The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-06-13
CHAPTER XVI.i.
The Cormissary, the viscount and the
Persian.

The Conmissary, the Viscount and the
Persian.
The first words of the commissary
Of police, on entering the managers
office, were to ask after the missing
prima donna.
is Christine Daae here?"
Christine Daae here?" echoed Rich
ard mo. Why"
AS for Moncharmin, he had not the
strength left TO utter a word.
Richard repeated, for the commits
sary and the compact crowd which
had followed him into the office OBJ
served an impressive silence.
Why do you ask if Christine Daae
is here, NJ. lie commissaire?"
Because she has to be found" de
clared the commissary3 Of police sol
emmy.
What do you mean. she has to be
found? Has she disappeared?"
In the middle Of the performances"
In the middle of the performance?
This is extraordinary"
Isn't it? And what is quite as ex-
traordinary is that you should first
learn it from mel"
Yes" said Richard, taking his head
in his hands and muttering What
is this new business? Oh, it's enough
to make a man send in his resigna-
tom"
And he pulled a few hairs out of
his mustache without even knowing
what he was doing.
so she so she disappeared
in the middle of the performance"
he repeated
Yes, she was carried off in the
Prison Act, at the moment when she
was invoking the aid of the angels;
an angel"
And l am sure that she was!"
Everybody looked round. A young
man, pale and trembling with excite
ment, repeated:
Il am sure of it,"
Sure of what?" asked Mifroid
THAT Christine Daae was carried
off by an angel, NJ. lie commissaire,
and [ can tell you his name"
Aha, NJ lie Vicomte de Chagny.
So you maintain that Christine Daae
was carried off by an angel; an an
gel of the opera, no doubt?"
Yes, monsieur, by an angel of the
opera; and 1 will tell you where he
lives when we are alone"
You are right, monsieur"
And the commissary Of police, in
viting Raoul to take a chair, cleared
the room of all the rest, excepting
the managers.
Then RaouI spoke:
IN. lie commissaire, the angel is
called Erik, he lives in the opera and
he is the Angel Of Music!"
The Angel OF Music! Really! That
is very curiousi The Angel
of Musicl" And, turning to the man
ayers. NJ Mifroid asked, Have you
an Angel of Music on the premises,
gentlemen"
Richard and Moncharmin shook
their heads, without even speaking.
oh" said the viscOunt, those gen
tIemen have heard of the opera
ghost Well, | am in a position to
state that the opera ghost and the
Angel of Music are one and the same
person; and his real name is Erik
Nj. Mifroid rose and looked at RaouI
attentively.
Il beg your pardon, monsieur, but
is it your intention to make fun Of
the law? And, if not, what is all this
about the opera ghost?"
81 say that these gentlemen have
heard of him"
Gentlemen, it appears that you
know the opera ghost?"
Richard rose, with the remaining
hairs of his mustache in his hand.
mo, NJ Commissary, no, We do
not know him, but we wish that We
did. for this very evening he has
| robbed us of twenty-thousand francs."
And Richard turned a terrible look
on Moncharmtn, which, seemed to
say:
Give me back the twenty-thousand
francs, or I'll tell the whole story"
Moncharmin understood what he
meant, for, with a distracted gesture,
be said;
'Oh. tell everything and have done
with it, So
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