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The Phantom of the Opera Chapter XVIII - The Commissary, the Viscount and the Persian · The Gaston Leroux Library

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eighteen of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux,
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  Speaker 1: translated by Alexander to Zara Dematos. This LibriVox recording is
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  Speaker 1: in the public domain. Chapter eighteen, The Commissary, the Viscount,
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  Speaker 1: and the Persian. The first words of the Commissary of Police,
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  Speaker 1: on entering the manager's office were to ask after the
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  Speaker 1: missing prima donna, is Christine Day here? Christine Day here,
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  Speaker 1: echoed Richard. No. Why as for Moncharmin, he had not
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  Speaker 1: the strength left to utter a word. Richard repeated for
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  Speaker 1: the Commissary, and the compact crowd which had followed him
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  Speaker 1: into the office observed an impressive silence. Why do you
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  Speaker 1: ask if Christine Day is here, monsieur les commissaire, because
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  Speaker 1: she has to be found, declared the Commissary of Police solemnly.
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  Speaker 1: What do you mean she has to be found? Has
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  Speaker 1: she disappeared in the middle of the performance, in the
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  Speaker 1: middle of the perform torments? This is extraordinary, isn't it?
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  Speaker 1: And what is quite as extraordinary as that? You should
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  Speaker 1: first learn it from me, Yes, said Richard, taking his
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  Speaker 1: head in his hands and muttering, what is this new business? Oh,
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  Speaker 1: it's enough to make a man send in his resignation,
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  Speaker 1: and he pulled a few hairs out of his mustache
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  Speaker 1: without even knowing what he was doing. So she so
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  Speaker 1: she disappeared in the middle of the performance. He repeated, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: she was carried off in the prison act, at the
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  Speaker 1: moment when she was invoking the aid of the angels.
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  Speaker 1: But I doubt if she was carried off by an angel,
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  Speaker 1: and I am sure that she was. Everybody looked round.
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  Speaker 1: A young man, pale and trembling with excitement, repeated, I
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  Speaker 1: am sure of it. Sure of what asked me, Freud,
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  Speaker 1: that Christine Day was carried off by an angel, Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: les commissaire, And I can tell you his name, aha,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur les Vicomte DECHGNI. So you maintain that Christine Day
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  Speaker 1: was carried off by an angel, an angel of the opera,
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  Speaker 1: No doubt, Yes, Monsieur, by an angel of the opera.
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  Speaker 1: And I will tell you where he lives when we
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  Speaker 1: are alone. You are right, monsieur. And the Commissary of Police,
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  Speaker 1: inviting Raoul to take a chair, cleared the room of
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  Speaker 1: all the rest excepting the managers. Then Raoul spoke, Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: les Commissaire, the angel is called Eric. He lives in
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  Speaker 1: the opera and he is the angel of music, the
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  Speaker 1: angel of music. Really, that is very curious, the angel
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  Speaker 1: of music. And turning to the managers, Monsieur mi Froud asked,
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  Speaker 1: have you an angel of music on the premises? Gentlemen
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  Speaker 1: Richard and Moncharmin shook their heads without even speaking. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: said the Viscount. Those gentlemen have heard of the opera ghost. Well,
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  Speaker 1: I am in a position to state that the opera
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  Speaker 1: ghost and the Angel of music are one and the
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  Speaker 1: same person, and his real name is Eric. Monsieur mi
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  Speaker 1: Freud rose and looked at Raoul attentively. I beg your pardon, monsieur,
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  Speaker 1: But is it your intention to make fun of the law,
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  Speaker 1: And if not, what is all this about the opera ghost.
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  Speaker 1: I say that these gentlemen have heard of him. Gentlemen,
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  Speaker 1: it appears that you know the opera ghost. Richard rose,
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  Speaker 1: with the remaining hairs of his mustache in his hand. No,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur commissary, No, we do not know him, but we
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  Speaker 1: wish that we did. For this very evening he has
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  Speaker 1: robbed us of twenty thousand francs. And Richard turned a
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  Speaker 1: terrible look on Moncharmin, which seemed to say, give me
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  Speaker 1: back the twenty thousand francs, or I'll tell the whole story.
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  Speaker 1: Moncharmin understood what he meant for. With a distracted gesture,
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  Speaker 1: he said, oh, tell everything and have it done with.
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  Speaker 1: As for me, Freud, he looked at the managers and
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  Speaker 1: at Raoul by turns, and wondered whether he had strayed
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  Speaker 1: into a lunatic asylum. He passed his hand through his hair.
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  Speaker 1: A ghost, he said, who, on the same evening carries
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  Speaker 1: off an opera singer and steals twenty thousand francs. Is
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  Speaker 1: a ghost who must have his hands very full. If
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  Speaker 1: you don't mind, we will take the questions in order,
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  Speaker 1: the singer first, the twenty thousand francs. After, come, Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: de Channi, let us try to talk seriously. You believe
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  Speaker 1: that ma'amoiselle Christine Day has been carried off by an
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  Speaker 1: individual called Eric. Do you know this person? Have you
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  Speaker 1: seen him? Yes? Where in a churchyard? Monsieur mi Freud
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  Speaker 1: gave a start, began to scrutinize Raoul again and said,
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  Speaker 1: of course that's where ghosts usually hang out, and what
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  Speaker 1: were you doing in that churchyard? Monsieur said Raoul, I
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  Speaker 1: can quite understand how absurd my replies must seem to you,
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  Speaker 1: But I beg you to believe that I am in
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  Speaker 1: ful pas possession of my faculties. The safety of the
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  Speaker 1: person dearest to me in the world is at stake.
