The Phantom of the Opera: A Mysterious Demand at the Paris Opera

Chapter 2

During a dinner hosted in his honor, Poligny and Debienne met with numerous guests, including the new directors, Moncharmin and Richard. The old managers were enthusiastic, and the food was very enjoyable. Suddenly, the guests noticed a strange man enter the room. He was pale and wore a black coat, matching the description given by the chief engineer.

The mysterious stranger began to speak. "The dancers are right," he said. "The death of this poor Bouquet may not have been natural." Poligny and Debienne were startled. No one had informed them that Joseph Bouquet had died. They peered at the strange guest, stood up, and asked his successors to follow him to his old desk.

There, they discussed a ghost and were advised to pay very close attention. The two new directors laughed, believing it was an elaborate staging for their departure. "But anyway! What does this ghost want?" asked Mr. Richard, with an amused tone. Lord Poligny then produced a recording from the opera.

"It's very simple," he said, "everything is written there." Richard and Moncharmin opened the register, written in black ink. "Just a small paragraph, appended, is written in red ink, like a child's writing."

The Phantom's Demands

The directors must provide the Phantom of the Opera 20,000 francs per month, totaling 240,000 francs per year. They must also reserve Box Number 5 for every performance.

"It is for this reason that we are leaving," explained Debienne. "We cannot live here." "True," Sir Poligny persisted, "the opera is becoming impossible to manage with the ghost." The new directors laughed, seeing it as a particularly funny joke.

On the first day, Richard and Moncharmin were occupied with their new work and forgot about the ghost story. A few days later, they received a letter written in red ink, in a child-like script:

A Warning

My fellow directors,
You have not allowed me to open Box Number 5 as befitting. If you wish to live in peace at the opera, let me have my dressing room!
Your humble servant!

The next day, the directors received another letter from the ghost, also written in red ink in a child-like script. This time, it claimed his monthly compensation of 20,000 francs. "It's only Poligny and Debienne continuing the joke," said Richard. "We shouldn't think about it; here is everything."

"Yes, but this is not a funny joke at all!" Moncharmin stated. The new directors decided to continue renting Box Number 5.