months? Have you ever seen
a photograph of her first husband? No? There was a

(29:24):
great fire at Atlanta very shortly after his death, and
all her papers were destroyed. And yet she had a
certificate of death. You say that you saw it. Yes,
she got a duplicate after the fire. Did you ever
meet any one who knew her in America? No? Did
she ever talk of revisiting the place? No? Or get

(29:48):
letters from it? No? Thank you. I should like to
think over the matter a little now. If the cottage
is now permanently deserted, we may have some difficulty. If,
on the other hand, as I fancy, is more likely
the inmates were warned of your coming and left before
you entered yesterday, then they may be back now, and

(30:10):
we should clear it all up easily. Let me advise
you then to return to Norbury and to examine the
windows of the cottage again. If you have reason to
believe that it is inhabited, do not force your way in,
but send a wire to my friend and me. We
shall be with you within an hour of receiving it,
and we shall then very soon get to the bottom

(30:30):
of the business. And if it is still empty, in
that case, I shall come out to morrow and talk
it over with you. Good Bye, and above all, do
not fret until you know that you really have a
cause for it. I am afraid that this is a
bad business, Watson, said my companion, as he returned after

(30:52):
accompanying mister Grant Monroe to the door. What do you
make of it? It had an ugly sound, I answered, Yes,
there's blackmail in it, or I am much mistaken. And
who is the blackmailer? Well, it must be the creature
who lives in the only comfortable room in the place,
and has her photograph above his fireplace. Upon my word, Watson,

(31:17):
there is something very attractive about that livid face at
the window, and I would not have missed the case
for worlds. You have a theory, yes, a provisional one,
but I shall be surprised if it does not turn
out to be correct. This woman's first husband is in
that cottage. Why do you think so? How else can

(31:38):
we explain her frenzied anxiety that her second one should
not enter it. The facts as I read them, are
something like this. This woman was married in America. Her
husband developed some hateful qualities, or shall we say that
he contracted some loathsome disease, and became a leper or
an imbecile. She flies for from him, at last, returns

(32:01):
to England, changes her name, and starts her life as
she thinks afresh. She has been married three years and
believes that her position is quite secure, having shown her
husband the death certificate of some man whose name she
has assumed, when suddenly her whereabouts is discovered by her
first husband, or we may suppose, by some unscrupulous woman

(32:24):
who has attached herself to the invalid. They write to
the wife and threaten to come and expose her. She
asks for one hundred pounds and endeavors to buy them off.
They come in spite of it, and when the husband
mentions casually to the wife that there are newcomers in
the cottage, she knows in some way that they are
her pursuers. She waits until her husband is asleep, and

(32:49):
then she rushes down to endeavor to persuade them to
leave her in peace. Having no success, she goes again
next morning, and her husband meets her as he has
told us. As she comes out, she promises him then
not to go there again. But two days afterwards, the
hope of getting rid of those dreadful neighbors was too

(33:09):
strong for her, and she made another attempt, taking down
with her the photograph which had probably been demanded from her.
In the midst of this interview, the maid rushed in
to say that the master had come home, on which
the wife, knowing that he would come straight down to
the cottage, hurried the inmates out the back door into
the grove of fir trees, probably which was mentioned as

(33:32):
standing near. In this way he found the place deserted.
I shall be very much surprised. However, if it is
still so when he reconnoiters it this evening, what do
you think of my theory? It is all surmise, but
at least it covers all the facts. When new facts
come to our knowledge which cannot be covered by it,

(33:54):
it will be time enough to reconsider it. We can
do nothing more until we have a message from our
friend at nort Awbury. But we had not very long
time to wait for that. It came just as we
had finished our tea. The cottage is still tenanted, it said,
have seen the face again at the window. We'll meet
the seven o'clock train and will take no steps until

(34:16):
you arrive. He was waiting on the platform when we
stepped out, and we could see in the light of
the station lamps that he was very pale and quivering
with agitation. They are still there, mister Holmes said, he
laying his hand hard upon my friend's sleeve. I saw
lights in the cottage as I came down. We shall
settle it now, once and for all. What is your plan,

(34:39):
then asked Holmes, as he walked down the dark tree
lined road. I am going to force my way in
and see for myself who is in the house. I
wish you both to be there as witnesses. You are
quite determined to do this, in spite of your wife's
warning that it is better that you should not solve
the mystery. Yes, I am determ well, I think that

(35:02):
you are in the right. Any truth is better than
indefinite doubt. We had better go up at once. Of course,
legally we are putting ourselves hopelessly in the wrong, but
I think that it is worth it. It was a
very dark night, and a thin rain began to fall
as we turned from the high road into a narrow lane,

(35:22):
deeply rutted, with hedges on either side. Mister Grant Monroe
pushed impatiently forward, however, and we stumbled after him as
best we could. There are the lights of my house,
he murmured, pointing to a glimmer among the trees. And
here is the cottage which I am going to enter.
We turned a corner in the lane as he spoke,

(35:43):
and there was the building close beside us. A yellow
bar falling across the black foreground showed that the door
was not quite closed, and one window in the upper
story was brightly illuminated. As we looked, we saw a
dark blur moving across the bloe. There is that creature,
cried Grant Monroe. You can see for yourselves that some

(36:06):
one is there. Now follow me and we shall soon
know all. We approached the door, but suddenly a woman
appeared out of the shadow and stood in the golden
track of the lamp light. I could not see her
face in the darkness, but her arms were thrown out
in an attitude of entreaty. For God's sake, don't jack,

(36:27):
she cried, I had a presentiment that you would come
this evening. Think better of it. Dear, trust me again,
and you will never have cause to regret it. I
have trusted you too long, Effie, he cried sternly. Leave
go of me. I must pass through my friends, and
I are going to settle this matter once and for ever.

