tell him that your bonds hurt you." But Christine Daae said: "Hush! ...

I hear something in the wall on the lake! ...

It is he! ...
Go away! Go away! Go away!" "We could not go away, even if we wanted to," I said, as impressively as I could.

"We can not leave this! And we are in the torture-chamber!" "Hush!" whispered Christine again.
Heavy steps sounded slowly behind the wall, then stopped and made the floor creak once more.

Next came a tremendous sigh, followed by a cry of horror from Christine, and we heard Erik's voice: "I beg your pardon for letting you see a face like this! What a state I am in, am I not?
It's THE OTHER ONE'S FAULT! Why did he ring?
Do I ask people who pass to tell me the time?
He will never ask anybody the time again! It is the siren's fault." [Illustration: two page color illustration] Another sigh, deeper, more tremendous still, came from the abysmal depths of a soul.
"Why did you cry out, Christine ?" "Because I am in pain, Erik." "I thought I had frightened you." "Erik, unloose my bonds ...