Lastly, Philippe would perhaps not have taken his brother behind the scenes of the Opera if Raoul had not been the first to ask him, repeatedly renewing his request with a gentle obstinacy which the count remembered at a later date.

On that evening, Philippe, after applauding the Daaé, turned to Raoul and saw that he was quite pale.

“Don’t you see,” said Raoul, “that the woman’s fainting?”

“You look like fainting yourself,” said the count. “What’s the matter?”

But Raoul had recovered himself and was standing up.

“Let’s go and see,” he said, “she never sang like that before.”