{"id":23,"date":"2021-02-09T14:54:49","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T19:54:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/chapter\/the-project-gutenberg-ebook-of-the-yellow-wallpaper-by-charlotte-perkins-gilman\/"},"modified":"2022-01-31T09:55:53","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T14:55:53","slug":"12","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/chapter\/12\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter 12","rendered":"Chapter 12"},"content":{"raw":"
\r\n

Hurrah! This is the last day, but it is enough. John is to stay in town over night, and won\u2019t be out until this evening.<\/p>\r\nJennie wanted to sleep with me\u2014the sly thing! but I told her I should undoubtedly rest better for a night all alone.\r\n\r\nThat was clever, for really I wasn\u2019t 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.\r\n\r\nI pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before morning we had peeled off yards of that paper.\r\n\r\nA strip about as high as my head and half around the room.\r\n\r\nAnd then when the sun came and that awful pattern began to laugh at me I declared I would finish it to-day!\r\n\r\nWe go away to-morrow, and they are moving all my furniture down again to leave things as they were before.\r\n\r\nJennie looked at the wall in amazement, but I told her merrily that I did it out of pure spite at the vicious thing.\r\n\r\nShe laughed and said she wouldn\u2019t mind doing it herself, but I must not get tired.\r\n\r\nHow she betrayed herself that time!\r\n\r\nBut I am here, and no person touches this paper but me\u2014not alive!<\/i>\r\n\r\nShe tried to get me out of the room\u2014it was too patent! But I said it was so quiet and empty and clean now that I believed I would lie down again and sleep all I could; and not to wake me even for dinner\u2014I would call when I woke.\r\n\r\nSo now she is gone, and the servants are gone, and the things are gone, and there is nothing left but that great bedstead nailed down, with the canvas mattress we found on it.\r\n\r\nWe shall sleep downstairs to-night, and take the boat home to-morrow.\r\n\r\nI quite enjoy the room, now it is bare again.\r\n\r\nHow those children did tear about here!\r\n\r\nThis bedstead is fairly gnawed!\r\n\r\nBut I must get to work.\r\n\r\nI have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path.\r\n\r\nI don\u2019t want to go out, and I don\u2019t want to have anybody come in, till John comes.\r\n\r\nI want to astonish him.\r\n\r\nI\u2019ve got a rope up here that even Jennie did not find. If that woman does get out, and tries to get away, I can tie her!\r\n\r\nBut I forgot I could not reach far without anything to stand on!\r\n\r\nThis bed will not<\/i> move!\r\n\r\nI tried to lift and push it until I was lame, and then I got so angry I bit off a little piece at one corner\u2014but it hurt my teeth.\r\n\r\nThen I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the pattern just enjoys it! All those strangled heads and bulbous eyes and waddling fungus growths just shriek with derision!\r\n\r\nI am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try.\r\n\r\nBesides I wouldn\u2019t do it. Of course not. I know well enough that a step like that is improper and might be misconstrued.\r\n\r\nI don\u2019t like to look<\/i> out of the windows even\u2014there are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast.\r\n\r\nI wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did?\r\n\r\nBut I am securely fastened now by my well-hidden rope\u2014you don\u2019t get me<\/i> out in the road there!\r\n\r\nI suppose I shall have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard!\r\n\r\nIt is so pleasant to be out in this great room and creep around as I please!\r\n\r\nI don\u2019t want to go outside. I won\u2019t, even if Jennie asks me to.\r\n\r\nFor outside you have to creep on the ground, and everything is green instead of yellow.\r\n\r\nBut here I can creep smoothly on the floor, and my shoulder just fits in that long smooch around the wall, so I cannot lose my way.\r\n\r\nWhy, there\u2019s John at the door!\r\n\r\nIt is no use, young man, you can\u2019t open it!\r\n\r\nHow he does call and pound!\r\n\r\nNow he\u2019s crying for an axe.\r\n\r\nIt would be a shame to break down that beautiful door!\r\n\r\n\u201cJohn dear!\u201d said I in the gentlest voice, \u201cthe key is down by the front steps, under a plantain leaf!\u201d\r\n\r\nThat silenced him for a few moments.\r\n\r\nThen he said\u2014very quietly indeed, \u201cOpen the door, my darling!\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d said I. \u201cThe key is down by the front door under a plantain leaf!\u201d\r\n\r\nAnd then I said it again, several times, very gently and slowly, and said it so often that he had to go and see, and he got it, of course, and came in. He stopped short by the door.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d he cried. \u201cFor God\u2019s sake, what are you doing!\u201d\r\n\r\nI kept on creeping just the same, but I looked at him over my shoulder.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve got out at last,\u201d said I, \u201cin spite of you and Jane! And I\u2019ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can\u2019t put me back!\u201d\r\n\r\nNow why should that man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time!\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

