She rose, without showing any emotion, and offered him her hand.
But Raoul's stupefaction was so great that he stood there dumfounded,
without a gesture, without a word.
"Well, M. de Chagny," exclaimed Mamma Valerius, "don't you know
our Christine? Her good genius has sent her back to us!"
"Mamma!" the girl broke in promptly, while a deep blush mantled to
her eyes. "I thought, mamma, that there was to be no more question
of that!...You know there is no such thing as the Angel of Music!"
"But, child, he gave you lessons for three months!"
"Mamma, I have promised to explain everything to you one of these days;
and I hope to do so but you have promised me, until that day,
to be silent and to ask me no more questions whatever!"
"Provided that you promised never to leave me again! But have you
promised that, Christine?"
"Mamma, all this can not interest M. de Chagny."
"On the contrary, mademoiselle," said the young man, in a voice
which he tried to make firm and brave, but which still trembled,
"anything that concerns you interests me to an extent which perhaps
you will one day understand. I do not deny that my surprise equals
my pleasure at finding you with your adopted mother and that,
after what happened between us yesterday, after what you said and
what I was able to guess, I hardly expected to see you here so soon.
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