British literature summaries - 2020

Short summary - The Adventure of the Yellow Face
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle

VERY BRIEFLY

After several years of a happy marriage, the husband notices that the wife is hiding from him something related to her past life. Sherlock Holmes discovers that the woman has a black daughter.

Mr. Grant Monroe is asking Sherlock Holmes for help. Three years ago, he married a woman whom he sincerely fell in love with. Effie, his wife, left for America in her youth. There she married a lawyer, she had a child, but her husband and child died of yellow fever. Mr. Monroe saw the death certificate of Effie's husband. Husband left Effie a good inheritance, and, returning to England, she was able to live comfortably. Mr. Monroe himself sells hops and has a good profit, so the Monroe family does not feel the need. When they got married, Effie, against his will, transferred her fortune to his name. All this time they were happy, but a few days ago Effie asked for a large sum, without explaining why.

Soon, people settled in one of the empty cottages in front of their house. Mr. Monroe accidentally saw a creepy, unnaturally yellow face in his window. Out of curiosity, he knocked on the door of the mysterious house. An inhospitable woman opened him, refused the offered help and slammed the door in front of him.

At home, he accidentally told about this wife. At night, through a dream, he saw his wife get dressed and leave. In the morning, she said that she was feeling stuffy, and she decided to take a walk, but her husband realized that she was lying. On the same day, he noticed that his wife was leaving the cottage opposite. She refused to answer his question, only said that if he wants, they will leave here, and she is honest with him. However, the wife continued to visit the cottage. Unable to stand, Mr. Monroe went there. The house was empty, but in the room he saw a photograph of his wife, taken recently. The wife flatly refused to give any explanation.

The great detective ponders what has been said. Mrs. Monroe doesn’t know anything about Mrs. Monroe’s past life, he didn’t even see a photograph of her first husband, she does not support any ties with America. The face in the window made Mr. Monroe an unpleasant impression with a strange color and stillness. Holmes suggests that in the cottage, which was rented by Mrs. Monroe, is her first husband, who is blackmailing a woman.

At the request of Mr. Monroe, Holmes enters the cottage with him. There they see a little girl in gloves with a dead-yellow face. Mrs. Monroe standing nearby asks not to think anything bad. Holmes takes off the mask from the child, and the girl turns out to be a black woman. Mrs. Monroe explains that her first husband was a black man. He and the child fell ill, the husband died, but the child remained alive. Mrs. Monroe arrived in England, and left her daughter in America, so that the girl would become stronger after her illness. She did not think to abandon her daughter, but met Mr. Monroe and was afraid to admit to him that she had a black child.

After kissing the girl, Mr. Monroe takes his wife's hand and says that they will discuss everything at home.