The masked ball
The masked ball at the Opera is a night of carnival and concealment, where the usual order of the Paris Opera is turned upside down. It is here that Christine Daae, having been mysteriously absent for a fortnight, chooses to meet Raoul de Chagny in secret, setting the stage for a revelation that deepens the mystery of the Opera Ghost and the peril surrounding the young singer.
The Setting and the Masked Crowd
The ball is an exceptional affair, given some time before Shrovetide in honor of the anniversary of the birth of a famous draftsman. It is expected to be gayer, noisier, and more Bohemian than the ordinary masked ball, with numbers of artists accompanied by a whole cohort of models and pupils, who by midnight create a tremendous din. Raoul climbs the grand staircase at five minutes to twelve, not lingering to look at the motley dresses displayed all the way up the marble steps, one of the richest settings in the world. He allows no facetious mask to draw him into a war of wits, replies to no jests, and shakes off the bold familiarity of a number of couples who have already become a trifle too gay. Crossing the big crush-room and escaping from a mad whirl of dancers, he enters the room mentioned in Christine's letter, finding it crammed, as it is the point where all those going to supper in the Rotunda cross those returning from taking a glass of champagne. The fun here waxes fast and furious.
The Encounter with the Black Domino
Raoul leans against a door-post and waits, not long. A black domino passes and gives a quick squeeze to the tips of his fingers. He understands that it is she and follows her, asking between his teeth, "Is that you, Christine?" The black domino turns round promptly and raises her finger to her lips, warning him not to mention her name again. Raoul continues to follow her in silence, afraid of losing her after meeting her again in such strange circumstances. His grudge against her is gone; he no longer doubts that she has "nothing to reproach herself with," however peculiar and inexplicable her conduct may seem. He is ready to make any display of clemency, forgiveness, or cowardice, for he is in love. The black domino turns back from time to time to see if the white domino is still following.
The Red Death Apparition
As Raoul passes through the great crush-room in the wake of his guide, he notices a group crowding round a person whose disguise, eccentric air, and gruesome appearance are causing a sensation. It is a man dressed all in scarlet, with a huge hat and feathers on top of a wonderful death's head, and from his shoulders hangs an immense red-velvet cloak trailing along the floor like a king's train, embroidered in gold letters: "Don't touch me! I am Red Death stalking abroad!" One daring person tries to touch him, but a skeleton hand shoots out of a crimson sleeve and violently seizes the rash one's wrist, who utters a cry of pain and terror. Raoul recognizes the death's head of Perros-Guirec and nearly exclaims, wanting to dart forward, forgetting Christine. But the black domino, who also seems prey to some strange excitement, catches him by the arm and drags him from the crush-room, far from the mad crowd through which Red Death is stalking.
The Private Box and the Confrontation
The black domino leads Raoul up two floors to a private box, where Christine, whom he recognizes by the sound of her voice, closes the door behind them and warns him to remain at the back and on no account to show himself. She keeps her mask on, and when Raoul is about to ask her to remove it, she puts her ear to the partition and listens eagerly. Suddenly she exclaims, "He is coming down again!" and tries to close the door, but Raoul prevents her, for he has seen on the top step of the staircase a red foot, followed by another, and slowly the whole scarlet dress of Red Death meets his eyes. He exclaims, "It's he! This time, he shall not escape me!" but Christine slams the door, and a struggle ensues. Raoul accuses her of being in league with the man behind the hideous mask, calling him her "Angel of Music" and demanding to know whom she loves. Christine, in a tragic gesture, flings out her arms and says, "In the name of our love, Raoul, you shall not pass!" Raoul, in a fit of childish hatred, accuses her of lying and deceiving him, and bursts into tears. Christine allows him to insult her, thinking only of keeping him from leaving the box, and says, "You will beg my pardon, one day, for all those ugly words, Raoul, and when you do I shall forgive you!" She tells him she will never sing again, and that they will not meet again, speaking in a despairing voice that makes Raoul feel remorse. She takes off her mask, revealing a face pale and furrowed with sorrow, and says, "Dear, it is a tragedy!" before resuming her mask and leaving, forbidding him with a gesture to follow.
Aftermath and Revelation
After Christine leaves, Raoul wanders down to her dressing-room, where he hides in the inner room. Christine enters, takes off her mask, and sighs, murmuring "Poor Erik!" Raoul, hearing this, is astonished and jealous, wondering what this Erik has to do with Christine's sighs. He then hears a voice, a beautiful, soft, captivating male voice, coming through the wall, and Christine addresses it as "Erik," saying she is ready. Raoul, peeping from behind the curtain, sees Christine stretch out her arms to the voice, and the voice sings the Wedding-night Song from Romeo and Juliet. Raoul, struggling against the charm, draws back the curtain and walks to where Christine stands, but as she moves toward the mirror, a dazzling miracle occurs: he sees not two, but four, eight, twenty Christines spinning round him, and then she disappears. He rushes to the glass, strikes the walls, but finds nobody, and the room echoes with the distant singing, "Fate links thee to me for ever and a day!" Raoul, worn out and beaten, sits down and asks aloud, "Who is this Erik?" This question marks the beginning of his quest to uncover the identity of the Opera Ghost and save Christine from his clutches.
