Madame Giry visits the Persian
For weeks, all Paris talked about that night at the opera. Everybody asked questions, but nobody knew the answers. Where was Christine Daae? Where was the Vicomte do Chagny? Were they alive, or dead? And the Phantom of the Opera ... ?
Some weeks after that famous night Madame Giry went out one afternoon to a small house near the Rivoli Gardens. She went in and up the stairs to some rooms at the top of the house. The Persian opened the door.
Madame Giry looked at him. 'My friend, you know the answers. Please tell me. Are they alive or dead?'
'Come in,' the Persian said quietly.
They sat down on some chairs by the window, and looked out across the Rivoli Gardens.
'Yes,' the Persian said slowly, 'The Phantom is dead now. He did not want to live any longer. I saw his body three days ago, and because of that, I can talk to you about him. He cannot kill me now.'
'So the Phantom was really a man?' Madame Giry asked.
'Yes, his name was Erik. That was not his real name, of course. He was born in France, but I knew him in Persia. He was a famous builder and I worked with him there. For a time I was his friend, but not for long. When he came to Paris, I came after him - I wanted to watch him. He was a very clever, very dangerous man. He could be in two, or three, places at the same time. He could be in one place, and his voice could come from another place. He could do many clever things with ropes, and mirrors, and secret doors. You see, he helped to build the Opera House. He built secret passages underground, and his secret house on the lake. He could not live in the outside world, because of his terrible, ugly face. Unhappy Erik! We can feel sorry for him, Madame Giry. He was so clever ... and so ugly. People screamed when they saw his face. And so he lived this strange life - half-man, half-phantom. But he was a man, in the end. He wanted a woman's love
He stopped, and Madame Giry asked quietly, 'And Christine Daae and Vicomte Raoul? What happened to them?'
The Persian smiled. 'Ah yes! What happened to young Raoul and the beautiful Christine ... ? Who knows?'
Nobody in Paris ever saw Raoul and Christine again. Perhaps they took a train to the north, and lived a quiet, happy life together there. Perhaps Christine's wonderful voice is still singing, somewhere in the cold and beautiful mountains of Norway. Who knows?
GLOSSARY
alone not with other people
angel a messenger from God, or a very special, wonderful person
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box a small 'room' with three walls in a theatre; you can watch the stage from a box, but other people can't see you
chandelier a very big, beautiful light, which has lots of little lights in it
clever quick to understand and learn
crash (v) to fall or hit something hard and noisily
dancer someone who dances (moving the body to music)
dangerous something dangerous can hurt or kill you
director somebody who is the head person in a company, theatre, etc.
doorkeeper (in this story) a person who looks after the boxes in a theatre
enemy the opposite of a friend
floor all the rooms on the same level in a building
fool someone who is stupid, not quick at understanding or learning
ghost people can see the ghost of a dead person
ground the ground is under our feet
hole a small opening in something
joke something people say or do to make other people laugh
kiss to touch someone lovingly with your mouth
lake a big area of water, with land all round it
light (n) to see in the dark, you need a light
mad ill in the head
mask a cover that you put over the face to hide it
mirror a piece of glass where you can see yourself (some special mirrors you can also look through, like a window)
missing (adj) if something or someone is missing, you can't find them
music when you sing or play an instrument, you make music
neck the part of the body between the head and the shoulders
opera a play in a theatre which has singing and music
passage a long narrow place in a building between rooms
phantom a ghost
rope very thick, strong string
scream to cry out in a very loud, high voice
secret something that you do not tell other people
shadow a place or thing that is dark because there is something between it and the light
shout to speak or cry very loudly and strongly
stage the part of a theatre where actors, singers, and dancers stand and move
stare to look at someone or something for a long time
terrible very, very bad
toad a small animal, like a frog, that lives in wet places
torture (n) doing very painful, terrible things to people's bodies
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ugly not beautiful
voice you talk of sing with your voice
whisper to speak very, very quietly
ACTIVITIES
Before Reading
1. Read the story introduction on the first page of the book, and the back cover. How much do you know now about the
Phantom of the Opera?
Tick one box for each sentence. YES NO
1. He is a body with two heads.
2. He has the head of a dead man.
3. He has a white face.
4. He wears a red evening coat.
5. He has black holes for eyes.
6. He has a very big nose.
7. He lives in a house next to the Opera House.
8. Everybody is afraid of him.
2. What is going to happen in the story? Can you guess? Tick one box for each sentence.
YES NO PERHAPS
1. The Phantom goes away and nobody sees him again.
2. Somebody kills the Phantom.
3. The Phantom kills somebody.
4. The Phantom marries an opera singer.
5. The Opera House closes and never opens again.
While Reading
Read Chapters 1 and 2, then answer these questions.
