Gilpin observer., 1913-09-11

tnat. ne said, In gloomy voice.
will play you Mozart. If you like
which will only make you weep; but
my Don Juan. Christine, burns; and
yet he is not struck by fire from
heaven Thereupon we returned to
the drawing-room. noticed that
there was no mirror in the whole
apartment. | was going to remark
upon this. but Erik had already sat
down to the piano. He said. You
see, Christine. there is some music
that Is 40 terrible that 1t consumes
all those who approach 1t. Fortunate
ly. you have not come to that music
yet. for you would lose all your pretty
coloring and nobody would know you
when you returned to Paris. Let US
sing something from the opera Chris
tine Daae.' He spoke these last words
as though he were fiinging an insult
at me-
What did you dor"
II had no time to think about the
meaning he put into his words. We
at once began the duet in Othello and
already the catastrophe was upon US.
1 sang Desdemona with a despair. a
terror which l had never displayed
before. AS for him. his voice thun-
dered forth his revengeful soul at
every note. Love, jealousy. hatred.
burst out around US in narrowing
cries. Erik's black mask made me
think Of the natural mask OF the Moor
Of Venice. He was Othello himself.
Suddenly. felt a need to see beneath
the mask. l wanted to know the face
OF the voice. and with a movement
which / was utterly unable to control.
swiftly my fingers tore away the
mask. Oh. horror, horror. horror!"
Christine stopped. at the thought OF
the vision that had scared her. while
the echoes of the night. which had
repeated the name of Erik. now thrice
moaned the cry:
, Horror! Horror! g.
Horror!"
Raoul and Christine, clasping each
other closely, raised their eyes to the
stars that shone in a clear and peace
full sky. Raoul said:
Strange. Christine, that this calm.
soft night should be SO full of plaintive
sorrowing with U.S."
when you know the secret, Raoul,
your ears, like mine. will be full OF
lamentations"
She took Raours protecting hands
in hers and. with long shiver. con-
tinued:
Yes, II l lived to be a hundred, 1
should always hear the superhuman
cry of grief and rage which he, ut
tered when the terrible sight ap-
peared before my eyes. Raoul,
you have seen deaths heads, when
they have been dried and withered by
the centuries. and. perhaps. II you
were not the victim OF a nightmare,
you saw his deaths head at Perros
And then you saw Red Death stalk
ing about at the last masked ball. But
all those deaths heads were motion
less and their dumb horror was not
alive. But imagine, If you can. Red
Deaths mask suddenly coming to life
in order to express, with the four
black holes Of its eyes. its nose. and
its mouth. the extreme anger. the
mighty fury Of a demon: and not a
ray of light from the sockets, for. as
learned later. you cannot see his
blazing eyes except In the dark.
Il fell back against the wall and he
came up to me. grinding his teeth.
and, as l fell upon my knees. he
hissed mad. incoherent words and
curses at me. Leaning over me, he
cried: Look! You want to see! See,
Feast your eyes. glut your soul on
my cursed ugliness! Look at Erfk's s
face! Now you know the face OF the
voice! You were not content to hear
me, eh? You wanted to know what |
looked like! Oh. you women are SO
inQuisitive! Well. are you satisfied ?
I'm a very good-looking fellow. ehy
When a woman has seen me,
as you have. she belongs to me. She
loves me for ever. | am a kind OF
Don Juan. you know! And, drawing
himself up to his full height. with
his hand on his hip. wagging the
hideous thing that was his head on
his shoulders, he roared. Look at me!
l am Don Juan triumphant And.
when l turned away my head and
begged for mercy, he drew It to him,
brutally. twisting his dead fingers into
my hair"
Enough! Enough" cried Raoul.
Il will kill him. In heavens name.
Christine. tell me where the dining
room on the lake is! must kill
him!"
"Oh. be quiet. Raoul. If you want to
know!"
Yes. l want to know how and why
you went back: must know! &.
But. In any case. | will kill himl"
"Oh. Raoul, listen. listen! Z.
He dragged me by my hair and then
ana then oh. It is
too horrible!"
We'll. what? Out with i'll" ex-
claimed Raoul fiercely. "Out with It.
quick!"
Then he hissed at me. An. /