Привид Опери
III The Mysterious Reason
Sorelliwasfurious;shehadnotbeenabletofinishherspeech;themanagers,hadkissedher,thankedherandrunawayasfastastheghosthimself.Noonewassurprisedatthis,foritwasknownthattheyweretogothroughthesameceremonyonthefloorabove,inthefoyerofthesingers,andthatfinallytheywerethemselvestoreceivetheirpersonalfriends,forthelasttime,inthegreatlobbyoutsidethemanagers’office,wherearegularsupperwouldbeserved.
Heretheyfoundthenewmanagers,M.ArmandMoncharminandM.FirminRichard,whomtheyhardlyknew;nevertheless,theywerelavishinprotestationsoffriendshipandreceivedathousandflatteringcomplimentsinreply,sothatthoseoftheguestswhohadfearedthattheyhadarathertediouseveninginstoreforthematonceputonbrighterfaces.Thesupperwasalmostgayandaparticularlycleverspeechoftherepresentativeofthegovernment,minglingthegloriesofthepastwiththesuccessesofthefuture,causedthegreatestcordialitytoprevail.
Theretiringmanagershadalreadyhandedovertotheirsuccessorsthetwotinymaster-keyswhichopenedallthedoors—thousandsofdoors—oftheOperahouse.
