at once!’ A boy heard him—he was bellowing like a bull—ran up with a safety-pin and gave it to him; whereupon Moncharmin slammed the door in my face, and there you are!”
“And couldn’t you have said, ‘Christine Daaé.’ ”
“I should like to have seen you in my place. He was foaming at the mouth. He thought of nothing but his safety-pin. I believe, if they hadn’t brought him one on the spot, he would have fallen down in a fit! … Oh, all this isn’t natural; and our managers are going mad! … Besides, it can’t go on like this! I’m not used to being treated in that fashion!”
Suddenly Gabriel whispered:
“It’s another trick of O. G. ’s.”
Rémy gave a grin, Mercier a sigh and seemed about to speak … but, meeting Gabriel’s eye, said nothing.
However, Mercier felt his responsibility increased as the minutes passed without the managers’ appearing; and, at last, he could stand it no longer.
“Look here, I’ll go and hunt them out myself!”
Gabriel, turning very gloomy and serious, stopped him.
“Be careful what you’re doing, Mercier! If they’re staying in their office, it’s probably because they have to! O. G. has more than one trick in his bag!”
But Mercier shook his head.
“That’s their lookout! I’m going! If people had listened to me, the police would have known everything long ago!”
And he went.