Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-17
CHAPTER Xxx
In the Cellars Of the Opera.


repeated Raoul's companion quickly.
The wall. behind them, having !
completed the circle which It de-
scribed upon itself, closed again; and
the two men stood motionless for a
moment. holding their breath.
At last. the Persian decided 10
make a movement; and Rsoul heard
him slip on his knees and feel for
something In the dark with his crop
ing hands. Suddenly, the darkness
was made visible by a small dark
lantern and Raoul instinctly stepped
backward as though to escape the
scrutiny OF a secret enemy. But he
soon perceived that the light belonged
10 the Persian. whose movements he
was closely observing. The little red
disk was turned in every direction
and Raoul saw that the floor, the
walls and the ceiling were all
formed OF planking. II must have
been the ordinary road taken by Erik
20 reach Christmas dressing-room
and impose upon her innocence.
And Raoul, remembering the Per
SLAMS remark, thought that 1t had
been mysteriously constructed by the
ghost himself. Later. he learned that
Erik had found. all prepared for him,
a secret passage, long known to him
self alone and contrived at the time
OF the Paris Commune to allow the
jaiiers to convey their prisoners
straight 10 the dungeonS that had
been constructed for them in the eel
lars; for the Federates had occupied
the opera-house Immediately after the
eighteenth OF March and had made a
starting-place right at the top for
their Mongolfier balloons, which car
ried their incendiary proclamattons to
the departments. and a state prison
right at the bottom.
The Persian went on his knees ana
put his lantern on the ground. He
seemed TO be working at the floor;
and suddenly he turned on his light.
Then Raoul heard a faint click and
saw a very pale luminous square in
the floor OF the passage 1t was as
slough a window had opened on the
opera cellars, which were still lit.
Raoul no longer saw the Persian, but
he suddenly felt him by his side and
heard him whisper:
Follow me and do all that do"
Raoul turned to the luminous aper-
ture. Then he saw the Persian, who
was still on his knees, hang by his
hands from the rim OF the opening,
with his pistol between his teeth, and
slide into the cellar below.
Curiously enough. the viscount had
absolute confidence in the Persian
though he knew nothing about him
His emotion when speaking OF the
monster" struck him as sincere;
and. II the Persian had cherished any
sinister designs against him. he would
not have armed him with his owl
hands. Besides. Raoul must react
Christine az all costs. lie therefore
went on his knees also and hung from
the trap with both hands.
Let co." said a voice.
And he dropped into the arms o
the Persian, who told him to lie dowI
fat. closed the trap-door above hin
and crouched down beside him. Raou
tried TO ask a question, but the PEI
SLAMS hand was on his mouth an,
he heard a voice which he recos
nized as that OF the commissary O
police.
Raoul and the Persian were CON
pletely hidden behind a wooden PAL
tition. Near them. a small staircas
led to a little room In which the con
missary appeared to be walking u
and down. asking questions. In
faint light was Just enough to enabl
Raoul 20 distinguish the shape c
things around him. And he could nc
restrain a dull cry: there were thre
corpses there.
The FIRST lay on the narrow landin
q the little staircase: the two other
had rolled 20 the bottom OF the stat
case. Raoul could have touched on
OF the two poor wretches by passinl
his fingers through the partition.
silence" whispered the Persian.
He too had seen the bodies and b
gave one word in explanation:
"He!"
The commissary's voice was nov
heard more distinctly. He was ash
Ing ior information about the system
of lighting, which the stage-manage
supplied. The commissary therefor
must be in the organ" or its immS
date neighborhood.
Contrary to what one might thinl
especially in connection with an OF
era-hOuse. the organ" is not MI
steal instrument. At that time, ele'
tricity was employed only for q yer
few scenic effects and for the bell
The immense building and the stag
itself were still lit by gas; hSdroge
was used TO regulate and modify ID
lighting of a scene; and this wa
done by means OF q special apparatu
which. because of the multiplicity {
its pipes, was known as the organ.
A box beside the prompter's box wa
reserved for the chief gae-man. vh
from there gave his orders TO his a
sistan1s and saw that they were e,
ecuted. Aauclair stayed in this DO
Turing an the performances.
But now MauclaiT was not in b
box and his assistants not in the
eLaeeA