(36:49):
He pushed her to one side, and we followed closely
after him. As he threw the door open, an old
woman ran out in front of him and tried to
bar his passage, but he thrust her back, and an
instant afterwards we were all upon the stairs. Grant Monroe
rushed into the lighted room at the top, and we
entered at his heels. It was a cozy, well furnished apartment,

(37:12):
with two candles burning upon the table and two upon
the mantel piece. In the corner, stooping over a desk,
there sat what appeared to be a little girl. Her
face was turned away as we entered, but we could
see that she was dressed in a red frock, and
that she had long white gloves on. As she whisked
round to us, I gave a cry of surprise and horror.

(37:35):
The face which she turned towards us was of the
strangest livid tint, and the features were absolutely devoid of
any expression. An instant later the mystery was explained Holmes,
with a laugh, passed his hand behind the child's ear.
A mask peeled off from her countenance, and there was

(37:56):
a little coal black negress with all her white teeth
flashed in amusement at our amazed faces. I burst out,
laughing out of sympathy with her merriment. But grantman Rose
stood staring with his hand clutching his throat. My God,
he cried, what can be the meaning of this? I

(38:17):
will tell you the meaning of it, cried the lady,
sweeping into the room with a proud set face. You
have forced me against my own judgment to tell you,
and now we must both make the best of it.
My husband died at Atlanta. My child survived your child.
She drew a large silver locket from her bosom. You

(38:39):
have never seen this open. I understood that it did
not open. She touched a spring, and the front hinged back.
There was a portrait within of a man, strikingly handsome
and intelligent looking, but bearing unmistakable signs upon his features
of his African descent. This is John, he of Atlanta,

(39:01):
said the lady, and a nobler man never walked the earth.
I cut myself off from my race in order to
wed him, But never once while he lived did I
for an instant regret it. It was our misfortune that
our only child took after his people rather than mine.
It is often so in such matches. And little Lucy

(39:22):
is darker far than ever her father was, but dark
or fair. She is my own dear little girlie and
her mother's pet. The little creature ran across at the
words and nestled up against the lady's dress. When I
left her in America, she continued, it was only because
her health was weak. And the change might have done

(39:44):
her harm. She was given to the care of a
faithful scotchwoman who had once been our servant. Never for
an instant did I dream of disowning her as my child.
But when chance threw you in my way, Jack, and
I learned to love you, I feared to tell you
about my child. God forgive me. I feared that I

(40:04):
should lose you, and I had not the courage to
tell you. I had to choose between you, and in
my weakness, I turned away from my own little girl.
For three years, I have kept her existence a secret
from you, but I heard from the nurse, and I
knew that all was well with her. At last, however,
there came an overwhelming desire to see the child once more.

(40:28):
I struggled against it, but in vain though I knew
the danger, I determined to have the child over if
it were but for a few weeks. I sent a
hundred pounds to the nurse, and I gave her instructions
about this cottage, so that she might come as a
neighbor without my appearing to be in any way connected
with her. I pushed my precautions so far as to

(40:50):
order her to keep the child in the house during
the daytime, and to cover up her little face and hands,
so that even those who might see her at the
window should not go about there being a black child
in the neighborhood. If I had been less cautious, I
might have been more wise, But I was half crazy
with fear that you should learn the truth. It was

(41:12):
you who told me first that the cottage was occupied.
I should have waited for the morning, but I could
not sleep for excitement, and so at last I slipped out,
knowing how difficult it is to awake you. But you
saw me go, and that was the beginning of my troubles.
Next day you had my secret at your mercy, but

(41:34):
you nobly refrained from pursuing your advantage. Three days later, however,
the nurse and child only just escaped from the back
door as you rushed in at the front. One. And
now to night you at last know all. And I
ask you what is to become of us, my child
and me? She clasped her hands and waited for an answer.

(41:57):
It was a long ten minutes before grantman Row broke
the silence, and when his answer came, it was one
of which I loved to think. He lifted the little child,
kissed her, and then, still carrying her, he held his
other hand out to his wife and turned towards the door.
We can talk it over more comfortably at home, said he.

(42:20):
I am not a very good man, Effie, but I
think that I am a better one than you have
given me credit for. Holmes and I followed them down
the lane, and my friend plucked at my sleeve as
we came out. I think, said he, that we shall
be of more use in London than in Norbury. Not
another word did he say of the case until late

(42:42):
that night, when he was turning away with his lighted
candle for his bedroom. Watson said he, if it should
ever strike you that I am getting a little over
confident in my powers, or giving less pains to a
case than it deserves, kindly whisper nowbery in my ear,
and I shall be infinitely obliged to you. End of

(43:06):
the Yellow Face