It was eight o'clock and Erik was heading his way down to the Captains
table in the dining-room. He went down the Y-shaped stair, the decorations
reminded him a little bit about the opera.
There was a orchestra playing Mozart, very beautifully. He noticed that
people were reacting at his mask and women that couldn't see it became most
fascinated because of his strong manly face and his shape, that became very
visible in his dress suit, like a Grecian God. Once, when he threw a look
at a young woman, she blushed and became more red than a cherry.
- Oh, monsieur Dequense, how kind of you to join us, the Captain said. The light from the candles made his white hair a little yellow. - Let me introduce everyone here, ladies and gentlemen this is Erik Dequense. He's a musician, he said later and Erik shook hand with everybody around the table. Some where married couples, some where only men sitting by themselves and some where women sitting by themselves.
Erik sat next to the Captain and enjoyed their conversation. Everybody where very nice and they thought the same thing about Erik.
- Tell us how the world of music is, monsieur Dequense, I've heard that it is very fascinating, the Captain said.
- It is, especially when you put your entire heart and mind in it, I can never get enough of it, Erik said with a little smile.
- What sort of music is it that you are composing? a woman asked.
- Opera and psalms mostly, those are the most beautiful in the world of music.
- You must really love those, she said.
- Yes I do, I've spend so much time at the Opera Populaire you'd almost think I lived there.
The men started to chuckle and the women giggled.
- Have you ever got anything completed? the Captain asked.
- Well, one opera that I wrote was completed, but when it had its premier, some trouble came in the way, he said and thought of the night when Christine had revealed his face for the entire audience. And her voice, that beautiful voice, how he would weep of joy if he could heard it again.
- What was the name of the opera? one of the men asked.
- "Don Juan triumphant", not a very famous one.
- Oh, I heard about that once, it was in the paper. If I can remember it right they said that it was a masterpiece, the same man said again.
- Really? I must have missed that one, Erik said.
- Would you mind playing one of your works for us? the Captain asked.
- I would love to, Erik said.
The Captain went over to the orchestra, returned later and told Erik to take his place by the piano.
* * *
Christine entered the dinning-room with Raoul. She had a feeling that this would be very boring. She looked at the Captains table where people were laughing. First she looked at the Captain, an old man with white hair and beard, but then her eyes moved towards the man who sat next to him. She could only see the left side of his face, he was breathtakingly beautiful, and there was something familiar about him. His grace and his left eye, she had seen it before, Christ, he almost looked like...no, it's impossible, she thought. She could sense all the other mens eyes on her, but she didn't face them. She hoped that the mysterious man at the Captains table would look at her. But no, he was in a deep discussion with all the other at the table.
She sat down at a table where only people like counts, countesses, barons, baronesses, dukes and duchesses where eating. Of course this was Raouls choice, he himself was a vicomte...
This was so boring she could fall asleep right where she sat. But she had to stay awake, she bit back a yawn for the tenth time.
But suddenly the orchestra stopped playing and she could only hear the tunes from the piano. She immediately recognised the song, it was Don Juans solo-piece from Erik's "Don Juan triumphant". When she turned around she saw the handsome man who had been sitting at the Captains table play the piano. And then he started to sing. Everybody in the dining-room became silent, it was the voice of an angel. Even the waiters stopped serving, and looked at him with their mouths wide opened. The men had impression and a little bit jealousy in their faces. And the women where waving hysterically with their fans, some of them even had to sniff some smelling salt.
This man could only be one, thought Christine when she heard him sing. No one in the entire world stroked the piano-keys so softly and easily as him. Like angels wings. The way his voice was playing with the song made it more beautiful. She loved him, by God she loved him, she wanted to go to him and throw herself in his arms. She knew that she would love him till her heart had taken it's last breath.
When he closed his mouth and took his fingers from the piano a storm of applause brake through the dining-room. This was new for Erik, he had never got any applause when he had played piano before, but now they were raining down on him.
The Captain seemed to be happier than ever, he even went up to Erik and hugged him, even gave him a kiss on his left cheek.
Now that his face was turned totally to the audience Christine saw the mask. A wave of love and happiness ran through her body and filled her heart. She almost started to cry when she saw that it was him.
Raoul didn't noticed her behaviour or that the man by the piano was wearing a mask, since the night when they had left the opera-house he had put everything from his mind. He hadn't even recognised the music.
Erik bowed with the Captain, and then went to the table again.
- Oh, what a voice, said the Captain.
- Absolutely wonderful, one of the women said.
