Transcriber’s Note Obvious typographical and printer’s errors have been corrected. Punctuation marks where missing have silently been supplied. Variations in spelling and hyphenation have been retained as in the original except where noted otherwise. A complete list of corrections can be found at the end of this e-text. [Illustration: THE YELLOW HOUSE] THE YELLOW HOUSE MASTER OF MEN BY E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM AUTHOR OF “THE MISCHIEF-MAKER” “BERENICE” “HAVOC” “THE LOST LEADER” “THE MALEFACTOR” [Illustration] VOLUME ONE NEW YORK P. F. COLLIER & SON Copyright 1908 By C. H. Doscher & Co. Copyright 1912 By P. F. Collier & Son THE YELLOW HOUSE CHAPTER I THE YELLOW HOUSE Positively every one, with two unimportant exceptions, had called upon us. The Countess had driven over from Sysington Hall, twelve miles away, with two anæmic-looking daughters, who had gushed over our late roses and the cedar trees which shaded the lawn. The Holgates of Holgate Brand and Lady Naselton of Naselton had presented themselves on the same afternoon. Many others had come in their train, for what these very great people did the neighborhood was bound to endorse. There was a little veiled anxiety, a few elaborately careless questions as to the spelling of our name; but when my father had mentioned the second “f,” and made a casual allusion to the Warwickshire Ffolliots--with whom we were not indeed on speaking terms, but who were certainly our cousins--a distinct breath of relief was followed by a gush of mild cordiality. There were wrong Ffolliots and right Ffolliots. We belonged to the latter. No one had made a mistake or compromised themselves in any way by leaving their cards upon a small country vicar and his daughters. And earlier callers went away and spread a favorable report. Those who were hesitating, hesitated no longer. Our little carriage drive, very steep and very hard to turn in, was cut up with the wheels of many chariots. The whole county within a reasonable distance came, with two exceptions. And those two exceptions were Mr. Bruce Deville of Deville Court, on the borders of whose domain our little church and vicarage lay, and the woman who dwelt in the “Yellow House.”