The Yellow Wallpaper [6]
wall, low down, near the
mopboard. A streak that runs round the room. It goes behind
every piece of furniture, except the bed, a long, straight, even
SMOOCH, as if it had been rubbed over and over.
I wonder how it was done and who did it, and what they did
it for. Round and round and round--round and round and round--it
makes me dizzy!
I really have discovered something at last.
Through watching so much at night, when it changes so, I
have finally found out.
The front pattern DOES move--and no wonder! The woman
behind shakes it!
Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and
sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling
shakes it all over.
Then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the
very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them
hard.
And she is all the time trying to climb through. But nobody
could climb through that pattern--it strangles so; I think that
is why it has so many heads.
They get through, and then the pattern strangles them off
and turns them upside down, and makes their eyes white!
If those heads were covered or taken off it would not be
half so bad.
I think that woman gets out in the daytime!
And I'll tell you why--privately--I've seen her!
I can see her out of every one of my windows!
It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping,
and most women do not creep by daylight.
I see her on that long road under the trees, creeping along,
and when a carriage comes she hides under the blackberry vines.
I don't blame her a bit. It must be very humiliating to be
caught creeping by daylight!
I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I can't do
it at night, for I know John would suspect something at once.
And John is so queer now, that I don't want to irritate him.
I wish he would take another room! Besides, I don't want anybody
to get that woman out at night but myself.
I often wonder if I could see her out of all the windows at
once.
But, turn as fast as I can, I can only see out of one at a
time.
And though I always see her, she MAY be able to creep
faster than I can turn!
I have watched her sometimes away off in the open country,
creeping as fast as a cloud shadow in a high wind.
If only that top pattern could be gotten off from the under
one! I mean to try it, little by little.
I have found out another funny thing, but I shan't tell it
this time! It does not do to trust people too much.
There are only two more days to get this paper off, and I
believe John is beginning to notice. I don't like the look in
his eyes.
And I heard him ask Jennie a lot of professional questions
about me. She had a very good report to give.
She said I slept a good deal in the daytime.
John knows I don't sleep very well at night, for all I'm so
quiet!
He asked me all sorts of questions, too, and pretended to be
very loving and kind.
As if I couldn't see through him!
Still, I don't wonder he acts so, sleeping under this paper
for three months.
It only interests me, but I feel sure John and Jennie are
secretly affected by it.
Hurrah! This is the last day, but it is enough. John is to
stay in town over night, and won't be out until this evening.
Jennie wanted to sleep with me--the sly thing! but I told
her I should undoubtedly rest better for a night all alone.
That was clever, for really I wasn't alone a bit! As soon
as it was moonlight and that poor thing began to crawl and shake
the pattern, I got up and ran to help her.
I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before
morning we had peeled off yards of that paper.
A strip about as high as my head and half around the room.
And then when the sun came and that awful pattern began to
laugh at me, I declared I would finish it to-day!
We go away to-morrow, and they are moving all my furniture
down again to leave things as they were before.
Jennie looked at the wall in amazement, but I told her
merrily that I did it out of pure
mopboard. A streak that runs round the room. It goes behind
every piece of furniture, except the bed, a long, straight, even
SMOOCH, as if it had been rubbed over and over.
I wonder how it was done and who did it, and what they did
it for. Round and round and round--round and round and round--it
makes me dizzy!
I really have discovered something at last.
Through watching so much at night, when it changes so, I
have finally found out.
The front pattern DOES move--and no wonder! The woman
behind shakes it!
Sometimes I think there are a great many women behind, and
sometimes only one, and she crawls around fast, and her crawling
shakes it all over.
Then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the
very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them
hard.
And she is all the time trying to climb through. But nobody
could climb through that pattern--it strangles so; I think that
is why it has so many heads.
They get through, and then the pattern strangles them off
and turns them upside down, and makes their eyes white!
If those heads were covered or taken off it would not be
half so bad.
I think that woman gets out in the daytime!
And I'll tell you why--privately--I've seen her!
I can see her out of every one of my windows!
It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping,
and most women do not creep by daylight.
I see her on that long road under the trees, creeping along,
and when a carriage comes she hides under the blackberry vines.
I don't blame her a bit. It must be very humiliating to be
caught creeping by daylight!
I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I can't do
it at night, for I know John would suspect something at once.
And John is so queer now, that I don't want to irritate him.
I wish he would take another room! Besides, I don't want anybody
to get that woman out at night but myself.
I often wonder if I could see her out of all the windows at
once.
But, turn as fast as I can, I can only see out of one at a
time.
And though I always see her, she MAY be able to creep
faster than I can turn!
I have watched her sometimes away off in the open country,
creeping as fast as a cloud shadow in a high wind.
If only that top pattern could be gotten off from the under
one! I mean to try it, little by little.
I have found out another funny thing, but I shan't tell it
this time! It does not do to trust people too much.
There are only two more days to get this paper off, and I
believe John is beginning to notice. I don't like the look in
his eyes.
And I heard him ask Jennie a lot of professional questions
about me. She had a very good report to give.
She said I slept a good deal in the daytime.
John knows I don't sleep very well at night, for all I'm so
quiet!
He asked me all sorts of questions, too, and pretended to be
very loving and kind.
As if I couldn't see through him!
Still, I don't wonder he acts so, sleeping under this paper
for three months.
It only interests me, but I feel sure John and Jennie are
secretly affected by it.
Hurrah! This is the last day, but it is enough. John is to
stay in town over night, and won't be out until this evening.
Jennie wanted to sleep with me--the sly thing! but I told
her I should undoubtedly rest better for a night all alone.
That was clever, for really I wasn't alone a bit! As soon
as it was moonlight and that poor thing began to crawl and shake
the pattern, I got up and ran to help her.
I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before
morning we had peeled off yards of that paper.
A strip about as high as my head and half around the room.
And then when the sun came and that awful pattern began to
laugh at me, I declared I would finish it to-day!
We go away to-morrow, and they are moving all my furniture
down again to leave things as they were before.
Jennie looked at the wall in amazement, but I told her
merrily that I did it out of pure