The Viscount and the Persian

Raoul now remembered that his brother had once shown him that mysterious person, of whom nothing was known except that he was a Persian and that he lived in a little old-fashioned flat in the Rue de Rivoli.

The man with the ebony skin, the eyes of jade and the astrakhan cap bent over Raoul.

`I hope, M. de Chagny,' he said, `that you have not betrayed Erik's secret?'

`And why should I hesitate to betray that monster, sir?' Raoul rejoined haughtily, trying to shake off the intruder. `Is he your friend, by any chance?'

`I hope that you said, nothing about Erik, sir, because Erik's secret is also Christine Daaé's and to talk about one is to talk about the other!'

`Oh, sir,' said Raoul, becoming more and more impatient, `you seem to know about many things that interest me; and yet I have no time to listen to you!'

`Once more, M. de Chagny, where are you going so fast?'

`Can not you guess? To Christine Daaé's assistance....'

`Then, sir, stay here, for Christine Daaé is here!'

`With Erik?'

`With Erik.'

`How do you know?'

`I was at the performance and no one in the world but Erik could contrive an abduction like that!...Oh,' he said, with a deep sigh, `I recognized the monster's touch!...'

`You know him then?'

The Persian did not reply, but heaved a fresh sigh.

`Sir,' said Raoul, `I do not know what your intentions are, but can you do anything to help me? I mean, to help Christine Daaé?'

`I think so, M. de Chagny, and that is why I spoke to you.'

`What can you do?'

`Try to take you to her...and to him.'

`If you can do me that service, sir, my life is yours!...One word more: the commissary of police tells me that Christine Daaé has been carried off by my brother, Count Philippe.'

`Oh, M. de Chagny, I don't believe a word of it.'

`It's not possible, is it?'

`I don't know if it is possible or not; but there are ways and ways of carrying people off; and M. le Comte Philippe has never, as far as I know, had anything to do with witchcraft.'


  By PanEris using Melati.

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