Turning his steps in the direction of Piccadilly, he reflected that this grim and uncanny secret which he shared with his father was like to prove prejudicial to his success in journalism. It was eternally uprising, demoniac, between himself and his work. The feeling of fierce resentment towards Antony Ferrara which he cherished grew stronger at every step. _He_ was the spider governing the web, the web that clammily touched Dr. Cairn, himself, Robert Cairn, and--Myra Duquesne. Others there had been who had felt its touch, who had been drawn to the heart of the unclean labyrinth--and devoured. In the mind of Cairn, the figure of Antony Ferrara assumed the shape of a monster, a ghoul, an elemental spirit of evil. And now he was ascending the marble steps. Before the gates of the lift he stood and pressed the bell. Ferrara's proved to be a first-floor suite, and the doors were opened by an Eastern servant dressed in white. "His beastly theatrical affectation again!" muttered Cairn. "The man should have been a music-hall illusionist!" The visitor was salaamed into a small reception room. Of this apartment the walls and ceiling were entirely covered by a fretwork in sandalwood, evidently Oriental in workmanship. In niches, or doorless cup-boards; stood curious-looking vases and pots. Heavy curtains of rich fabric draped the doors. The floor was of mosaic, and a small fountain played in the centre. A cushioned divan occupied one side of the place, from which natural light was entirely excluded and which was illuminated only by an ornate lantern swung from the ceiling. This lantern had panes of blue glass, producing a singular effect. A silver _mibkharah_, or incense-burner, stood near to one corner of the divan and emitted a subtle perfume. As the servant withdrew: "Good heavens!" muttered Cairn, disgustedly; "poor Sir Michael's fortune won't last long at this rate!" He glanced at the smoking _mibkharah_. "Phew! effeminate beast! Ambergris!" No more singular anomaly could well be pictured than that afforded by the lean, neatly-groomed Scotsman, with his fresh, clean-shaven face and typically British air, in this setting of Eastern voluptuousness. The dusky servitor drew back a curtain and waved him to enter, bowing low as the visitor passed. Cairn found himself in Antony Ferrara's study. A huge fire was blazing in the grate, rendering the heat of the study almost insufferable.