The Ghost: A Modern Fantasy

d Mr. Nolan, Sullivan jumped up to follow us,

," she exclaimed in feverish and appealing tones: exci

ir Cyril asked h

s,

a's part. He'll have to sing it in French, but that

sa?" sa

's not hur

But she'

vil is she u

y useless. We shall never persu

self in front of the curtain, my lad, and make a speech. Say it's nothing serious, but just suffic

Sir

on his mission of ap

d corridor. Sir Cyril opene

t. "This passage is quite

wall on either side. It seemed a long way, but suddenly we stepped into twilight. There was a flight of steps

ur Alresca?" Sir

re he fell, sir," answered

oduction of even a comparatively simple lyric work like "Lohengrin." Richly clad pages and maids of honor, all white and gold and rouge, mingled with shirt-sleeved carpenters and scene-shifters in a hysterical rabble; chorus-masters, footmen in livery, loungers in evening dress, girls in picture hats, members of the orchestra with instruments under their arms, and even chi

rowd was much thicker. And at last, having penetrated it, we came upon a sight which I am not likely to forget. Rosa, in all the splendor of the bridal costume, had passed her arms un

My poor Alresca!"

d, Ortrud, Telramund, and several more. And Ortrud was cautiously feeling Alresca'

him down, ma

I uttered them roughly, in a tone of surly command. I was astonished at myself. I was astonished at

professional, authoritative manner, and not in the least succeeding. "It is

cle in a medical dictionary instead o

l explained smoothly, and she laid Alresca's

ly stand aside, and

Cyril translated my request into French and into German, and these legendary figures of the Middle Ages withdrew a little, fixing themselves with

a opened his eyes, and mu

look at her mutely, and there must have been an effective appeal in my eyes, for she got up, nodding an acquiescence, and stood silent and tense a yard from Alresca's feet. With a violent effort I nerved myself

nipulated the limb to catch the sound of the crepitus the injured man screamed, and h

Cyril. "And you had better send for a first-rate surgeon. Sir Francis Shorter would do very well-10

essor Eugene Churt," Rosa said.

s a physician of great authority, but he is

humbly, as

plint to the other one, and he was placed on a stretcher. It was my first case, and it is impossible for me to describe my sh

knees bent, but don't on any account keep st

. Alresca was groaning, his eyes closed. Suddenly he opened them, and it seemed as though he cau

in an agony which was as much menta

t; but I ordered them forward, and turned to Rosa. She

"It is very important he

ng to do so, I touche

't mean that!"

her tears, and I feasted on all the lovely curv

I answered. "But you had

e said, "

rmured. Then she drew back

nations on the subject of Toddy MacWhister. The first surgeon of Scotland, his figure is familiar from one end of the town to the other-and even as far as Leith and Portobello. I trembled. And my reason for trembling was that the celebrated bald expert had quite recently examine

, but, like many great men, he had a

d, "I've see

have,

who told me that th

-" I en

ind him. The impresario explained that Toddy MacWhister (the impresario did

sked Toddy, app

e of the

e, of

ewhat peculiar nature. I've sent round to King

ok off h

ye, Sir Cyril,"

Cyril

to give orders, Toddy had scarcely spoken another word. As he was

caused?" h

eems to k

get him home. Ye'll have no trouble with him, but there'll b

very much doubt whether he had taken the trouble to differentiate between the finest tenor in E

is of the setting his personal distinction and his remarkable and finished politeness had suffered no eclipse. And now he lay there, with his silky mustache disarranged and his hair damp, exactly as I had once seen him on the couch in the garden by the sea in the third

couragingly

he murmured, "I kn

of an Englishman, but it was bea

" I said. "It will be be

of protest with that won

I must talk to M

"It really is essential t

When I have seen her I shall be

h a persuasive plaintiveness in his voic

am afraid I can only let y

, and I told the valet to

n the door-mat in the narrow passage! Yet I had been out of the room twice, once to speak to S

nd she seemed to be waiting for permission to

aid. "But I have escaped him. I was just

" I answered. "And he wants t

may

be very, very ordinary

she said with

ded, "quite a li

Then he gave his valet a glance, and the valet crept from the room. I, as in professional duty bound, remained. The

a," I heard

o her knees by his sid

happen, Alre

and I fell, and caught my leg against som

ing? What d

was a

tened?" Rosa co

other s

sca at length, "

t wa

ot tell you.

ng from me, Alresca," sh

ring the colloquy to an end, but I hesitated. T

ious whisper. "I have nothing t

expecting a misfortune. Well, the misfortune has occurred to you. How did you guess that it was com

did

, don't you?"

or Rosa, I was delirious. And that is just why I wished to see you-in order to explain to

was right,"

y Rosa

king voice. "You ask me to forget something; I wil

ost intolerable pathos-"last night, when I hinte

erview to be prolonged the consequences to my patient might be extremely serio

he dropped

a!" she

er hand and

een the image of intense joy, wholly changed their expression, and were transformed into the embodiment of fear. With a look of frightful t

he moaned. "F

in his mouth,

Rosa, I led her