"Your hand high, ready to fire!" repeated Raoul's companion quickly.

The wall, behind them, having completed the circle which it described

upon itself, closed again; and the two men stood motionless for 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 groping

hands. Suddenly, the darkness was made visible by a small dark lantern

and Raoul instinctively stepped backward as though to escape the

scrutiny of a 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 planking. It must

have been the ordinary road taken by Erik to reach Christine's

dressing-room and impose upon her innocence. And Raoul, remembering

the Persian's remark, thought that it 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 himself alone and

contrived at the time of the Paris Commune to allow the jailers to

convey their prisoners straight to the dungeons that had been

constructed for them in the cellars; 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

carried their incendiary proclamations 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 a very pale luminous

square in the floor of the passage. It was as though 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 I do."

Raoul turned to the luminous aperture. 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 from the trap with both hands.

"Let go!" said a voice.

And he dropped into the arms of the Persian, who told him to lie down

flat, closed the trap-door above him and crouched down beside him.

Raoul tried to ask a question, but the Persian's hand was on his mouth

and he heard a voice which he recognized as that of the commissary of

police.




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