王尔德的故事

Part Three: The Red Rose

The Nightingale flew back to the garden and saw the student lying on the grass. His eyes were full of tears. "Be happy," the bird said. "You will have your red rose and tomorrow night you will dance with your love at the Prince's ball. I will make the rose for you by moonlight, with music and with my own heart's blood. I ask you just one thing, you must promise to be a true lover."

The Student looked up and listened but he didn't understand what the Nightingale was saying: he only understood things in books. But the oak tree understood and he said, "Sing me your sweetest song, little Nightingale.

I will be sad when you are not here." The Nightingale sang for the oak tree.

The Student heard the song and said, "Yes, this music is very beautiful but can a bird really understand love? She sings well but she is like an artist and everybody knows that artists are not sincere . She thinks only of music and could never do anything practical to help anybody." He got up, went into his house, lay on his bed and slept.

When night came and the moon shone, the Nightingale flew to the rose tree. She pressed her heart against one of his thorns. All night she sang her sweetest songs. The cold crystal moon listened and the Nightingale's blood slowly left her. At the top of the rose tree a flower started to grow. First it was pale, silver like the new day. But the tree cried "Come closer!"

The Nightingale came closer and sang louder, then the rose became pink like a red rose in a silver mirror.

"Come closer, little Nightingale," said the rose bush. "Come closer. If not,

the day will come before the rose is finished." The Nightingale came closer and as the thorn pierced her heart she sang of a love that never dies. She felt a strong pain and her voice became softer and softer. Finally the rose was ready, a marvelous red rose, red like the eastern skies.

Then the little Nightingale sang her most beautiful final song. The white moon heard it and she forgot the sun in the East and stayed in the sky to listen. The red rose heard the song and opened her petals in the cold morning air. The sleeping shepherds woke up when they heard it and the river carried its message to the sea. The rose tree heard the song and cried, "Look, little Nightingale, look. The rose is finished."

But the Nightingale didn't hear because she was dead on the grass with the thorn in her heart.

Part Four: The Professor's Daughter

The next day, at lunchtime, the Student woke up and looked out of his window. "That's lucky," he said, "here is a red rose. It is an extremely beautiful red rose. I'm sure it has a long Latin name." He took the rose from the tree. He put on his hat and ran to the Professor's house. The Professor's daughter was sitting near the color.

"Look, here is a red rose for you. Tonight you must dance with me as you promised. You will wear it next to your heart and I will say 'I love you'.”

The girl didn't smile but she looked at him. "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't like the color. My dress is blue and the rose is red. And another thing, the Chamberlain's son gave me jewels. Everybody knows that jewels are more expensive than flowers. I don't want your rose."

"You are very ungrateful ," said the Student angrily, and he threw the rose into the street. At that moment a cart passed and the wheels crushed the flower.

"You are very rude," said the girl. "I will dance with the Chamberlain's son,

not with you." Then she stood up and went into her house.

The Student started to walk home. "Love is a stupid thing," he said. "I

prefer to study books. They are much more interesting and useful. Yes,

logic is much more useful than love. I will go home and study philosophy and metaphysics ." And that's what he did.

歌剧魅影

Chapter Eight: The Mysterious Persian 

Christine and Raoul ran down through the Opera House. Suddenly they saw a man standing in their way. The man had dark skin and green eyes. He was wearing an Astrakhan hat that covered most of his face.

'Go that way!' the man said, and he pointed to another corridor. Christine pulled Raoul in the direction that the man had indicated.

'Who was that?' Raoul asked her as they ran along.

'That was the Persian,' Christine told him. 'He's always here at the Opera.'

At last they arrived at Christine's dressing room.

'We'll be safe here,' Christine told him. 'Erik has promised that he will never come here, and that he will never listen to my conversations here. I

believe him.'

'Come away with me now, today,' Raoul said.

'No,' she replied. 'I promised to sing for Erik at tomorrow's performance. It would be cruel not to sing for him. It'll be the last time. Then I'll come to you here and we'll go away together.'

Suddenly the girl began to look around her in fright and panic .

'What is it?' Raoul asked.

'Erik's ring, I've lost it!' Christine cried. 'He gave it to me as a sign of his love. He said I would always be safe while I wore it — and now I don't know where it is!'

Raoul tried to comfort her, but Christine was very worried.

She was sure that Erik would become her enemy now, and she was frightened.

They discussed their plans to run away after the performance the next evening.

At last Raoul went home to bed. In the middle of the night he woke up and looked around him. There were two red eyes staring at him in the darkness.

He picked up his gun and fired it into the darkness. His brother and some servants rushed into the room. They looked on the balcony and saw blood there.

'I hit him!' Raoul said proudly. 'Ghosts don't bleed!' Raoul's brother looked at him strangely.

'You've shot a cat,' he said quietly.

All of the next day Raoul made his preparations for the evening. He ordered a carriage to be ready outside the Opera at the end of the performance, and he made sure that he had a lot of money with him.

Christine was singing in Faust that evening. The Opera was crowded to hear her. She sang nervously at first, and it was obvious that she was worried and anxious . Then, in the second half of the opera, her courage came back to her. She sang better than ever before. The audiences were very pleased with the performance.

