'Curtain up in five minutes…'
Salzella reviewed his troops. They consisted of scenebuilders and painters and all those other employees who could be spared for the evening. At the end of the line, about fifty per cent of Walter Plinge had managed to stand to attention.
'Now, you all know your positions,' said Salzella. 'And if you see anything, anything at all, you are to let me know at once. Do you understand ?'
'Mr Salzella!'
'Yes, Walter?'
'We mustn't interrupt the opera Mr Salzella!'
Salzella shook his head. 'People will understand, I'm sure-'
'Show must go on Mr Salzella!'
'Walter, you will do what you're told!'
Someone raised a hand. 'He's got a point, though, Mr Salzella…'
Salzella rolled his eyes. 'Just catch the Ghost,' he said. 'If we can do it without a lot of shouting, that's good. Of course I don't want to stop the show.' He saw them relax.
A deep chord rolled out over the stage.
'What the hell was that?'
Salzella strode behind the stage and was met by Andr?looking excited.
'What's going on?'
'We repaired it, Mr Salzella! Only… well, he doesn't want to give up the seat…'
The Librarian nodded at the director of music. Salzella knew the orang-utan, and among the things he knew was that, if the Librarian wanted to sit somewhere, then that was where he sat. But he was a first-class organist, Salzella had to admit. His lunchtime recitals in the Great Hall of Unseen University were extremely popular, especially since the University's organ had every single sound-effect that Bloody Stupid Johnson's inverted genius had been able to contrive. No one would have believed, before a pair of simian hands had worked on the project, that something like Doinov's romantic Prelude in G could be rescored for Whoopee Cushion and Squashed Rabbits.
'There's the overtures,' said Andr?'and the ballroom scene…'
'At least get him a bow-tie,' said Salzella.
'No one can see him, Mr Salzella, and he hasn't really got much of a neck…'
'We do have standards, Andr?
'Yes, Mr Salzella.'
'Since you seem to have been relieved of employment this evening, then perhaps you could help us apprehend the Ghost.'
'Certainly, Mr Salzella.'
'Fetch him a tie, then, and come with me.'
A little later, left to himself, the Librarian opened his copy of the score and placed it carefully on the stand.
He reached down under the seat and pulled out a large brown paper bag of peanuts. He wasn't entirely sure why Andr?having talked him into playing the organ this evening, had told the other man that it was because he, the Librarian, wouldn't budge. In fact, he'd got some interesting cataloguing to do and had been looking forward to it. Instead, he seemed to be here for the night, although a pound of shelled peanuts was handsome pay by any ape's standards. The human mind was a deep and abiding mystery and the Librarian was glad he didn't have one any more.
He inspected the bow-tie. As Andr?ad foreseen, it presented certain problems to someone who'd been behind the door when the necks were handed out.
