om she owed everything, her future life was a blank. She
must begin her career all over again. She had sunk to what she was
before. For several minutes she crouched motionless on the trunk, her
entire body shaken by convulsive sobbing. Then suddenly she sat up and
looked wildly around her. Rising in a dazed fashion from the trunk, she
staggered a few steps across the room. All at once her eyes caught the
gleam of the pistol lying on the floor. With a loud cry of mingled
despair and anger, she picked the weapon up, and, crossing to the
bureau, threw it in a drawer. Then, with a sigh of intense relief, she
called out loudly:

"Annie! Annie!"

The negress put her head through the _portieres_, her eyes as big as
saucers. She had heard the loud talking, but had been afraid to come
near the room. Looking at her mistress with blank astonishment, she
exclaimed:

"Ain't yuh goin' away, Miss Laura?"

[Illustration: SHE CROUCHED DOWN MOTIONLESS ON THE TRUNK.
_Page 344._]

By a supreme effort, Laura pulled herself together. She was a fool to
show such weakness. Why should she allow these men to interfere with
her and dictate to her? Defiantly she cried:

"No, I'm not! I'm going to stay right here. Open these trunks. Take out
those clothes. Get me my prettiest dress. Hurry up!" Going to the
mirror, while Annie obeyed her orders, she added: "Get my new hat!
Dress up my body and paint up my face--it's all they've left of me." In
a lower, agonized tone, to herself, she added bitterly: "They've taken
my soul away with them!"

"Yes'm, yes'm," cried Annie, happy at anything which promised a change.

Opening the big trunk, the negress took out the handsome dresses which
had been so carefully packed only a few moments before. Then
unfastening a box, she lifted out the large picture hat with plumes
which her mistress took from her. As Laura stood in front of the
mirror, putting her hat on and touching up her complexion to hide the
traces of recent tears, she forced herself to hum.

"Doll me up, Annie!" she cried lightly, as if by sheer force of will
power compelling herself to be light hearted and gay.

"Yuh goin' out, Miss Laura?"

"Yes, I'm going to Broadway to make a hit, and to h--ll with the rest!"

As she spoke, a hurdy-gurdy in the street under her window began to
play the tune of "_Bon-bon Buddy, My Chocolate Drop_." Laura stopped
her humming and listened. There was someth