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  Speaker 1: I should like to convince you in a few words,
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  Speaker 1: for time is pressing and every minute is valuable. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 1: if I do not tell you the strangest story that
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  Speaker 1: ever was from the beginning, you will not believe me.
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  Speaker 1: I will tell you all I know about the opera ghost,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur Commissary alas I do not know much. Never mind,
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  Speaker 1: go on, go on, exclaimed Richard and Moncharmin, suddenly greatly interested. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 1: for their hopes of learning some detail that could put
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  Speaker 1: them on the track of their hoaxer, they were soon
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  Speaker 1: compelled to accept the fact that Monsieur Raoul de Chonnie
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  Speaker 1: had completely lost his head. All that story about Peris Garrecht,
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  Speaker 1: death's head and enchanted violins could only have taken birth
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  Speaker 1: in the disordered brain of a youth mad with love.
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  Speaker 1: It was evident also that Monsieur Commissre mi Froud shared
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  Speaker 1: their view, and the magistrate would certainly have cut short
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  Speaker 1: the incoherent narrative if circumstances had not taken it upon
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  Speaker 1: themselves to interrupt it. The door opened and a man entered, curiously,
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  Speaker 1: dressed in an enormous frock coat and a tall hat,
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  Speaker 1: at once shabby and shiny, that came down to his ears.
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  Speaker 1: He went up to the commissary and spoke to him
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  Speaker 1: in a whisper. It was doubtless a detective come to
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  Speaker 1: deliver an important communication. During this conversation, Monsieur mi Froud
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  Speaker 1: did not take his eyes off Raoul. At last, addressing him,
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  Speaker 1: he said, Monsieur, we have talked enough about the ghost.
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  Speaker 1: We will now talk about yourself a little. If you
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  Speaker 1: have no objection. You were to carry off Mademoiselle Christine
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  Speaker 1: day to night, yes, monsieur le commissaire after the performance, yes,
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  Speaker 1: monsieur le commissaire. All your arrangements were made, Yes, monsieur
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  Speaker 1: le commissaire. The carriage that brought you is to take
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  Speaker 1: you both away. There were fresh horses in readiness at
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  Speaker 1: every stage, that is true, monsieur les commissar. And nevertheless,
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  Speaker 1: your carriage is still outside the rotunda awaiting your orders,
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  Speaker 1: is it not yes, Monsieur le commissar. Did you know
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  Speaker 1: that there were three other carriages there in addition to yours?
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  Speaker 1: I did not pay the least attention. They were the
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  Speaker 1: carriages of Ma'amselle Sorelli, which could not find room in
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  Speaker 1: the cordellas administration, of Carlotta, and of your brother, Monsieur
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  Speaker 1: les Comte de Dechonni. Very likely. What is certain is
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  Speaker 1: that though your carriage and Sorelli's and Carlottas are still
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  Speaker 1: there by the rotunda payment, Monsieur le comtei de Chonnie's
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  Speaker 1: carriage is gone. This has nothing to say to I
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  Speaker 1: beg your pardon. Was not Monsieur le Comte opposed your
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  Speaker 1: marriage with Madeamselle Day. That is a matter that only
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  Speaker 1: concerns the family. You have answered my question. He was
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  Speaker 1: opposed to it, and that was why you were carrying
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  Speaker 1: Christine Day out of your brother's reach. Well, Monsieur de Chenney,
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  Speaker 1: allow me to inform you that your brother has been
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  Speaker 1: smarter than you. It is he who has carried off
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  Speaker 1: Christine Day. Oh impossible, moaned Raoul, pressing his hand to
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  Speaker 1: his heart. Are you sure? Immediately after the artist's disappearance,
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  Speaker 1: which was procured by means which we have still to ascertain.
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  Speaker 1: He flung into his carriage, which drove right across Paris
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  Speaker 1: at a furious pace across Paris. Asked poor Raoul, in
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  Speaker 1: a hoarse voice, what do you mean by across Paris,
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  Speaker 1: across Paris and out of Paris by the Brussels road. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: cried the young man. I shall catch them. And he
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  Speaker 1: rush out of the office and bring her back to us,
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  Speaker 1: cried the commissary gaily. Ah, that's a trick worth two
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  Speaker 1: of the angels of musics, And turning to his audience,
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  Speaker 1: Monsieur mi Freud delivered a little lecture on police methods.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know for a moment whether Monsieur le Comte
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  Speaker 1: de de Chenie has really carried Christine Day off or not,
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  Speaker 1: but I want to know, and I believe that at
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  Speaker 1: this moment no one is more anxious to inform us
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  Speaker 1: than his brother. And now he is flying in pursuit
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  Speaker 1: of him. He is my chief auxiliary. This, gentleman, is
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  Speaker 1: the art of the police, which is believed to be
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  Speaker 1: so complicated, and which nevertheless appears so simple as soon
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  Speaker 1: as you see that it consists in getting your work done.
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  Speaker 1: By people who have nothing to do with the police.
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  Speaker 1: But monsieurly commissaried police. Mifroud would not have been quite
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  Speaker 1: so satisfied with himself if he had known that the
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  Speaker 1: rush of his rapid emissary was stopped. At the entrance
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  Speaker 1: to the very first corridor. A tall figure blocked Raoul's way.
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  Speaker 1: Where are you going so fast, Monsieur de Chonnie, asked
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  Speaker 1: the voice. Raoul impatiently raised his eyes and recognized the
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  Speaker 1: Astrakhan cap of an hour ago. He stopped. It's you,
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  Speaker 1: he cried, in a feverish voice, You who know Eric's
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  Speaker 1: secrets and don't want me to speak of them. Who
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  Speaker 1: are you? You'll know who I am. I am the
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  Speaker 1: Persian end of Chapter eighteen.