Призрак оперы / The Phantom of the Opera

la Baronne de Castelot-Barbezac – баронесса де Кастело-Барбезак], who was once the “little Meg[10 - little Meg – крошка Мег]” of the story (and who is not ashamed of it). 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.

Chapter I

It was the evening on which MM. Debienne and Poligny[11 - MM. Debienne and Poligny – господа Дебьенн и Полиньи], the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli[12 - the dressing-room of La Sorelli – гримёрная Сорелли], one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage. They rushed in amid great confusion. Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd. It was the little girl who gave the explanation in a trembling voice:

“It’s the ghost!” And she locked the door.

Sorelli was very superstitious. She shuddered when she heard the little girl speak of the ghost, called her a “silly little fool” and then asked for details:

“Have you seen him?”

“As plainly as I see you now!” said the little girl: “If that’s the ghost, he’s very ugly!”

“Oh, yes!” cried the chorus of ballet-girls.

And they all began to talk together. The ghost had appeared to them in the shape of a gentleman in dress-clothes, who had suddenly stood before them in the passage. He seemed to have come straight through the wall.

“Pooh!” said one of them. “You see the ghost everywhere!”

And it was true. For several months, there had been nothing discussed at the Opera but this ghost in dress-clothes. He was like a shadow, he spoke to nobody, to him nobody dared speak and he vanished, no one knowing how or where.

He made no noise in walking. When he did not show himself, he betrayed his presence by accident, comic or serious.

After all, who had seen him? You meet so many men dressed in black at the Opera who are not ghosts. But this suit had a peculiarity of its own. It covered a skeleton. At least, so the ballet-girls said. And, of course, it had a death’s head[13 - death’s head – череп].