



Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by the
Web Archive (The Library of Congress)











Transcriber's Notes:
   1. Page scan source: The Web Archive,
    https://archive.org/details/yellowface00whit
    (The Library of Congress)

   2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].

   3. Hyphenation of compound words is as presented in the original
    book.






THE YELLOW FACE






_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_

The Crimson Blind
The Corner House
The Weight of the Crown






THE YELLOW FACE



BY
FRED M. WHITE

Author of
"_The Crimson Blind_," "_The Corner House_,"
"_The Midnight Guest," etc_.




R. F. FENNO & COMPANY
18 EAST SEVENTEENTH STREET, NEW YORK
------------------------------------
F. V. WHITE & CO.,            LONDON






Copyright, 1907
By R. F. Fenno & Company



"_The Yellow Face_"






CONTENTS


        I. Nostalgo.

       II. The Chopin Nocturne.

      III. The Mystery of the Strings.

       IV. The Speaking Likeness.

        V. A Vanished Clue.

       VI. Vanished!

      VII. No. 4, Montrose Place.

     VIII. The Chopin Fantasie.

       IX. The Man with the Fair Moustache.

        X. What Did She Know?

       XI. The Shadow on the Wall.

      XII. Locked In!

     XIII. The Parable.

      XIV. Nostalgo Again.

       XV. Lady Barmouth.

      XVI. The Bosom of Her Family.

     XVII. Which Man Was It?

    XVIII. The Empty Room.

      XIX. A Broken Melody.

       XX. The Mouse in the Trap.

      XXI. A Leader of Society.

     XXII. The Portrait.

    XXIII. Face to Face.

     XXIV. In the Square.

      XXV. On the Track.

     XXVI. Serena Again.

    XXVII. In the Smoking Room.

   XXVIII. The Lamp Goes Out.

     XXIX. The Silver Lamp.

      XXX. Bedroom 14.

     XXXI. A Chance Encounter.

    XXXII. Lady Barmouth's Jewels.

   XXXIII. Gems Or Paste?

    XXXIV. In the Vault.

     XXXV. The Cellini Plate.

    XXXVI. A Stroke Of Policy.

   XXXVII. A Pregnant Message.

  XXXVIII. The Cry in the Night.

    XXXIX. Preparing The Way.

       XL. The Magician Speaks.

      XLI. The Worm Turns.

     XLII. A Piece of Music.

    XLIII. The Trap is Baited.

     XLIV. The Substitute.

      XLV. Caught.

     XLVI. The Music Stops.

    XLVII. "A Woman Scorned."

   XLVIII. The Proof of the Camera.

     XLIX. Proof Positive.

        L. On the Brink.

       LI. Against the World.

      LII. The End of it All.





THE YELLOW FACE






THE YELLOW FACE




CHAPTER I.
NOSTALGO.


The flickering firelight fell upon the girl's pretty, thoughtful face;
her violet eyes looked like deep lakes in it. She stood with one small
foot tapping the polished brass rail of the fender. Claire Helmsley
was accounted fortunate by her friends, for she was pretty and rich,
and as popular as she was good-looking. The young man by her side, who
stood looking moodily into the heart of the ship-log fire, was also
popular and good-looking, but Jack Masefield was anything but rich. He
had all the brain and all the daring ambition that makes for success,
but he was poor and struggling yet, and the briefs that he dreamed of
at the Bar had not come.

But he was not thinking of the Bar now as he stood by Claire
Helmsley's side. They were both in evening dress, and obviously
waiting for dinner. Jack's arm was around Claire's slender waist, and
her head rested on his shoulder, so that by looking up she could just
see the shadow on his clean-cut face. Though the pressure of his arm
was strong and tender, he seemed as if he had forgotten all about the
presence of the girl.

"Why so silent?" the girl said. "What are you thinking about, Jack?"

"Well, I was thinking about you, dearest," Jack replied. "About you
and myself. Also of your guardian, Anstruther. I was wondering why he
asks me so often and leaves us so much together when he has not the
slightest intention of letting me