The wretches who were massacred, under the Commune, in the cellars of

the Opera, were not buried on this side; I will tell where their

skeletons can be found in a spot not very far from that immense crypt

which was stocked during the siege with all sorts of provisions. I

came upon this track just when I was looking for the remains of the

Opera ghost, which I should never have discovered but for the

unheard-of chance described above.

But we will return to the corpse and what ought to be done with it.

For the present, I must conclude this very necessary introduction by

thanking M. Mifroid (who was the commissary of police called in for the

first investigations after the disappearance of Christine Daae), M.

Remy, the late secretary, M. Mercier, the late acting-manager, M.

Gabriel, the late chorus-master, and more particularly Mme. la Baronne

de Castelot-Barbezac, who was once the "little Meg" of the story (and

who is not ashamed of it), the most charming star of our admirable

corps de ballet, the eldest daughter of the worthy Mme. Giry, now

deceased, who had charge of the ghost's private box. All these were of

the greatest assistance to me; and, thanks to them, I shall be able to

reproduce those hours of sheer love and terror, in their smallest

details, before the reader's eyes.

And I should be ungrateful indeed if I omitted, while standing on the

threshold of this dreadful and veracious story, to thank the present

management the Opera, which has so kindly assisted me in all my

inquiries, and M. Messager in particular, together with M. Gabion, the

acting-manager, and that most amiable of men, the architect intrusted

with the preservation of the building, who did not hesitate to lend me

the works of Charles Garnier, although he was almost sure that I would

never return them to him. Lastly, I must pay a public tribute to the

generosity of my friend and former collaborator, M. J. Le Croze, who

allowed me to dip into his splendid theatrical library and to borrow

the rarest editions of books by which he set great store.

GASTON LEROUX.




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