picuous place.

Afterwards Janina calmly took from her pocket the bottle with the
poison, uncorked it, held the liquid up to the light and then,
without thinking or hesitating any longer drank it to the very
dregs.

Suddenly, she stretched out her arms, a gleam of terror shot across
her face, her eyes closed, as though blinded by some measureless
void that opened before, and she fell prone upon the floor, in
dreadful convulsions of pain.

A few days later, Kotlicki, having returned from Lublin where he had
installed Topolski's company, was sitting in a coffee-house, looking
over the newspapers, and by some strange chance his eye fell upon
the following item among the local accidents of the day:

"THE SUICIDE OF AN ACTRESS"

"On Tuesday, in the chambres garnies on Nowy Swiat, the servants
were aroused by moans issuing from one of the rooms which an hour
ago had been engaged by an unknown woman. They broke open the door
and a dreadful sight met their eyes. Upon the floor lay writhing in
pain a young and beautiful woman. Two letters left behind by her
revealed that she was a certain Janina Orlowska, a former chorus
girl who appeared last season in the N. N. Theater under Cabinski's
management.

"A physician was called and the unconscious woman was taken to the
Hospital of the Infant Jesus. Her condition is serious but it still
holds forth some hope. Miss Orlowska poisoned herself with essence
of vinegar, as is attested by the bottle that was found in her room.
The cause of her desperate act is unknown, but an investigation is
being made. . . ."

Kotlicki read this over several times, knitted his brows, tugged at
his mustache, read it again and, finally, crumpled up The Courier
and threw it in anger upon the floor.

"A comedienne! A comedienne!" he whispered scornfully, biting his
lips.

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COMEDIENNE***

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