Quickly she snatched up the satchel, opened it, and took out the revolver. Then she stood facing him, waiting.
"You understand," she cried hysterically, "that when your hand touches that door I'm going to shoot myself. I will, so help me God!"
He halted and looked back at her, a covert smile of contempt hovering about his mouth.
"Kill yourself—before me!" he exclaimed ironically. "You'll wait a minute, won't you?" Returning to the inner room, he called out: "Annie! Annie!"
The colored maid came running in.
"Yessuh!"
Madison pointed to Laura.
"You see your mistress there has a pistol in her hand?"
The girl, frightened out of her wits, could only gurgle an incoherent:
"Yessuh!"