Who
1. . . did Annie Sorelli see in the passage?
2. . . sometimes found flowers in Box 5?
3. . . was dead, with a rope around his neck?
4. . . was very angry about a letter?
5. . . was a good friend, but a bad enemy?
6. . could not sing in the opera that night?
Read Chapters 3 and 4. Here are some untrue sentences about them. Change them into true sentences.
1. Christine Daae sang very badly that night.
2. Philippe de Chagny was in love with Christine Daae.
3. Raoul heard a child's voice in Christine's room.
4. The two directors were very happy about the second letter from O.G.
5. O.G. wanted La Carlotta to sing on Friday night.
6. Madame Giry never heard the ghost, but she often saw him.
Read Chapters 5 and 6. Who said or wrote this?
1. 'Of course I remember you! How could I forget you?'
2. 'I'm your friend, I can help you.'
3. 'Accidents can happen.'
4. 'Nothing is going to stop me singing Margarita tonight!'
5. 'Did you put those flowers there?'
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6. 'Her singing tonight is going to bring down the chandelier!'
Read Chapters 7 and 8. Choose the best question-word for these questions, and then answer them.
Who I Where
1. ... was Christine's 'angel of music'?
2. ... did the Phantom live?
3. ... told Christine and Raoul to go to the front stairs?
4. ... thought Christine was mad?
5. ... did Raoul and the Persian go?
6. ... did the dancers see when they looked in the room?
Before you read Chapters 9 and 10, can you guess the answers to these questions?
1. Where is Christine Daae?
2. Do Raoul and the Persian find her?
3. What does Erik do?
4. Docs Raoul marry Christine in the end?
After Reading
1. Before the Phantom died, perhaps he left a letter for the Persian. Use these words from the story to complete the letter. (Use each word once.)
because, enemies, face, free, friend, good, happy, kissed, love, scream, sorry, terrible, ugly, unhappy, when, without, woman, wonderful
To the Persian
I am leaving this letter for you, because once you were my_______. Now, of course, I have only_______. People _______when they see my_______. I am clever, it is true, but no_______can ever love me. And how can a man live without_______? When I was a child, I was very_______. My mother never_______me. She didn't want to look at me_______I was so_______. And years later,_______I was a man, I did many_______things. I know that, and I am_______now. But I did one_thing in my life. Christine is_______. She can marry the Vicomte and be_______. But 1 can never forget her_______voice, and I cannot live_______her.
And so, goodbye.
Erik
2. Here is a new illustration for the story. Find the best place in the story to put the picture, and answer these questions.
The picture goes on page_______.
1 Who are the characters in this picture?
2 What can they hear behind them?
3 What is happening on the stage at this time?
Now write a caption for the illustration.
Caption:__________________________________________________________________
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3. Here is a conversation between Meg Giry and her mother. It happened on Friday morning (see page 19). The conversation is in the wrong order. Write it out in the correct order and put in the speakers' names. Meg speaks first (number 7).
1_______'Oh, dear! What's he angry about?'
2_______'I told them two days ago, but they didn't listen to me. I'm afraid, Meg.'
3_______'What about him?'
4_______'I don't know, Meg, I don't know. But the ghost is clever - and dangerous. I think something terrible is going to happen tonight.'
5_______'No, I'm not happy, Meg. It's the Opera ghost.'
6_______'La Carlotta is singing Margarita tonight, but the ghost wants Christine Daae to sing. And when the ghost wants something, he must have it.'
7_______'What's the matter, Mama? You don't look very happy.'
8_______'You must tell the directors. They can change the singer for tonight.'
9_______'But why, Mama? What are you afraid of?'
10_______'I heard his voice this morning, in Box 5. He's very angry.'
4. Here is a different ending for the story, after Chapter 9. Fill in the gaps (you can use as many words as you want).
Just then_broke down the door of the room of mirrors, and_______. Erik looked at Raoul. 'You _______,' he said quietly. 'Take_______!' Raoul ran to Christine, but she_and took _______hand. 'No, Raoul,' she said. 'Erik _______, and I_______.'
So Christine_______, and_______in the house on the lake. Raoul_______.
5. What really happens at the end of the story? The Persian doesn't tell us, but here is another ending. Which of the two different endings on this page do you like best, and why?
Christine and Raoul left the Opera House, and they married the next day. They went to Norway and lived there happily for many years, but Christine never sang in an opera house again. Raoul's brother, Philippe, often visited them, and he and Christine were good friends.
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