It moved away, drawing its feet against the walls and sometimes giving a kick into a corner.
“Whew!” said the Persian. “We’ve had a narrow escape; that shade knows me and has twice taken me to the managers’ office.”
“Is it someone belonging to the theater police?” asked Raoul.
“It’s someone much worse than that!” replied the Persian, without giving any further explanation.
“It’s not … he ?”
“ He? … If he does not come behind us, we shall always see his yellow eyes! … That is more or less our safeguard tonight. … But he may come from behind, stealing up; and we are dead men if we do not keep our hands as though about to fire, at the level of our eyes, in front!”
The Persian had hardly finished speaking, when a fantastic face came in sight … a whole fiery face, not only two yellow eyes!
Yes, a head of fire came toward them, at a man’s height, but with no body attached to it. The face shed fire, looked in the darkness like a flame shaped as a man’s face.
“Oh,” said the Persian, between his teeth. “I have never seen this before! … Pampin was not mad, after all: he had seen it! … What can that flame be? It is not he , but he may have sent it! … Take care! … Take care! … Your hand at the level of your eyes, in Heaven’s name, at the level of your eyes! … I know most of his tricks … but not this one. … Come, let us run … it is safer. Hand at the level of your eyes!”
And they fled down the long passage that opened before them.
After a few seconds, that seemed to them like long minutes, they stopped.