The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-06-20
CHAPTER Xxx.
In the Cellars of the Opera.

IN the GeiiaFS OF the opera
Your hand high, ready to fire."
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 tor a
moment, holding their breath.
At last, the Persian decided to
make a movement; and Raoul 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 small dark
lantern and Raoul instinctly stepped
backward as though to escape the
scrutiny Of secret enemy. But he
soon perceived that the light belonged
to 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 pIanking, 1t must have
been the ordinary road taken by Erik
to reach Christine's dressing-room
and impose upon her innocence.
And Raoul, remembering the Per-
slams remark, thought that it had
been mysteriously constructed by the
ghost himself. Later, he learned that
Erik had found, all prepared for him,
: 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 to the dungeons that had
been constructed for them in the Gel
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 Mongoltier balloons, which car
ried their incendiary proclamattons to
the departments, and a state prison
right at the bottom
The Persian went on his knees and
put his lantern on the ground. He
seemed to be working at the floor;
and suddenly he turned off his light.
Then Raoul heard a faint click and
saw very pale luminous square in
the floor OF the passage. 1t was as
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, if the Persian had cherished any
sinister designs against him, he would
not have armed him with his own
hands. Besides, Raoul must reach
Christine at all costs. He therefore
went on his knees also and hung fro1r
the trap with both hands.
Let go!" said voice.
And he dropped into the arms OF
the Persian, who told him to lie down
fiat, closed the trap-door above him
and crouched down beside him. Raoul
tried to ask a question, but the Per
slams hand was on his mouth and
he heard voice which he recog-
nized as that OF the commissary OF
police.
Raoul and the Persian were COM
pletely hidden behind a wooden par
titiOn. Near them, small staircase
led to little room in which the COM
missary appeared to be walking up
and down, asking questions The
faint light was just enough to enable
Raoul to distinguish the shape OF
things around him. And he could not
restrain a dull cry: there were three
corpSes there.
The first lay on the narrow landing
of the little staircase; the two others
had rolled to the bottom of the stair
case Raoul could have touched one
of the two poor wretches by passing
his fingers through the partition.
Silence" whispered the Persian.
He too had seen the bodies and he
gave one word in explanation:
"He!"
The commissary's voice was now
heard more distinctly. He was ask
ing for information about the system
Of lighting, which the stage-manager
supplied. The commissary therefore
must be in the organ" or its imme.
date neighborhood.
(TO BE CONTINUED