Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-01-04
from her bed and that she, too, was watching
Hiddon thug hahird Eha riano they did not

from her bed and that she, too, was watching.
Hidden thus behind the piano they did not
lose sight Of Laroque an instant.
All at once, as If his thoughts were too
dreadful to bear, he1 rose and began pacing
his room with uncertain, staggering steps
Often, even, he took hold Of something to
keep himself from falling. At last he stopped
before the bureau, and hid his face in bis
hands. One would have thought shat lie
wept Was it remorsei
Then he let his hands fall and reached and
took the revolver, cooked it and held it ready
in his left hand, while with the other he uh.
buttoned his redingote, threw aside the cape,
opened his vestments, leaving bare his breast
Then, without tremor, he e-plSeed tho muzzls
Of tho pistol to his heart and with his finger
en- the trigger stood ON instant, but be dared
not complete his impious act, and he threw
the pistol back on the bureau.
And then Roger threw himself into chair
and continued bis train Of thought, while
Henriette caught Suzanne as she tainted and
carried her back into her room, and he heard
nothing. The night passed thus. Henriette
did not 60 to bed. Suzanne lay in her cot,
but without sleeping, for her eyes remained
their expression Of horror. ...---.......
About 8 O'Clock Henriette dressed herself,
and afterward disordered her bed, the pillows
and all, to not awaken Victoria's suspicious,
and to cause her to believe that she had
slept. She must dissemble. She could not
do otherwise. She would be obliged to leave
her room and meet her husband, speak to
him, smile even, that he might not suspect
that she had witnessed his crime. And even
while dressing Suzanne, she felt a force uIl-
known, superhuman, which obliged her to 80
out on that fatal balcony, and look towards
that little house with green blinds. The win
dows were still open; there lay the rigid
corpse Of Laronette beside tho secretary,
which had oil The drawers open.
She heard Roger come out Of his room,
traverse the parlor and knock at her door. It
was ended; she must meet him. One last kiss
she gave to Suzanne and then opened the
door to her husband, who entered smiling
he was not dressed as he had been the day
before, but in black.
Roger Laroque was tall, wore all his beard,
which was jet black, and his face was express
sive and sympathetic, though it indicated
more man Of action than dreamer. This
morning his face was ashy pale, his eyes
sunken and his forehead wrinkled, and he
showed traces Of an anxiety which he tried In
vain to hide, and though he smiled on bis
wife that smile was forced. He took her hand
and bent to kiss her, saying in his tender and
sweet voice:
"How uneasy you must have felt last night,
my dear, but could not help it. I had very
important business, which SO occupied mo
that had no time to telegraph. But"-
And here be stopped, surprised. He had
bent to kiss her forehead and Henriette had
shrunk back with an instructive movement Of
horror.
"What ails you2" said he, apparently hurt
by her coldness.
And then for the first he noticed her eI-
treme pallor, her troubled mien. To receive
caress from that man, after what she had
seen! It was more than she could bear. Yet
she must feign.. "Nothing," said she; "noth-
ing. Why should there be anything7" And
with her whole soul in revolt she received his
caress, which treasured him, and he said,
gayly:
your door, but you were asleep. Only few
years ago you would have waited later than
that. Who knows if anybody loves me nowr
And there was that man talking Of love-!
And she would always be obliged to listen, to
answer! From what height had she fallen
and how completely the fall had shattered
her heart, her life!
3Well," said he again, "what is it2 Are you
ill2 see you are pale and weary. Why
don't you look at me2 Have distressed
you without knowing it, Are you vexed with
me for having caused your anxiety last
nights Tell me, at least"
She must speak. One moment she gathered
her forces tS tell him all, to accuse him, to
banish him forever from her presence But
she could not, she dared not. 1t was better
that he never know that he had had his wife
and child for witnesses to his terrible crime.
Better never let him know, and thus she would
not become his accomplice. Her little girl
stood by. She had told that child that, II
ever justice should accuse him, "you havs
seen nothing, heard nothing" She must
now show that child how one must feign,
how lie. And so, half fainting with tbs
horror of it, she murmured:
"What have you done that should Iowa
you no longera I love you. What have
done that you doubt itl'
So great was Rogers preoccupation that no
heard only those words, without noticing ths
emotion. He went to Suzanne, who during
this scene had been standing beside chair,
and lifting her up in his arms gayly, as he
always did, began to talk to her in his ac-
customed manner, which was to address her
as if she were some grand stranger, all the
while tossing her and playing with her almost
roughly.