Suddenly all the stage lights went out . There was complete darkness on the stage. The managers acted quickly, and in a few seconds the lights were turned on again — but Christine had disappeared! There was chaos in the auditorium when the audience realised what had happened. People stood up and left their seats. They walked around discussing what had happened.

Raoul hurried backstage where there was a crowd of excited people.

Everyone was talking about the disappearance of the singer. Raoul was sure that Erik had taken her.

He joined a group of men who were going towards the managers' office.

He was the last to enter the office. As he walked in, he felt a hand on his shoulder. A voice said quietly:

'Don't discuss Erik's secrets with anyone!'

Raoul turned round quickly to see the Persian standing behind him. The Persian put his fingers on his lips and moved silently away.

Raoul hurried into the office. The two managers were there, as well as a detective. The detective looked suspiciously at Raoul. Then he asked him some questions.

'Were you going to run away with Mademoiselle Daae after the performance tonight?'

'Yes, that's true,' Raoul replied.

'Is your carriage waiting outside the Opera?' the detective went on.

'Yes.'

'Did you know that your brother's carriage was also outside the Opera tonight?' the detective asked.

Raoul did not see the importance of this question.

'Was your brother happy about your friendship with Mademoiselle Daae?'

the detective asked.

'That's none of your business ,' Raoul replied angrily. The detective smiled.

'On the contrary, it is very much my business, Monsieur,' he said with a smile. 'You see, your brother's carriage is not outside the building any more.

It is he who has taken Mademoiselle Daae away tonight!'

Raoul jumped up.

'I'll catch them!' he cried furiously . Raoul ran out of the room.

The detective turned to the managers with a smile.

'That's police work for you ,' he said proudly. 'I don't know whether the count has really taken Christine Daae with him or not. But I'm sure that his brother is going to find out for us!'

Chapter Nine: The Hunt for Christine The first person that Raoul saw outside the managers' office was the Persian. Once again the Persian blocked the way.

'Where are you going? 'he asked Raoul.

'I'm going to find Christine Daae,' the young man replied.

'Then stay here, 'the Persian said quietly. 'She's still here, inside the Opera.'

'Why do you know so much? 'Raoul asked . 'You know a lot about Erik's secrets, and I think you know where Christine is. '

'Erik has taken her to the house on the lake,' the Persian said quietly.

'So you know about that, as well,' Raoul said thoughtfully.

'What else do you know about Erik? '

'He's terribly dangerous! ' the Persian said.

'Has he hurt you?' Raoul asked.

'I have forgiven him for all that , 'the Persian replied gently.

'You talk about him the same way that Christine does,' Raoul said thoughtfully. 'You think he's a monster, but you're sorry for him too. I don't understand it. '

'Be quiet now!' the Persian ordered him. 'He may hear us .He could be anywhere, you know—in the walls, in the floor, in the ceiling !'

The Persian took Raoul to Christine's dressing room. He walked straight to the mirror, and began knocking on the wall. Suddenly the mirror began to revolve like a glass door. Raoul watched, remembering the time that Christine had disappeared from this room. The Persian took hold of him suddenly.

'Hurry!' he shouted.

They went through the revolving mirror and into a dark passage on the other side.

'Follow me.' the Persian ordered . 'And do what I tell you to do. We're going into the cellars.'

In front of them in the darkness Raoul saw a yellow light .The yellow light approached —it was a head of fire, and it was coming straight towards them!

'Is that him?' Raoul asked .

'I don't know,' the Persian said . 'I've never seen this before. '

The Persian and Raoul stepped backwards, away from the head of fire.

Then they heard the sound of rats in the darkness. The rats were running towards them .Thousands of the horrible little creatures began to climb over the two men .There was nothing Raoul and the Persian could do to get away from them. The head of fire walked slowly towards them .

'Don't move!' a voice cried . 'I'm the rat-catcher . Stay where you are, and I'll send the rats away.'

The head of fire disappeared .The rat-catcher had turned his lamp onto his face, so he didn't frighten the rats he was sending down the passage.

'So Pampin the fireman was right,' the Persian said. 'He told everyone about the head of fire, but I didn't believe him. '

'Are we going to the house on the lake?' Raoul asked. 'Is that where Christine is?'

The Persian nodded. They continued to travel into the depths of the massive building. Soon they came to a wall.

'This is Erik's house, ' the Persian said . 'Poor Buquet died here. Erik found him and killed him .Erik doesn't like people to come near his house, you see.'

He directed his lamp onto the wall.

'There's a mechanism here in the wall somewhere .We push it, and the wall opens, just like the mirror in Christine's dressing room.'

He put his hands on the wall ,and tried to find the switch .

'Ah!' he cried softly.

The wall opened, and the Persian and Raoul went in .The hole in the wall closed after them.

They looked around them .They were in an empty room. Raoul touched the wall. It was made of glass.

'It's a mirror!' he cried in astonishment .

'We're in Erik's room of mirrors,' the Persian whispered. 'It's his torture chamber , and we're trapped !'