asked M. Moncharmin, a little vexed that his figure had made so little impression on Mme. Giry. 

 "He did break it for him, sir," replied Mme. Giry haughtily.  "He broke it for him on the grand staircase, which he ran down too fast, sir, and it will be long before the poor gentleman will be able to go up it again!" 

 "Did the ghost tell you what he said in M. Maniera's right ear?" asked M. Moncharmin, with a gravity which he thought exceedingly humorous. 

 "No, sir, it was M. Maniera himself. So——" 

 "But you have spoken to the ghost, my good lady?" 

 "As I'm speaking to you now, my good sir!"  Mme. Giry replied. 

 "And, when the ghost speaks to you, what does he say?" 

 "Well, he tells me to bring him a footstool!" 

 This time, Richard burst out laughing, as did Moncharmin and Remy, the secretary. Only the inspector, warned by experience, was careful not to laugh, while Mme. Giry ventured to adopt an attitude that was positively threatening. 

 "Instead of laughing," she cried indignantly, "you'd do better to do as M. Poligny did, who found out for himself." 

 "Found out about what?" asked Moncharmin, who had never been so much amused in his life. 

 "About the ghost, of course! ... Look here ..." 

 She suddenly calmed herself, feeling that this was a solemn moment in her life: 

 "LOOK HERE," she repeated.  "They were playing La Juive. M. Poligny thought he would watch the performance from the ghost's box... Well, when Leopold cries, 'Let us fly!'—you know—and Eleazer stops them and says, 'Whither go ye?' ... well, M. Poligny—I was watching him from the back of the next box, which was empty—M. Poligny got up and walked out quite stiffly, like a statue, and before I had time to ask him, 'Whither go ye?' like Eleazer, he was down the staircase, but without breaking his leg. 

 "Still, that doesn't let us know how the Opera ghost came to ask you for a footstool," insisted M. Moncharmin. 

 "Well, from that evening, no one tried to take the ghost's private box from him. The manager gave orders that he was to have it at each performance.  

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