Out on the ledge, Tom Benecke does manage to reach the yellow paper that has blown several feet from his own window, in a corner of the building. By bending and stretching, he is able to grasp "the paper by a corner, pulling it loose." He begins to feel as though he might pass out, and he tries to shout for help, realizing, sadly, that the wind is carrying his cries away before they can reach anyone's ears on the ground. As he begins to inch back to his own window, he is "astonished to feel the yellow paper pressed to the bricks underneath his stiff fingers [...]." He puts it in between his teeth. Soon, though, begins to lose control of himself and his emotions, inching faster with desperation rather than caution. After nearly slipping to the ground, he manages to pull up, and he sees his reflection in his window (which has slammed shut), the paper still between his teeth. Many long, agonizing minutes pass, until, finally, he smashes his fist through the window and pulls himself inside. There, he "pulled the crumpled yellow sheet from his pocket, and laid it down where it had been [on his desk], smoothing it out [...]." He even puts a pencil on the paper to weight it down. However, when he opens his front door to go and find his wife, the yellow paper and pencil are scooped up by the wind and fly out the broken and glassless window, out into the night.
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