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“Not another word did he say of the case until late 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 ‘Norbury’ in my ear, and I shall be infinitely obliged to you.” |
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE
GRANT “JACK” MUNRO, a dealer in hops.
EFFIE MUNRO, his wife.
JOHN HEBRON, former husband of Effie. Now deceased.
LUCY HEBRON, daughter of John and Effie.
LUCY’S SCOTCH NURSE, who accompanied her from America..
SUMMARY
Holmes and Watson are sharing quarters at Baker Street. Holmes still uses cocaine occasionally. A page is on duty.
Effie emigrated to Atlanta and married John Hebron, a black lawyer, there. They had Lucy. Soon after Lucy’s birth, John died in a yellow fever epidemic. Effie returned to England and left Lucy in the charge of a Scotch nurse who was a former servant.
Effie met and married Jack. She sent for Lucy and the nurse but was ashamed to tell Jack that her daughter was black. Therefore she kept her existence a secret from him and forced Lucy to completely cover herself, including wearing a mask, to hide her Negroid characteristics.
Jack forced a disclosure and accepted Lucy as his daughter. Holmes did nothing. No crime was committed.
OTHER ADVENTURES MENTIONED
The Musgrave Ritual
DISGUISES
Lucy wears a mask.
UNUSUAL DEDUCTIONS & bits
- Holmes describes Grant from examining his pipe.
- Holmes misses the case. He felt that blackmail was behind scenes.
- In discussing the Musgrave Ritual, Watson lists it as one of Holmes’ failures. It clearly was not. Other editions of the story substitute The Second Stain for The Musgrave Ritual. Holmes did not fail in this adventure either. Could Watson have been using a little cocaine himself when he was writing this adventure up for the publisher?
Official Abbreviation: YELL
The Adventure Of The Yellow Face was first published in the Strand Magazine, February 1893
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