Page 21 - Phantom of the Opera

There the ghost sat as naturally as any man. But he neither ate "Is Buquet dead?" they cried.
nor drank. No one smiled, or joked, or shouted, "The Opera "Yes," replied the man, or the shadow of a man, quietly. "He
ghost!" Those who had seen him first and smiled were now was found this evening, hanging in the third cellar."
turning their heads away. The two retiring managers rose and stared strangely at the
He did not speak, and the people next to him could not say at speaker. They were very excited and both men turned white.
what exact moment he had sat down between them. The friends Monsieur Debienne made a sign to Monsieur Richard and
of the new managers thought that this guest was a friend of the Monsieur Moncharmin; Monsieur Poligny excused himself and
old managers. And the friends of the old managers thought that the other three men. They went into the managers' office.
he was a friend of the new managers. So, there was no request for I shall leave Monsieur Moncharmin to complete the story. In
an explanation. his Memories, he says:
A few of those present who knew the story of the ghost and
Monsieur Debienne and Monsieur Poligny seemed to grow more
the description of him by Joseph Buquet thought that the man at
and more excited, and they appeared to have something very
the end of the table might be him. But, according to the story,
difficult to tell us. First, they asked if we knew the man, sitting at
the ghost had no nose and this person had. But Monsieur the end of the table, who had told them of the death of Joseph
Moncharmin says in his Memories that you could see through the Buquet. When we answered in the negative, they looked even
guest's nose. I will add that this might very well be true of a false more anxious. They took the keys from our hands, stared at them
nose, made for people who have lost their noses naturally or as a for a moment, and advised us to have new locks made. They said
result of an operation. this in such a funny way that we began to laugh and to ask if
Did the ghost really take a seat at the managers' supper table there were thieves at the Opera. They replied that there was
something worse — a ghost. We began to laugh again, feeling sure
that night, uninvited? And can we be sure that the figure there
that this was a joke intended for our evening's entertainment.
was the Opera ghost? I mention it because it seems so strange.
Then, at their request, we became "serious," deciding to let
And, it is impossible, isn't it?
them play their little game. They said that the ghost had given
Moncharmin, in chapter eleven of his Memories, says:
them orders. He wanted us to be pleasant to him and to honor
When I think of this first evening, I cannot separate the secret any request he might make. Then they told us that the death of
told to us by Monsieur Debienne and Monsieur Poligny in their Joseph Buquet was a terrible reminder that, whenever they
office from the presence of that ghostly person who none of us ignored the ghost's requests, disaster struck.
knew. I looked at Richard. He was a man who loved a joke. He
nodded his head sadly while the others spoke, and he looked like
This is what happened: Monsieur Debienne and Monsieur a man who regretted taking this job of manager. We both burst
Poligny had not seen the man with the face of Death. Suddenly, out laughing. Monsieur Debienne and Monsieur Poligny looked
the man began to speak. "The ballet girls are right," he said. "The at us with expressions of amazement.
death of that poor Buquet is maybe not as natural as people The joke became a little boring, and Richard asked half-seriously
think." and half-jokingly,"But what does this ghost of yours want?"

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