歌劇院的幽靈 06 La Carlotta sings Margarita

　　6 La Carlotta sings Margarita

　　On Friday morning La Carlotta had her break fast in bed.She drank her coffee and opened her morning let ters.One letter had no name on it. It was very short.

　　You are ill. You cannot sing Margarita tonight.Stay at home and don't go to the OperaHouse. Accidents can hap pen.Do you want to lose your voice-for ever?

　　La Carlotta was very， very angry. She got out of bed at once and did not finish her breakfast.

　　'This is from Christine Daaé' s friends，' she thought.'They want her to sing again tonight.That Daaé girl is going to be sorry for this! I， La Carlotta， I am the best opera singer in Paris.And nothing is going to stop me singing Margarita tonight!'

　　At six o'clock that evening the dancers were in their dress ing-room. They talked and laughed and put on their red and black dresses for Faust. But Meg Giry was very quiet.

　　'What's the matter，Meg?'Annie Sorelli asked.

　　'It's the Opera ghost，Meg said.'My mother says he's angry.She's afraid that something's going to happen tonight.'

　　'Oh，pooh!'the girl with black hair said.'Who's afraid of an old ghost?'

　　An hour later Monsieur Armand and Monsieur Firmin went into Box 5 and sat down.They were not afraid of ghosts.Of course not.There were no ghosts in the Opera House.

　　Then Monsieur Armand saw some flowers on the floor by the door of the box.'Firmin，'he whispered，'did you put those flowers there?'

　　Monsieur Firmin looked.'No，I didn't，'he whispered back'Did you?'

　　'Of course not， you fool!Shh，the music's beginning.'

　　La Carlotta did not sing for the first hour.There were no strange voices in Box 5，and the two directors began to feel happier. Then La Carlotta came out onto thestage， and Mon sieur Firmin looked at Monsieur Armand.

　　'Did you hear a voice just then?' he asked quietly.

　　'No!'Monsieur Armand said，but he looked behind him twice， then three times， andsuddenly felt cold.

　　La Carlotta sang and sang， and nothing happened. Then she began a beautiful love song.

　　'My love begins to-Co-ack!'

　　Everybody stared.What was the matter with Carlotta's voice? What was that strange noise-Co-ack?

　　Carlotta stopped and began the song again.

　　'My love begins to-Co-ack!

　　I cannot forget my-Co-ack!'

　　It was the noise of a toad! People began to talk and laugh.Monsieur Firmin put his head in his bands.Then he felt Mon sieur Armand's hand on his arm.There was a voice in the box with them! A man's voice，laughing

　　Poor Carlotta tried again，and again.

　　'I cannot forget my-Co-ack!'

　　Then the two directors heard the voice again， behind them，in front of them， everywhere.'Her singing tonight is going to bring down the chandelier!'

　　The two directors looked up at the top of the Opera House.Their faces were white.Thefamous chandelier， with its thou sand lights，broke away from its ropes andcrashed down on to the people below.

　　That was a terrible night for the Paris Opera House.One woman was killed by the chandelier， and many people were hurt.The Opera House closed for two weeks.And La Carlotta never sang again.

　　6.拉·卡洛塔演唱瑪格麗塔

　　星期五早晨拉·卡洛塔在床上用早餐。她一邊喝咖啡一邊拆閱她的晨信。有一封 信沒(méi)有署名。它非常短。

　　你病了。今晚你不能演唱瑪格麗塔。呆在家里不要去歌劇院。否則會(huì)有意外。你 想失聲嗎?——永遠(yuǎn)?

　　拉·卡洛塔非常非常氣憤。她立即下床，連早餐都沒(méi)有吃完。

　　“這是克麗斯廷·達(dá)埃的朋友寫(xiě)來(lái)的，”她想，“他們希望她今晚再次演唱。那 個(gè)達(dá)埃姑娘將為此而感到懊悔!我，拉·卡洛塔，是巴黎最好的歌劇演唱家。沒(méi)有什 么能夠阻止我今晚演唱瑪格麗塔!”

