i had forgotten the strange pets which the doctor affected. there was a cheetah, too; perhaps we might find it upon our shoulders at any moment. i confess that i felt easier in my mind when, after following holmes’ example and slipping off my shoes, i found myself inside the bedroom. my companion noiselessly closed the shutters, moved the lamp onto the table, and cast his eyes round the room. all was as we had seen it in the daytime. then creeping up to me and making a trumpet of his hand, he whispered into my ear again so gently that it was all that i could do to distinguish the words: