Deep snow, glittering with an eerie blue lustre, lay heavy on the high boundary wall. In the deserted garden beyond the gatehouse, several statues also were covered with soft white shrouds.
Louise clutched her chum’s hand and urged her to a faster pace.
Then suddenly, with one accord, the girls halted.
Directly ahead, at the front entrance to the monastery, a big rusty gate stood slightly ajar!
“It’s open!” whispered Louise. “Why, never before have I seen that gate unlocked!”
For an instant, Penny too was slightly unnerved. But she replied steadily: “What of it? Perhaps someone has moved in.”
While Louise watched uneasily, she walked to the gate, fingering the rusty chain which dangled in the snow.
Then boldly, she pushed the gate farther open.
“Don’t go in there!” Louise warned, her voice sharp with anxiety. “Please come on.”
Penny’s ears were deaf to the plea. She stared intently at a trail of footprints which led from where she stood to a circular stone gatehouse only a few yards away. The marks were very large and had been made by a man’s heavy boot.