　　當(dāng)天晚上6點(diǎn)鐘舞蹈演員們都來(lái)到了她們的化妝室。她們一邊笑談著一邊穿上她 們的紅黑的《浮士德》歌劇服。但是梅格·吉麗卻一言不發(fā)。

　　“怎么了，梅格?”安妮·索雷麗問(wèn)。

　　“是歌劇院的幽靈，”梅洛說(shuō)，“我媽媽說(shuō)他發(fā)怒了。她擔(dān)心今晚會(huì)發(fā)生什么事 。”

　　“哦，呸!”那個(gè)黑發(fā)姑娘說(shuō)，“誰(shuí)會(huì)害怕什么幽靈?”

　　一個(gè)小時(shí)以后阿爾芒先生和菲爾曼先生步入5號(hào)包廂坐下。他們從不害怕幽靈。 歌劇院里根本就沒(méi)有幽靈。

　　隨后阿爾芒先生發(fā)現(xiàn)包廂門(mén)邊的地上放著一些鮮花。“菲爾曼，”他輕聲問(wèn)，“ 是你把那些鮮花放在那里的?”

　　菲爾曼先生看了看。“不，我沒(méi)有，”他反過(guò)來(lái)輕聲問(wèn)：“是你嗎?”

　　“當(dāng)然不是，你這個(gè)傻瓜!噓，歌劇開(kāi)始了。”

　　拉·卡洛塔在開(kāi)始的一個(gè)小時(shí)里不演唱。5號(hào)包廂里沒(méi)有異樣的聲音，于是兩位 經(jīng)理開(kāi)始感覺(jué)心情愉快了。接著拉·卡洛塔出現(xiàn)在舞臺(tái)上，這時(shí)菲爾曼先生看著阿爾 芒先生。

　　“剛才你聽(tīng)到說(shuō)話聲了嗎?”他輕聲問(wèn)。

　　“沒(méi)有!”阿爾芒先生說(shuō)，但是他往身后看了兩次，隨后又看了第三次，并且突 然感到一絲涼意。

　　拉·卡洛塔唱啊唱，并沒(méi)有發(fā)生什么事。接著她開(kāi)始演唱一首優(yōu)美的愛(ài)情歌曲。

　　“我的愛(ài)始于——科-艾克!”

　　眾人面面相覷?？逅纳ひ粼趺戳?那個(gè)陌生的雜音——科-艾克是什么?

　　卡洛塔停下來(lái)重新開(kāi)始演唱。

　　“我的愛(ài)始于——科-艾克!”

　　“我無(wú)法忘記我的——科-艾克!”

　　這是癩蛤蟆的鼓噪!人們開(kāi)始交頭接耳并且哄笑。菲爾曼先生把頭埋進(jìn)雙手之中 。然后他覺(jué)得阿爾芒先生的手放在了自己的手臂上。包廂里有一個(gè)聲音!一個(gè)男人的 聲音，大笑著!

　　可憐的卡洛塔試了一次又一次。

　　“我無(wú)法忘記我的——科-艾克!”

　　接著這兩位經(jīng)理又聽(tīng)到了那個(gè)聲音，它來(lái)自身后，身前，各個(gè)方向。“今晚她的 演唱將會(huì)使枝形吊燈落下來(lái)!”

　　兩位經(jīng)理抬頭朝歌劇院的屋頂看去。他們的臉色變得慘白。那著名的有著上千盞 燈的枝形吊燈，竟然脫離束縛它的繩索墜落在下面的觀眾席上。

　　對(duì)于巴黎歌劇院來(lái)說(shuō)那是一個(gè)可怕的夜晚。一名婦女被枝形吊燈砸死，另外許多 人被砸傷。歌劇院為此關(guān)閉兩周。而拉·卡洛塔從此再?zèng)]有演唱過(guò)。