He listened intently—and heard the sound again.
It was a soft hiss!
And now, he thought he could detect another noise—as of some creature dragging its body along the floor.
"A lizard!" he thought; and a memory of the basilisk eyes of Antony Ferrara came to him.
Both the sounds seemed to come slowly nearer and nearer—the dragging thing being evidently responsible for the hissing; until Cairn decided that the creature must be immediately outside the door.
Revolver in hand, he leapt across the room, and threw the door open.
The red carpet, to right and left, was innocent of reptiles!
Perhaps the creaking of the revolving chair, as he had prepared to quit it, had frightened the thing. With the idea before him, he systematically searched all the rooms into which it might have gone.
His search was unavailing; the mysterious reptile was not to be found.
Returning again to the study he seated himself behind the table, facing the door—which he left ajar.