“I dunno. She must’ve seen a mouse.”
“Cats don’t howl unless they are hurt! You opened the window!”
“No! No! I didn’t!” the old woman cried. “Don’t strike me! I’m telling you the truth.”
Penny heard the monk walk to the window. Her heart skipped a beat when he said: “Perhaps you are, Julia! I can see footprints in the snow! Someone crawled out through this window! You helped that girl get away!”
“I didn’t! I didn’t!” whimpered Julia. “I dunno how the window got open.”
The monk seemed to be talking to himself as he went on: “I knew that girl would make trouble the minute I set eyes on her! If it hadn’t been for her interference, everything would have gone just as planned! Now she’ll have to pay for her folly!”
For a moment Penny thought Father Benedict was speaking of her. Then it came to her that he must be referring to the dark-haired girl she had seen briefly on the day of her first visit to the monastery.
“This isn’t the only time she’s slipped out of here!” the monk went on angrily. “But it will be the last!”
Father Benedict rang a bell. While waiting for it to be answered, he slammed down the kitchen window.
Soon Winkey, the hunchback, appeared. “You called me, boss?” he inquired.