- Thank you, Erik said, will you excuse me a minute, he said later. Erik went to his suite for a moment just to calm himself down, he was very happy. Never had he been accepted like this, everybody in the dining- room now loved him. But something was missing. He wished that Christine had sat in the audience, and heard him play.
- Oh, monsieur Dequense, how kind of you to join us, the Captain said. The light from the candles made his white hair a little yellow. - Let me introduce everyone here, ladies and gentlemen this is Erik Dequense. He's a musician, he said later and Erik shook hand with everybody around the table. Some where married couples, some where only men sitting by themselves and some where women sitting by themselves.
Erik sat next to the Captain and enjoyed their conversation. Everybody where very nice and they thought the same thing about Erik.
- Tell us how the world of music is, monsieur Dequense, I've heard that it is very fascinating, the Captain said.
- It is, especially when you put your entire heart and mind in it, I can never get enough of it, Erik said with a little smile.
- What sort of music is it that you are composing? a woman asked.
- Opera and psalms mostly, those are the most beautiful in the world of music.
- You must really love those, she said.
- Yes I do, I've spend so much time at the Opera Populaire you'd almost think I lived there.
The men started to chuckle and the women giggled.
- Have you ever got anything completed? the Captain asked.
- Well, one opera that I wrote was completed, but when it had its premier, some trouble came in the way, he said and thought of the night when Christine had revealed his face for the entire audience. And her voice, that beautiful voice, how he would weep of joy if he could heard it again.
- What was the name of the opera? one of the men asked.
- "Don Juan triumphant", not a very famous one.
- Oh, I heard about that once, it was in the paper. If I can remember it right they said that it was a masterpiece, the same man said again.
- Really? I must have missed that one, Erik said.
- Would you mind playing one of your works for us? the Captain asked.
- I would love to, Erik said.
The Captain went over to the orchestra, returned later and told Erik to take his place by the piano.
* * *
Christine entered the dinning-room with Raoul. She had a feeling that this would be very boring. She looked at the Captains table where people were laughing. First she looked at the Captain, an old man with white hair and beard, but then her eyes moved towards the man who sat next to him. She could only see the left side of his face, he was breathtakingly beautiful, and there was something familiar about him. His grace and his left eye, she had seen it before, Christ, he almost looked like...no, it's impossible, she thought. She could sense all the other mens eyes on her, but she didn't face them. She hoped that the mysterious man at the Captains table would look at her. But no, he was in a deep discussion with all the other at the table.
She sat down at a table where only people like counts, countesses, barons, baronesses, dukes and duchesses where eating. Of course this was Raouls choice, he himself was a vicomte...
This was so boring she could fall asleep right where she sat. But she had to stay awake, she bit back a yawn for the tenth time.
But suddenly the orchestra stopped playing and she could only hear the tunes from the piano. She immediately recognised the song, it was Don Juans solo-piece from Erik's "Don Juan triumphant". When she turned around she saw the handsome man who had been sitting at the Captains table play the piano. And then he started to sing. Everybody in the dining-room became silent, it was the voice of an angel. Even the waiters stopped serving, and looked at him with their mouths wide opened. The men had impression and a little bit jealousy in their faces. And the women where waving hysterically with their fans, some of them even had to sniff some smelling salt.
This man could only be one, thought Christine when she heard him sing. No one in the entire world stroked the piano-keys so softly and easily as him. Like angels wings. The way his voice was playing with the song made it more beautiful. She loved him, by God she loved him, she wanted to go to him and throw herself in his arms. She knew that she would love him till her heart had taken it's last breath.
When he closed his mouth and took his fingers from the piano a storm of applause brake through the dining-room. This was new for Erik, he had never got any applause when he had played piano before, but now they were raining down on him.
The Captain seemed to be happier than ever, he even went up to Erik and hugged him, even gave him a kiss on his left cheek.
Now that his face was turned totally to the audience Christine saw the mask. A wave of love and happiness ran through her body and filled her heart. She almost started to cry when she saw that it was him.
Raoul didn't noticed her behaviour or that the man by the piano was wearing a mask, since the night when they had left the opera-house he had put everything from his mind. He hadn't even recognised the music.
Erik bowed with the Captain, and then went to the table again.
- Oh, what a voice, said the Captain.
- Absolutely wonderful, one of the women said.
- Thank you, Erik said, will you excuse me a minute, he said later. Erik went to his suite for a moment just to calm himself down, he was very happy. Never had he been accepted like this, everybody in the dining- room now loved him. But something was missing. He wished that Christine had sat in the audience, and heard him play.