She wore an expression such as I had never seen before-such as I should have thought her incapable of assuming. 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. Half in my dreams I was dimly conscious that something was going on in the room, and gradually became aware that my wife had dressed herself and was slipping on her mantle and her bonnet. 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. It has been a standing jest in the family that nothing could ever wake me during the night. “I am usually an extremely sound sleeper. I remarked to her, however, before I fell asleep, that the cottage was now occupied, to which she returned no reply. I determined to say nothing about the former to my wife, for she is a nervous, highly strung woman, and I had no wish that she would share the unpleasant impression which had been produced upon myself.
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. Annoyed at the churlish rebuff, I turned my back and walked home. ‘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 just ask ye when we want ye,’ said she, and shut the door in my face. The Yellow Face “ ‘I am your neighbor over yonder,’ said I, nodding towards my house.
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