They took the master-keys from our hands, stared at them for a moment and advised us to have new locks made, with the greatest secrecy, for the rooms, closets and presses that we might wish to have hermetically closed.

They said this so funnily that we began to laugh and to ask if there were thieves at the Opera.

They replied that there was something worse, which was the GHOST.

We began to laugh again, feeling sure that they were indulging in some joke that was intended to crown our little entertainment.
Then, at their request, we became 'serious,' resolving to humor them and to enter into the spirit of the game.

They told us that they never would have spoken to us of the ghost, if they had not received formal orders from the ghost himself to ask us to be pleasant to him and to grant any request that he might make.