Призрак Оперы
XXV The Scorpion Or The Grasshopper: Which
For,afterall,eleveno’clockto-morroweveningmightbenow,mightbethisverymoment!Whocouldtellusthetime?Weseemedtohavebeenimprisonedinthathellfordaysanddays...foryears...sincethebeginningoftheworld.Perhapsweshouldbeblownupthenandthere!Ah,asound!Acrack!"Didyouhearthat?...There,inthecorner...goodheavens!...Likeasoundofmachinery!...Again!...Oh,foralight!...Perhapsit’sthemachinerythatistobloweverythingup!...Itellyou,acrackingsound:areyoudeaf?"
M.deChagnyandIbegantoyelllikemadmen.Fearspurreduson.Werushedupthetreadsofthestaircase,stumblingaswewent,anythingtoescapethedark,toreturntothemortallightoftheroomofmirrors!
Wefoundthetrap-doorstillopen,butitwasnowasdarkintheroomofmirrorsasinthecellarwhichwehadleft.Wedraggedourselvesalongthefloorofthetorture-chamber,thefloorthatseparatedusfromthepowder-magazine.Whatwasthetime?Weshouted,wecalled:M.deChagnytoChristine,ItoErik.IremindedhimthatIhadsavedhislife.Butnoanswer,savethatofourdespair,ofourmadness:whatwasthetime?Weargued,wetriedtocalculatethetimewhichwehadspentthere,butwewereincapableofreasoning.Ifonlywecouldseethefaceofawatch!...Minehadstopped,butM.deChagny’swasstillgoing...HetoldmethathehadwounditupbeforedressingfortheOpera...Wehadnotamatchuponus...Andyetwemustknow...M.deChagnybroketheglassofhiswatchandfeltthetwohands...
