11) The wisdom to be wise

"But… but the performance will start in two hours!" It happened quite frequently that one of the managers put into words what both were thinking. This time it was M.Firmin, examining their unexpected visitor closely, as if the check for others signs of madness. "It is absolutely impossible to change a part of the opera now.", M.André assisted.

"You don´t have another choice.", Mme.Giry said. "It´s all in here." She waved a letter around, annoyed that the new managers had not yet understood what a note by the Opera Ghost meant. It wasn´t a friendly request or a suggestion. It was an order. " ´The dance sequence at the beginning of act three will be performed by Mlle.Giry tonight.´", she read out before handing the letter to M.André.

He skimmed it and asked: "Are you sure you didn´t write this yourself, so that your daughter gets a better part?". The insolence of his question made Mme.Giry gasp for breath. "Monsieurs, I would never dare such an audacity." Of course she was a little flattered that he had chosen Meg for that difficult sequence, but she wouldn´t have tried to influence him in any way.

"And why can this man tell us what to do?", M.Firmin wanted to know. Almost wistfully the ballet teacher thought of M.Lefèvre. At least he hadn´t been that slow on the uptake. She had already had dozens of conversations about this topic. "You have witnessed what he is capable of. Remember what he did the first time you were here! La Carlotta was nearly killed. Believe me, it will be best if you just let him have his will."

The two men in front of her looked at each other. M.André already wished they had never come to this opera house. They could have had a nice, quiet life, maybe at a theatre. Or were theatres also haunted sometimes? He had no idea as he had not even believed in ghosts before he had arrived here. And now there was this ghost, poking his nose in their business. But then, he had heard rumours that the Phantom didn´t have a nose…

"Who has danced the part so far?", M.Firmin asked Mme.Giry, who instantly replied: "Nicole Grandoir, monsieur.". M.Firmin groaned. The Grandoir family was very influential in Paris, and annoying them would not be wise. But they couldn´t afford to annoy the Opera Ghost either. Shuddering M.Firmin thought of all the money they would lose if this man did something terrible with hundreds of people watching. Nobody would come to their opera anymore.

"All right.", he finally said, having decided that pleasing the Phantom was more important than the Grandoirs. M.André nodded, relieved that it wasn´t him who had to make this choice. "Does your daughter know the steps at all?", he wanted to know. "Of course, monsieur. She is the understudy of Nicole in this scene." Mme.Giry shook her head in indignation. If Meg couldn´t dance the part, the Opera Ghost would never have ordered this change. "Then go and tell the girls quickly!", M.André said, and the ballet teacher went out of the managers´ office, leaving two men who had just obeyed the Phantom for the first time.

Within minutes Mme.Giry had reached the chorus girls, who stood and sat around, chatting about everything and nothing, barely able to hide their excitement about the performance. At once they fell silent and looked at her expectantly. "I have an announcement to make.", she said. "There will be a change in act three. Instead of Nicole, Meg will dance the scene at the beginning."

"What? But why?", Nicole blurted out, jumping up from the floor. "Oh, it´s all the fault of these stupid managers. They wouldn´t even recognise a talented dancer if she sat on their lap!", she muttered, pacing up and down in the room. Mme.Giry glanced at her coldly and said: "To your information: It was the Opera Ghost´s decision.".

The girls started whispering immediately, retelling the usual stories about the ghost. Meg smile broadly. This was certainly a sign of his affection. "Congratulations! See? Everything will be fine.", Christine told her in a low voice. "Come with me now, Meg!", Mme.Giry ordered. "We still have one hour left to practice." As Meg came over to her mother she muttered: "I´m proud of you.", giving her daughter one of her rare smiles.