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The Yellow Crayon

by E. Phillips Oppenheim (1866–1946)

  • Free to read
  • 5 hours to read
  • 43 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"The Yellow Crayon" by E. Phillips Oppenheim is a novel likely written in the early 20th century. The story introduces Mr. Sabin, a man of apparent prominence who is engulfed in a mysterious and troubling circumstance—the disappearance of his wife, the Duchess of Souspennier. The narrative unfolds with Mr. Sabin's internal turmoil and his determination to uncover the truth behind her absence, showcasing themes of love, deception, and the quest for justice. The opening of "The Yellow Crayon" sets the stage with a rich, languorous atmosphere, describing a beautiful summer day juxtaposed with Mr. Sabin's deep introspection and melancholy. After a prolonged period of contemplation in his lavish yet empty surroundings, he prompts his servant, Duson, to prepare for their imminent departure to New York, as he is set on locating his wife. The details of their flight lead to a hurried telegram to Felix, hinting at a connection to greater stakes. Exploring the immediate aftermath of his wife’s disappearance and Mr. Sabin's resolve, the beginning tantalizingly hints at both the personal stakes involved and the broader intrigues that await in the unfolding mystery.

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  • Fiction
  • Detective and mystery stories

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Chapter I

It was late summer-time, and the perfume of flowers stole into the darkened room through the half-opened window. The sunlight forced its way through a chink in the blind, and stretched across the floor in strange zigzag fashion. From without came the pleasant murmur of bees and many lazier insects floating over the gorgeous flower beds, resting for a while on the clematis which had made the piazza a blaze of purple splendour. And inside, in a high-backed chair, there sat a man, his arms folded, his eyes fixed steadily upon vacancy. As he sat then, so had he sat for a whole day and a whole night. The faint sweet chorus of glad living things, which alone broke the deep silence of the house, seemed neither to disturb nor interest him. He sat there like a man turned to stone, his forehead riven by one deep line, his straight firm mouth set close and hard. His servant, the only living being who had approached him, had set food by his side, which now and then he had mechanically taken. Changeless as a sphinx, he had sat there in darkness and in light, whilst sunlight had changed to moonlight, and the songs of the birds had given place to the low murmuring of frogs from a lake below the lawns.

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Contents

Show all 43 chapters
  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX
  10. Chapter X
  11. Chapter XI
  12. Chapter XII
  13. Chapter XIII
  14. Chapter XIV
  15. Chapter XV
  16. Chapter XVI
  17. Chapter XVII
  18. Chapter XVIII
  19. Chapter XIX
  20. Chapter XX
  21. Chapter XXI
  22. Chapter XXII
  23. Chapter XXIII
  24. Chapter XXIV
  25. Chapter XXV
  26. Chapter XXVI
  27. Chapter XXVII
  28. Chapter XXVIII
  29. Chapter XXIX
  30. Chapter XXX
  31. Chapter XXXI
  32. Chapter XXXII
  33. Chapter XXXIII
  34. Chapter XXXIV
  35. Chapter XXXV
  36. Chapter XXXVI
  37. Chapter XXXVII
  38. Chapter XXXVIII
  39. Chapter XXXIX
  40. Chapter XL
  41. Chapter XLI
  42. Chapter XLII
  43. Chapter XLIII

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About this edition

This free edition of The Yellow Crayon by E. Phillips Oppenheim comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1849, released 1999-08-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery, Novels.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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