e gave
them sweets instead.

She took him to the wardrobe and property-rooms, took him all over her
empire, which was artificial, but immense, covering seventeen stories
from the ground-floor to the roof and inhabited by an army of subjects.
She moved among them like a popular queen, encouraging them in their
labors, sitting down in the workshops, giving words of advice to the
workmen whose hands hesitated to cut into the rich stuffs that were to
clothe heroes. There were inhabitants of that country who practised
every trade. There were cobblers, there were goldsmiths. All had
learned to know her and to love her, for she always interested herself
in all their troubles and all their little hobbies.

She knew unsuspected corners that were secretly occupied by little old
couples. She knocked at their door and introduced Raoul to them as a
Prince Charming who had asked for her hand; and the two of them,
sitting on some worm-eaten "property," would listen to the legends of
the Opera, even as, in their childhood, they had listened to the old
Breton tales. Those old people remembered nothing outside the Opera.
They had lived there for years without number. Past managements had
forgotten them; palace revolutions had taken no notice of them; the
history of France had run its course unknown to them; and nobody
recollected their existence.

The precious days sped in this way; and Raoul and Christine, by
affecting excessive interest in outside matters, strove awkwardly to
hide from each other the one thought of their hearts. One fact was
certain, that Christine, who until then had shown herself the stronger
of the two, became suddenly inexpressibly nervous. When on their
expeditions, she would start running without reason or else suddenly
stop; and her hand, turning ice-cold in a moment, would hold the young
man back. Sometimes her eyes seemed to pursue imaginary shadows. She
cried, "This way," and "This way," and "This way," laughing a
breathless laugh that often ended in tears. Then Raoul tried to speak,
to question her, in spite of his promises. But, even before he had
worded his question, she answered feverishly:

"Nothing ... I swear it is nothing."

Once, when they were passing before an open trapdoor on the stage,
Raoul stopped over the dark cavity.

"You have shown me over the upper part of your empire, Christine, but
there are strange stories told of the lower part. Shall we go down?"

She caught him