Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-11-15
CHAPTER XXI.
The Last Interview.

The night was falling when Buford
left He and Dominick had sat on In
the den, talking together in low voices,
going over past events in the concat-
enation of circumstances that had led
up to the extraordinary situation in
which they now found themselves.
Both listened with strained ears for
the opening of Bernice's door. but not
a sound came from her room. Each
silently, without expressing his
thoughts to the other. wondered what
she would do, what sensational move
might now be expected of her While
they talked, it was evident she in
tended to make no sign Of life.
After BufOrd had left Dominick
called up his friend on the telephone
telling him that he would be unable
to meet him at dinner He knew that
Berry could hear eys~v word he ut
tered. and with ind "ribable dread
he expected that she would open her
door and accOst him. But again she
preserved an inviola,e invisibihty,
though beneath her portal he could
see crack of light and could hear
her moving about in the room.
HF'vpnt into his own room. lit the
gas. and began packing his trunks.
~ Was dazed and stupefied by what
D.. occurred. and almost the only
-arlyidefined idea he had was to
ieave the house and get far from the
presence of the woman who. had so
ruthlessly poisoned his life He was
in the midst of his packing when the
Chinaman summoned him to dinner,
but he told the man he cared for
nothing and would, want no brea kfast
on the following morning The serv
ant, who by this time was well aware
that the household was a strange one,
shrugged his shoulders without com
ment and passed on to the door of his
mistress's room. upon which he
knocked with the low, deferential rap
of the Chinese domestic Berny's
voice sounded shrilly. through the 81
lcnce of the fiat:
Go away, Let me alone. If that's
dinner | don't want any"
The sound of her voice pierced
Dominick with a sense OF loathins
and horror. He stopped in his pack
ing. suddenly deciding to leav
everything and go. go from the hous,
and from her as soon as he could ge
away. He thrust into a valise suci
articles as he would want for tn
night and set the bag by the stair
head while he went into the parlor
find some bills and letters of his tina
he remembered to have left in tn
desk. AS he passed Berny's door.
flew open and she appeared in tn
aperture. The room behind her was =
blaze Of light. and every gas-jet II
and pouring a food OF radiance owe
the clothes outspread on the bed. tn.
chairs. and the floor She. herself
in a lace-trimmed petticoat and ZOOS,
silk dressing-sack, stood in the door
way staring at Dominick, her face
pinched. white and fierce.
What are you doins?" she said alb
ruptly. Going away"
Yes" he answered. stopping at tn
sight of the dreaded apparition
That's my intention"
Where are you going?" she do.
manded
He gave her a cold look and mad
no answer
Are you going to your mothers?
she cried. .
He moved forward toward the par
lor door and she came out into tn,
passage, looking after him and repeat
ing. with tremulous, hOarse persis
-tence. ''Doninick answer me- Are
you going TO your mother's?"
Yes, / am" he said over his shoul
der.
He had an unutterable dread that
she would begin to speak of the. sit
uation. of Buford. OF her past lie:
that she would try TO explain and ex
onerate herself and they would be
plunged into a long and proftless dis.
cussion of all the sickening. irremedt
able wretchedness of the past. lie
could not bear the thought OF II; he
would have done anything to.avoid it
He wanted to escape from her. from
the. house where. she had tortured
him. where he seemed 10 have laid
down his manhood. his honor. his
faith, and seen her trampIe ON them
The natural. supposition that he would
want to- confront her with her decep
ton and hear her explanation was the
last thing he desired doing.