Page 64 - Phantom of the Opera

20,000 francs were gone and had been replaced by twenty bills "In his pocket?" asked Moncharmin, whose hand stopped
that were not real ones! Moncharmin had wanted to phone the Richard's from hitting Madame Giry.
police, but Richard had a plan. He told Moncharmin, "Let's not "You tell me that there were 20,000 francs in the envelope
make ourselves look foolish. All of Paris would laugh at us. O.G. which I put into Monsieur Richard's pocket. But I tell you again,
has won the first game; we will win the second." I knew nothing about t . . . nor Monsieur Richard either!"
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He was thinking of the next month's allowance. And, we must "You see! I knew nothing either!"
not forget that these managers still suspected the last two Madame Giry continued to explain. She had slipped the
managers of playing a joke on them. On the other hand, envelope that Moncharmin had given her into Monsieur
Moncharmin was sometimes troubled by doubts about Richard Richard's pocket on the evening that the Secretary for Fine Arts
himself. They both had doubts about Madame Giry. was visiting the Opera. The one that she took to the ghost's box
When Madame Giry arrived in their office on that day of was another envelope, just like it, which the ghost had given her
Christine's disappearance, she did not have any idea that they and which she had hidden up her sleeve.
suspected her of stealing last month's 20,000 francs. Madame Giry then reached into her sleeve and took out an
"Madame Giry, do you know what is in this envelope?" envelope, like the one containing the 20,000 francs. They
Richard asked. examined it and discovered that it, too, had twenty false bills. The
"Of course not," she said. ghost had told her to slip his envelope into Monsieur Richard's
"Well, look." pocket. She then showed them how this was done. Moncharmin
"Thousand franc bills!" she cried. was amazed.
"Yes, Madame Giry! And you knew it!" "It's a very good trick," said Richard. "So, he came and took
"I, sir? I?" the money from my pocket. I didn't notice — and I didn't know it
"I am going to call the police and ask them to take you away!" was there! It's wonderful!"
Madame Giry was shocked. "Call the police?" "Oh, wonderful, no doubt!" Moncharmin agreed. "But you
"You are a thief, Madame Giry!" forget, Richard, that I provided 10,000 francs of the 20,000 and
She shouted angrily, "I have never heard of such a thing! And nobody put anything in my pocket!"
you, Monsieur Richard, know better than I where the 20,000
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francs went to!"
"I? How should I know?" On the evening that Remy saw the managers acting very
Moncharmin, looking dissatisfied, demanded that the good strangely, they had arranged that Richard would repeat the
lady explain herself. movements he had made on the evening that the 20,000 francs
Richard, who felt himself turning red under Moncharmin's had disappeared.
eyes, shouted angrily at Madame Giry, "Why do you say that? Moncharmin was watching Richard's pocket, where Madame
Answer me!" Giry was going to put 20,000 francs. Richard stood in the same
"Because the 20,000 francs went into your pocket!" spot where he had stood when he showed his admiration and

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