\n

Hurrah! This is the last day, but it is enough. John is to stay in town over night, and won\u2019t be out until this evening.<\/p>\n

Jennie wanted to sleep with me\u2014the sly thing! but I told her I should undoubtedly rest better for a night all alone.<\/p>\n

That was clever, for really I wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled, and before morning we had peeled off yards of that paper.<\/p>\n

A strip about as high as my head and half around the room.<\/p>\n

And then when the sun came and that awful pattern began to laugh at me I declared I would finish it to-day!<\/p>\n

We go away to-morrow, and they are moving all my furniture down again to leave things as they were before.<\/p>\n

Jennie looked at the wall in amazement, but I told her merrily that I did it out of pure spite at the vicious thing.<\/p>\n

She laughed and said she wouldn\u2019t mind doing it herself, but I must not get tired.<\/p>\n

How she betrayed herself that time!<\/p>\n

But I am here, and no person touches this paper but me\u2014not alive!<\/i><\/p>\n

She tried to get me out of the room\u2014it was too patent! But I said it was so quiet and empty and clean now that I believed I would lie down again and sleep all I could; and not to wake me even for dinner\u2014I would call when I woke.<\/p>\n

So now she is gone, and the servants are gone, and the things are gone, and there is nothing left but that great bedstead nailed down, with the canvas mattress we found on it.<\/p>\n

We shall sleep downstairs to-night, and take the boat home to-morrow.<\/p>\n

I quite enjoy the room, now it is bare again.<\/p>\n

How those children did tear about here!<\/p>\n

This bedstead is fairly gnawed!<\/p>\n

But I must get to work.<\/p>\n

I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to go out, and I don\u2019t want to have anybody come in, till John comes.<\/p>\n

I want to astonish him.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got a rope up here that even Jennie did not find. If that woman does get out, and tries to get away, I can tie her!<\/p>\n

But I forgot I could not reach far without anything to stand on!<\/p>\n

This bed will not<\/i> move!<\/p>\n

I tried to lift and push it until I was lame, and then I got so angry I bit off a little piece at one corner\u2014but it hurt my teeth.<\/p>\n

Then I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the pattern just enjoys it! All those strangled heads and bulbous eyes and waddling fungus growths just shriek with derision!<\/p>\n

I am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try.<\/p>\n

Besides I wouldn\u2019t do it. Of course not. I know well enough that a step like that is improper and might be misconstrued.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t like to look<\/i> out of the windows even\u2014there are so many of those creeping women, and they creep so fast.<\/p>\n

I wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did?<\/p>\n

But I am securely fastened now by my well-hidden rope\u2014you don\u2019t get me<\/i> out in the road there!<\/p>\n

I suppose I shall have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard!<\/p>\n

It is so pleasant to be out in this great room and creep around as I please!<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to go outside. I won\u2019t, even if Jennie asks me to.<\/p>\n

For outside you have to creep on the ground, and everything is green instead of yellow.<\/p>\n

But here I can creep smoothly on the floor, and my shoulder just fits in that long smooch around the wall, so I cannot lose my way.<\/p>\n

Why, there\u2019s John at the door!<\/p>\n

It is no use, young man, you can\u2019t open it!<\/p>\n

How he does call and pound!<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s crying for an axe.<\/p>\n

It would be a shame to break down that beautiful door!<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn dear!\u201d said I in the gentlest voice, \u201cthe key is down by the front steps, under a plantain leaf!\u201d<\/p>\n

That silenced him for a few moments.<\/p>\n

Then he said\u2014very quietly indeed, \u201cOpen the door, my darling!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d said I. \u201cThe key is down by the front door under a plantain leaf!\u201d<\/p>\n

And then I said it again, several times, very gently and slowly, and said it so often that he had to go and see, and he got it, of course, and came in. He stopped short by the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d he cried. \u201cFor God\u2019s sake, what are you doing!\u201d<\/p>\n

I kept on creeping just the same, but I looked at him over my shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got out at last,\u201d said I, \u201cin spite of you and Jane! And I\u2019ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can\u2019t put me back!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now why should that man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":12,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-23","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/23\/revisions\/72"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/23\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=23"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=23"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/theyellowwallpaper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}