The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-07-26
wright lsUG b. the BObos- Merrill Co.
CHAPTER vi.
In Which Berry Writes a Letter.

z
the heated seething Of her rage keep
ing the peace of repose far from her.
1t was only as the dawn paIed the
square of the window that she fell
into a heavy slumber, disturbed by
dreams full of stress and strife.
She looked up at the clock; it was
nearly ten. Dominick would have left
for the bank before this, so the
wretched constraint Of a meeting with
him was postponed. Sallow and heavy
I eyed, her head aching, oppressed by
sense of the unbearable unpleasant
ness Of the situation, she threw on
/ her wrapper, and going to the window
/ drew the curtain and looked out.
| The bedroom had but one window,
! wedged into an angle of wall, and
| affOrding a glimpse of the green lawn
| and clipped rose trees of the house
next door. There was a fog this
| morning and even this curtailed pros
| pect was obliterated. She stood yawn-
! ing drearily, and gazing out with eyes
to which her yawns had brought tears.
i Her hair made a wild brush round her
/ head, her face looked pinched and
4 old. She was one of those women
/ whose good looks are dependent on
\ animation and millinery In this fix
Il ity of inward thought, unobserved in
unbecOming disarray, one could real
iZe that she had attained the thirty
Il four years she could so successfully
deny under the rejuvenating influ-
ences of full dress and high spirits.
During her toilet her thoughts re-
fused to leave the subject of last
nights quarrel She and her husband
had had disagreements before-many
in the last year when they had virtu-
ally separated, though the world did
not know tt-but nothing so ignomini-
ously repulsive as the scene of last
evening had yet degraded their COM
partnership. Bernice was ashamed In
the gray light Of the dim, disillusion-
ing morning she realized that she
had gone too far. She knew Domi-
nick to be long-suffering, she knew
that the hold she had upon him was
a powerful one, but the most patient
creatures sometimes rebel, the most
compelling sense of honor would
sometimes break under too severe
strain. AS she trailed down the
long passage to the dining-room she
made up her mind that she would
make the first overture toward recon
citation that evening. 1t would be
difficult but she would do it.
She was specializing as to how she
would begin, in what manner she
would greet him when he came home,
when her eyes fell on the folded note
against the clock. Apprehension
I clutched her as she opened it. The
/ few lines within frightened her still
more. He had somewhere? She
turned the note over, looking at the
back, in a sudden tremble Of fearful
ness. He had never done anything
like this before, left her, suddenly
T cut loose from her in proud disgust
Z She stood by the clock, staring at the
paper, her face fallen into scared
T Darkness, the artificial hopefulness
r that she had been fostering since she
awoke giving place to a down-droI
into an abyss of alarm.
Il The door into the kitchen creakeC
- and the Chinaman entered with the
second part of the dainty breakfast
cooked especially for her
What time did Mr. Ryan leave this
be- morning." she said without turning
throwing the question over her Shout
der
81 dunno" the man returned, with
the eXpressiOnless brevity of his race
particularly accentuated in this case
|. as he did not like his mistress. "HC
no take blickfuss here. He no stay
: here last night"
She faced round on him, her eyes
= full of a sudden fierce intentnesi
1 which marked them in moments o
angry surprise.
Il Wasn't here last night?" she de
l manded. What do you mean?"
3 He arranged the dishes with careful
! precision, not troubling himself t,
1 look up. and speaking with the SAM
dry Indifference.
He not here for bIickfuss No on
sleep in his bed. l go make bed-al
made. | think he not here all night.
His work being accomplished b
I turned without more words and passe
into the kitchen. Berry stood for
moment thinking, then, with q shru
of defiance, left her buckwheat cake
1 untasted and walked into the hal
She went directly to her husband
1 room and looked about with shar
I chances. She opened drawers an
/ peered into the wardrObes. She va
a woman who had a curiOusly kee
memory for small domestic de-ail:
and a few moments investigator
/ proved TO her that he had taken som