Призрак Оперы
XXV The Scorpion Or The Grasshopper: Which
Noone,nooneinthenextroom,noonetoturnthetap,noonetoturnthescorpion!
Wewereallalone,inthedark,withthedarkwaterthatseizedusandclaspedusandfrozeus!
"Erik!Erik!"
"Christine!Christine!"
Bythistime,wehadlostourfootholdandwerespinningroundinthewater,carriedawaybyanirresistiblewhirl,forthewaterturnedwithusanddashedusagainstthedarkmirror,whichthrustusbackagain;andourthroats,raisedabovethewhirlpool,roaredaloud.
Werewetodiehere,drownedinthetorture-chamber?Ihadneverseenthat.Erik,atthetimeoftherosyhoursofMazenderan,hadnevershownmethat,throughthelittleinvisiblewindow.
"Erik!Erik!"Icried."Isavedyourlife!Remember!...Youweresentencedtodeath!Butforme,youwouldbedeadnow!...Erik!"
Wewhirledaroundinthewaterlikesomuchwreckage.But,suddenly,mystrayinghandsseizedthetrunkoftheirontree!IcalledM.deChagny,andwebothhungtothebranchoftheirontree.
Andthewaterrosestillhigher.
"Oh!Oh!Canyouremember?Howmuchspaceistherebetweenthebranchofthetreeandthedome-shapedceiling?Dotrytoremember!...Afterall,thewatermaystop,itmustfinditslevel!...There,Ithinkitisstopping!...No,no,oh,horrible!...Swim!Swimforyourlife!"
Ourarmsbecameentangledintheeffortofswimming;wechoked;wefoughtinthedarkwater;alreadywecouldhardlybreathethedarkairabovethedarkwater,theairwhichescaped,whichwecouldhearescapingthroughsomevent-holeorother
