The story of the ghost soon swelled enormously among the corps de ballet. All the girls pretended that they met this phantom often. And those who laughed the loudest were the least comfortable.
And who had seen him? You meet so many men in fine clothes at the Opera who are not ghosts. But his suit covered a skeleton. At least, the ballet-girls said so. And, it had the face of Death.
Was all this serious? In fact, the idea of the skeleton came from the description of the ghost given by Joseph Buquet, who was in charge of moving scenery. He had really seen the ghost. He had run up against the ghost on the stairs that led to the cellars for a second before the ghost ran away.
Buquet told his listeners, "He is extraordinarily thin and his coat hangs on a skeleton. His eyes are very deep just see two big, black holes, His nasty yellow skin is tightly stretched across his bones,and he has nose, which is a horrible thing to look at. "
Joseph Buquet was a serious man, not one who imagines things. His words were received with interest and amazement; and soon other people claimed to have seen the ghost. And then, a series of curious events that nobody could explain made everybody feel uncomfortable.
But we must return to the evening when Jammes cried, "it's a ghost!"
After the first excitement, everything was quiet in the dressing room. Then, with real terror on her face, Jammes cried, "listen!"
They cloud hear somebody outside the door. Sorelli went up to it and in a shaky voice asked, " Who's there?" But nobody answered. Feeling all eyes oN her, she asked loudly, " Is anyone behind the door?"
"Oh, yes. Of course there is!" cried little Meg Giry. She held Sorelli back by her skirt. "Whatever you do, don't open the door!"
# * crops de ballet: the dancers in a ballet company.