Page 14 - Phantom of the Opera

"Yes. The ghost comes, but nobody can see him." suddenly came in. He seemed half mad and told me that the body
of a man had been found hanging under the stage. By the time
"Somebody must see him!"
I rushed down the stairs, the man was no longer hanging from
"All that talk about his fine clothes and his face is nonsense.
his rope!
Mother has never seen him, but she has heard him."
Sorelli grew impatient and little Giry began to cry. So, a man hangs at the end of a rope; they go to cut him
"If mother learns that I have told you .. But I was right — down; the rope has disappeared. Monsieur Moncharmin found a
.
Joseph Buquet was wrong to talk about things that don't concern simple explanation:
him. It will bring bad luck — mother was saying that last
It was just after the ballet, and the dancing girls knew they had to
night..."
hurry and destroy the rope if they wanted to avoid any bad luck
There was a sound of hurried footsteps in the passage and a because they were very superstitious.
breathless voice cried, "Jammes! Jammes! Are you there?"
"It's mother's voice," said Jammes. "What's the matter?" Imagine the corps de ballet hurrying down the stairs and
She opened the door. A respectable lady, large and strong, dividing the rope among themselves! I think that somebody
burst into the dressing room and dropped into an empty chair. wanted that rope to disappear as soon as it had done its work.
"What is it?" the girls cried. Sorelli was on her way to give her speech, with all the girls
"Joseph Buquet is dead!" following closely behind, when she ran into Count Chagny, who
Everybody held their breath, then their shouts and questions was coming upstairs.
filled the air. "I was just going to you," he said, taking off his hat. "Sorelli,
"He was found hanging in the third cellar." what an evening! And Christine Daae: What a triumph!"
"It's the ghost!" cried little Giry, but at once she corrected "Six months ago, she used to sing like a chicken," said Meg
herself and her little hands covered her mouth. "No, no! I didn't Giry. "But let us pass, my dear count. We are going to inquire
say it!" about a poor man who was found hanging by the neck."
Her friends all said quietly,"Yes, it must be the ghost!" Just then Mercier came hurrying past and stopped when he
Sorelli was very pale. "I will never be able to give my speech," heard this remark. "What?" he asked. "Have you girls heard
she said. already? Please, don't let Monsieur Debienne and Monsieur
In fact, no one ever knew how Joseph Buquet met his death. Poligny hear about it. It would upset them too much on their last
In his book, A Manager's Memories, Monsieur Moncharmin, one day."
of the two managers who ran the Opera after Monsieur Count Chagny was right; no performance had ever equaled
Debienne and Monsieur Poligny left, described what happened this one. Christine Daae had shown her true talent for the first
as follows: time to the surprised and enthusiastic audience. There were
many famous pieces beautifully sung by the famous singers of
A serious accident spoiled the little party which Monsieur
the day, but Christine Daae had been, without exaggeration, the
Debienne and Monsieur Poligny gave to celebrate their retirement.
best. Her voice produced divine sounds in the prison scene of
I was in the manager's office when Mercier, the scenery manager,
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