Christine Daae's first disappearance

Christine Daae's first disappearance, a fortnight-long absence following the fall of the chandelier, marks the moment when her secret captivity under Erik begins and the public mystery of her whereabouts deepens. The event transforms her from a triumphant prima donna into a hidden prisoner, sets Raoul de Chagny on a desperate search, and exposes the extent of Erik's power over her life and art.

The Disappearance and Its Immediate Aftermath

After the catastrophic performance of Faust on the night the chandelier crashed into the stalls, killing the concierge whom Firmin Richard had appointed to replace Mme. Giry, Christine Daae vanished. She was seen neither at the Opera nor outside for a full fortnight. The managers, Richard and Moncharmin, were themselves so changed—absent-minded, mysterious, and careworn—that many subscribers suspected some event even more horrible than the chandelier's fall had affected their state of mind. When Raoul de Chagny came to ask about Christine, they told him curtly that she was taking a holiday for an unlimited period, as she had requested leave of absence for reasons of health. They had not even sent the Opera's doctor to see her. Raoul left the building prey to the gloomiest thoughts, convinced that some machination was at work.

Raoul's Investigation and the Revelation of the Angel of Music

Raoul went to Mamma Valerius, Christine's benefactress, and found her ill in bed. She told him calmly that Christine was "with her good genius"—the Angel of Music. She explained that the Angel had been giving Christine lessons for about three months, that he forbade her to marry, and that he had arranged to meet her at Perros churchyard, at Daddy Daae's grave, where he promised to play The Resurrection of Lazarus on her father's violin. Raoul, horrified, realized the possible state of mind of a girl brought up between a superstitious fiddler and a visionary old lady. He now believed that the Angel of Music was some unspeakable tenor, a good-looking jackanapes who had taken Christine in. His brother, Count Philippe, then told him that Christine had been seen driving in a brougham in the Bois de Boulogne with a shadowy companion. Raoul, in despair, went to the Bois that night, saw the carriage, and called out her name, but the window was closed and the brougham dashed past him. He stopped in the midst of the silence, feeling that he had loved an angel and now despised a woman.

The Masked Ball and the First Glimpse of Erik

A note from Christine, covered with mud and unstamped, instructed Raoul to go to the masked ball at the Opera, wearing a white domino, and to meet her in the little room behind the chimney-place of the big crush-room. At the ball, a black domino—Christine—led him through the crowd. Raoul noticed a man dressed all in scarlet, with a huge hat and feathers on a death's head, whose cloak was embroidered with "Don't touch me! I am Red Death stalking abroad!" He recognized the death's head of Perros-Guirec. Christine, alarmed, dragged him away. They went up to a private box, where she warned him not to show himself. When Raoul saw Red Death again on the staircase, he tried to rush out, but Christine slammed the door. She confessed that she loved him, but said she could not tell him everything. She took off her mask, and Raoul saw that her face was deathly pale, furrowed with sorrow, with dark shadows under her eyes. She said, "Dear, it is a tragedy!" and left him, forbidding him to follow.

The Dressing-Room and the Voice Without a Body

Later that night, Raoul went to Christine's dressing-room. He hid in the inner room when she entered. She sighed and murmured, "Poor Erik!"—the first time Raoul heard that name. She began to write calmly, then listened. A faint, beautiful, captivating male voice seemed to issue from the walls. Christine addressed it as "Erik" and said she was ready. The voice sang the Wedding-night Song from Romeo and Juliet. Raoul, struggling against the charm, drew back the curtain and walked toward Christine. She moved toward the great mirror, and her reflection seemed to come toward her. When Raoul tried to clasp them both, he was flung back by an icy blast, saw twenty Christines spinning around him, and then found himself alone in the room. Christine had vanished. The voice still echoed: "Fate links thee to me for ever and a day!" Raoul, worn out and beaten, sat down and asked aloud, "Who is this Erik?"

The Return and the Secret Engagement

The next day, Christine returned to Mamma Valerius, with the pink and white restored to her cheeks. She denied the existence of the Angel of Music, but refused to explain anything. Raoul, visiting, saw a plain gold ring on her finger. She admitted it was a present, but would not say from whom. When Raoul accused her of being under a dangerous spell and demanded the name of the man, she declared coldly, "M. de Chagny, you shall never know!" He then revealed that he had heard her say "Poor Erik" in the dressing-room. Christine, terrified, begged him to forget the man's voice and never to try to fathom the mystery. She promised to send for him, and he swore to do as she asked. The next day, she was gentle and kind, and they began a secret engagement, agreeing to be betrothed for a month before Raoul's Polar expedition. She told him, "This is a happiness that will harm no one." But the ring remained on her finger, and Raoul's jealousy grew as he realized that Christine was still bound to Erik.

The Captivity Revealed

Later, on the roof of the Opera, under Apollo's lyre, Christine told Raoul the full story of her first disappearance. She had been lured through the mirror in her dressing-room into a dark passage, where a man in a black cloak and mask—Erik—dragged her to the underground lake, rowed her across, and took her to the house on the lake. There, he revealed himself as the voice, knelt before her, and confessed his love. He was not an angel, nor a genius, nor a ghost—he was Erik. She tore off his mask and saw his hideous face, a death's head with blazing eyes. He raged, then wept, and she, filled with pity, swore she would return. After a fortnight of captivity, during which she lied to him and he became her faithful slave, he let her go, believing her promise. She returned to him, she said, because of the harrowing sob he gave on the threshold of the tomb. Raoul, hearing this, resolved to save her, but Christine, terrified, told him that Erik would commit murder for her and that they must flee together after the next performance.