A few weeks later, when the tragedy at the Opera compelled the

intervention of the public prosecutor, M. Mifroid, the commissary of

police, examined the Vicomte de Chagny touching the events of the night

at Perros. I quote the questions and answers as given in the official

report pp. 150 et seq.: Q. "Did Mlle. Daae not see you come down from your room by the curious

road which you selected?"

R. "No, monsieur, no, although, when walking behind her, I took no

pains to deaden the sound of my footsteps. In fact, I was anxious that

she should turn round and see me. I realized that I had no excuse for

following her and that this way of spying on her was unworthy of me.

But she seemed not to hear me and acted exactly as though I were not

there. She quietly left the quay and then suddenly walked quickly up

the road. The church-clock had struck a quarter to twelve and I

thought that this must have made her hurry, for she began almost to run

and continued hastening until she came to the church."

Q. "Was the gate open?"

R. "Yes, monsieur, and this surprised me, but did not seem to surprise

Mlle. Daae."

Q. "Was there no one in the churchyard?"

R. "I did not see any one; and, if there had been, I must have seen

him. The moon was shining on the snow and made the night quite light."

Q. "Was it possible for any one to hide behind the tombstones?"

R. "No, monsieur. They were quite small, poor tombstones, partly

hidden under the snow, with their crosses just above the level of the

ground. The only shadows were those of the crosses and ourselves. The

church stood out quite brightly. I never saw so clear a night. It was

very fine and very cold and one could see everything."

Q. "Are you at all superstitious?"

R. "No, monsieur, I am a practising Catholic," Q. "In what condition of mind were you?"

R. "Very healthy and peaceful, I assure you. Mlle. Daae's curious

action in going out at that hour had worried me at first; but, as soon

as I saw her go to the churchyard, I thought that she meant to fulfil

some pious duty on her father's grave and I considered this so natural

that I recovered all my calmness. I was only surprised that she had

not heard me walking behind her, for my footsteps were quite audible on

the hard snow. But she must have been taken up with her intentions and

I resolved not to disturb her. She knelt down by her father's grave,

made the sign of the cross and began to pray. At that moment, it

struck midnight. At the last stroke, I saw Mlle. Daae life{sic} her

eyes to the sky and stretch out her arms as though in ecstasy. I was

wondering what the reason could be, when I myself raised my head and

everything within me seemed drawn toward the invisible, WHICH WAS

PLAYING THE MOST PERFECT MUSIC! Christine and I knew that music; we

had heard it as children. But it had never been executed with such

divine art, even by M. Daae. I remembered all that Christine had told

me of the Angel of Music. The air was The Resurrection of Lazarus,

which old M. Daae used to play to us in his hours of melancholy and of

faith. If Christine's Angel had existed, he could not have played

better, that night, on the late musician's violin. When the music

stopped, I seemed to hear a noise from the skulls in the heap of bones;

it was as though they were chuckling and I could not help shuddering."




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