Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-13
passage and swiftly disappeared.


contained a pair OF long pistols.
When Christine Daae was carried
of. sir. / sent word TO my servant &c
bring me these pistols. have had
them a long time and they can be re-
lied upon"
DO you mean to fight a duel?"
asked the young man.
1T will certainly be a duel which
we shall have to fight" said the other.
examining the printing of his pistols.
And what a duel,' Handing one OF
the pistols to Raoul. he added: in
this duel. we shall be two to one; but
you must be prepared for everything.
for we shall be fighting the most ter.
rible adversary that you can imagine.
But you love Christine Daae, do you
not?"
II worship the ground she stands
on! But you. sir, who do not love
risk your life for her, You must Ger.
tainly hate Erik"
No, sir" said the Persian sadly,
81 do not hate him. If l hated him,
he would long ago have ceased doing
harm"
Has he done you harm?"
Il have forgiven him the harm
which he has done me-"
II do not understand you You
I treat him as a monster, you speak OF
/ his crime, he has done you harm and
/ / find in you the same inexplicable
/ pity that drove me to despair when
/ saw it in Christine"
The Persian did not reply. He
fetched stool and set 1t against the
wall facing the great mirror that
filed the whole of the wallspace op
posite Then he climbed on the stool,
and, with his nose to the wallpaper,
/ seemed to be looking for something.
All" he said, after a long search.
81 have it,"
And. raising his finger above his
head, he pressed against corner in
the pattern of the paper. Then he
turned round and jumped or the
stool.
In half a minute" he said, I'VE
shall be on his road" and crossing
the whole length of the dressing
room he felt the great mirror.
No, it is not yielding yet" he NUT
tered.
"Oh, are We going out by the mir
ror?" asked Raoul. Like Christine
Daae"
so you knew that Christine Daat
: went out by that mirror"
She did so before my eyes, sir!
was hidden behind the curtain OF tn,
inner room and l saw her vanish no
by the glass. but In the glass;"
And what did you do?"
: Il thought it was an alteration o
my senses, mad dream. :"
"Or some new fancy OF tn,
, ghost's!" chuckled the Per san. "Ah
NJ. de Chagny," he continued, still
: with his hand on the mirror, "woul
i that we had to do with ghost! w
r could then leave our pistols in thei
: case. Put down your hal
9 please e.. there an
. now cover your shirt-front as muc
I as you can with your coat a
: I am doing. Bring the lapel
l forward turn up the collar
We must make ourselves q
invisible as pc sible. :"
Bearing against the mirror, after
short silence, he said:
1T takes some time to release tn
counterbalance, when you press o
i the spring from the inside OF th
=, room. 1t is different when you al
Il behind the wall and can act directl
on the counterbalance. Then the mi
ror turns az once and is moved wit
incredible rapidity."
What counterbalance?" aske
Raoul.
=, Why, the counterbalance that lift
:. the whole of this wall on to its pivo
:, You surely don't expect it to NOV
OF itself. by enchahtment, II 20
watch, you will See the mirror frs
rise an inch or two and then shift a
- ipch or two from left to right. 1t wi
then be on a pivot and will swim
round"
- It's not tuning" said Raoul in
patiently
* "Oh wait, You have time enoug
to be impatient, sir! The mechaRis
y has obviously become rusty, or ell.
. the spring isn't working. u
. less it is something else" added II
Persian anxiously.
II "What?"
He may simply have cut the col
q OF the counterbalance and blocke
- the whole apparatus.
why should he? He does NJ
I know that we are coming this way
| Il dare say he suspects it. for
knows that l understand the system
It's not turning! .. AL
Christine. sir, Chrisune?"
The Persian said coldly:
| I'VE shall do all that it is human
] ( possible to do! But he ma
stop US at the first step! +
commands the walls, the doors ar
the trap-doors. In my country, he W;
known by a name which means Il
'trap-door lover"
But why do these walls obey hi
alone? He did not build them!"
Yes, sir, that is just what he did
Raoul looked at him in amaZemen
but the Persian made a sign TO him {
be silent and pointed to the glas
There was sort q shiVeriI
reflection. Their image was trouble