That good gentleman, whose eyes, till then, had been fixed as usual on his master, now turned his attention to the intruder.

The spider, as if conscious of danger, had suddenly stopped still.

Monsieur Crapaud gazed at it intently with his beautiful eyes, and bent himself slightly forward.

So they remained for some seconds, then the spider turned round, and began suddenly to scramble away.

At this instant Monsieur the Viscount saw his friend's eyes gleam with an intenser fire, his head was jerked forwards; it almost seemed as if something had been projected from his mouth, and drawn back again with the rapidity of lightning.