Raoul leaned against a door-post and waited. He did not wait long. A

black domino passed and gave a quick squeeze to the tips of his

fingers. He understood that it was she and followed her: "Is that you, Christine?" he asked, between his teeth.

The black domino turned round promptly and raised her finger to her

lips, no doubt to warn him not to mention her name again. Raoul

continued to follow her in silence.

He was afraid of losing her, after meeting her again in such strange

circumstances. His grudge against her was gone. He no longer doubted

that she had "nothing to reproach herself with," however peculiar and

inexplicable her conduct might seem. He was ready to make any display

of clemency, forgiveness or cowardice. He was in love. And, no doubt,

he would soon receive a very natural explanation of her curious absence.

The black domino turned back from time to time to see if the white

domino was still following.

As Raoul once more passed through the great crush-room, this time in

the wake of his guide, he could not help noticing a group crowding

round a person whose disguise, eccentric air and gruesome appearance

were causing a sensation. It was a man dressed all in scarlet, with a

huge hat and feathers on the top of a wonderful death's head. From his

shoulders hung an immense red-velvet cloak, which trailed along the

floor like a king's train; and on this cloak was embroidered, in gold

letters, which every one read and repeated aloud, "Don't touch me! I

am Red Death stalking abroad!"

Then one, greatly daring, did try to touch him ... but a skeleton hand

shot out of a crimson sleeve and violently seized the rash one's wrist;

and he, feeling the clutch of the knucklebones, the furious grasp of

Death, uttered a cry of pain and terror. When Red Death released him

at last, he ran away like a very madman, pursued by the jeers of the

bystanders.

It was at this moment that Raoul passed in front of the funereal

masquerader, who had just happened to turn in his direction. And he

nearly exclaimed: "The death's head of Perros-Guirec!"

He had recognized him! ... He wanted to dart forward, forgetting

Christine; but the black domino, who also seemed a prey to some strange

excitement, caught him by the arm and dragged him from the crush-room,

far from the mad crowd through which Red Death was stalking...

The black domino kept on turning back and, apparently, on two occasions

saw something that startled her, for she hurried her pace and Raoul's

as though they were being pursued.

They went up two floors. Here, the stairs and corridors were almost

deserted. The black domino opened the door of a private box and

beckoned to the white domino to follow her. Then Christine, whom he

recognized by the sound of her voice, closed the door behind them and

warned him, in a whisper, to remain at the back of the box and on no

account to show himself. Raoul took off his mask. Christine kept hers

on. And, when Raoul was about to ask her to remove it, he was

surprised to see her put her ear to the partition and listen eagerly

for a sound outside. Then she opened the door ajar, looked out into

the corridor and, in a low voice, said: "He must have gone up higher." Suddenly she exclaimed: "He is coming

down again!"




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