“My orders are to keep folks out o’ here!” Winkey shouted. “I don’t care who you are! Ye ain’t settin’ foot inside here, unless the boss says so! Now get out!”
“Try to put me out!” the visitor challenged.
“Okay, I will!” retorted the hunchback.
He would have seized the visitor by the arm, had not Father Benedict called to him from the doorway: “Winkey!”
“Yes, Father,” the hunchback mumbled.
“Now tell me what is wrong,” the cult leader bade as he went down to the gate, followed by Penny and Mr. Ayling. “Who is this gentleman?”
“My name is Vernon Eckenrod,” the visitor introduced himself. “I’m an artist. I live down the road a quarter of a mile.”
“He wants to come in and paint a picture,” interposed Winkey. “I told him nothin’ doing.”
“Your man doesn’t understand,” said Mr. Eckenrod, glaring at the hunchback. “I am doing a series of pictures of the monastery for a national magazine. The sketches are finished and now I’m starting to paint.”
“You mean you wish to do exterior scenes?”