CHAPTER 15 _FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW_
Jake Cotton's careless remark about the canopied bed at the monasteryfilled Penny with deep excitement.
"Perhaps Old Julia isn't as crazy as she seems!" she thought. "The placedoes have a canopied bed, and she may have been trying to tell mesomething about it!"
Now more than ever, Penny was determined to revisit the monastery thatnight. Many unanswered questions plagued her. Not only was she curious towitness a cult ceremony, but also she wished to learn the identity of thestrange girl who lived on the premises. And she hoped to view the chapelroom with the freight lift and if possible, to see the canopied bed ofwhich Old Julia had prattled so unintelligibly.
Hastening into the house, Penny sought Mrs. Weems in the kitchen.
"Anything I can do to help with dinner?" she inquired.
The housekeeper, in the act of putting a kettle of potatoes on the fireto boil, eyed her with instant suspicion.
"And where do you plan to go when dinner is over, may I ask?" sheinquired.
"Only out to the monastery."
"Again! You came from there not a half hour ago!"
"Oh, Mr. DeWitt assigned me to cover a cult meeting tonight," Pennyassured her hastily.
"And your father approves?"
"Haven't seen him yet. He ought to be coming home any minute now."
"Your father telephoned he will be detained," Mrs. Weems explained. "Idoubt he'll be home before nine o'clock. So the monastery expedition isout of the question!"
"Oh, Mrs. Weems!" Penny was aghast. "I promised Mr. DeWitt! He'sdepending on the story."
"That's neither here nor there," the housekeeper replied, though shesoftened a little. "I simply can't allow you to go to the monastery aloneat night--"
"Oh, I'll start right away--just as soon as I can grab a bite of dinner,"Penny broke in eagerly. "If Father Benedict refuses me permission to seethe ceremony, then I can come back."
"You can, but will you?"
"Eventually, at least," Penny grinned. "Oh, Mrs. Weems, have a heart!Can't I telephone Dad somewhere?"
The housekeeper shook her head. "He's in an important meeting and can'tbe disturbed until it's over."
"But you will let me go? I won't be gone long."
"Oh, I suppose I'll have to give in," Mrs. Weems sighed. "I usually do.I'll hurry dinner along so you can get back early."
While the housekeeper fried pork chops, Penny set the table and prepareda salad. When the meal was ready she ate with a haste that shocked Mrs.Weems.
"I declare, your table manners become worse every day!" she protested."Your mind isn't on what you are doing."
"It's on what I'm about to do!" Penny chuckled, getting up from thetable. "I don't want any dessert tonight. See you later!"
Donning a heavy coat and slipping a flashlight into one of the deeppockets, she left the house.
The night was dark, for as yet there was no moon. Penny drove rapidlythrough Riverview and along the lonely road which led to the monastery.
Despite the speed of her car, she soon noted that another automobile wasovertaking her. The girl pressed her foot a little more firmly on thegasoline pedal, but still the other car gained.
She was driving forty-five miles an hour when the big black car passedher traveling at least sixty. On the narrow road, Penny was crowdeddangerously close to the ditch.
"The nerve of some people!" she muttered in disgust. "No wonder there areso many highway accidents!"
Penny caught only a fleeting glimpse of the black car's driver, a manhunched low over the steering wheel.
"Why, that looked like Winkey!" she thought. "And another man was withhim in the front seat! I wonder if it was Father Benedict?"
Penny speeded up but found it impossible to keep the car in view. Whenshe skidded at a curve, she wisely slowed down and abandoned the chase.
Approaching the monastery ten minutes later, the girl decided to park ashort distance from the entrance gate. She left the car at the roadsidebeyond view of the gatehouse, and tramped on through the slush and snow.
Coming within sight of the ancient building, she paused.
The big gate stood ajar, and on the driveway stood the black automobilewhich had passed her car down the road.
"So it was Winkey!" she thought.
At the gateway Penny gazed carefully about the grounds. The hunchback wasnowhere to be seen and the gatehouse remained deserted.
"So far, so good!" she encouraged herself. "Now if only Father Benedictdoesn't refuse to let me into the house!"
Thinking over what she would say to the monk, Penny walked slowly up thedriveway. Nearly all of the snow had melted, leaving large puddles to beavoided.
However, near where the black car had been parked, a section of yard wasshadowed from the sun during the day. Here the damp snow remained in deepbanks.
As Penny passed the car, she noticed a double set of men's footprintsleading from the parked automobile toward the rear of the premises.
Also, she observed long marks which indicated the two men had dragged aheavy object over the snow.
"I suppose it was a sack of potatoes or supplies for the monastery," shemused. "It must be a job keeping this place in operation. Riverviewstores never would make deliveries so far out."
Windows of the monastery were dark, though far inside the building dimlights could be seen. With a feeling akin to dread Penny went to the doorand rapped with the brass knocker.
Now that she actually was embarked upon adventure, she rather regrettedshe had promised Mr. DeWitt a feature story. By night the monasteryseemed more austere and unfriendly.
Minutes elapsed and no one came to answer the door. Impatiently, Pennyclanged the knocker several times in rapid succession. Only then did shehear approaching footsteps.
At last the big door swung outward to reveal Father Benedict. His eyesnarrowed with displeasure as he saw her.
"Well?" he inquired. Penny observed that he was a little breathless fromhaving hastened.
"I don't suppose you expected to see me here again so soon!" she beganwith forced gaiety. "Do you mind if I witness the cult ceremony tonight?"
"We discussed that this afternoon. I am very sorry--" Father Benedictbegan to close the door.
"I want to write a little story about it for the newspaper," Penny wenton, talking fast. "If you'll only--"
The door closed in her face. Distinctly she heard a key grate in thelock.
"Well, how do you like that?" Penny muttered angrily. "Who does he thinkhe is, anyhow?"
She started away, only to pause and gaze thoughtfully back at thedarkened windows. To return to the newspaper office without a story wouldbe humiliating. A good reporter never failed.
"There must be some way to see that ceremony!" she reasoned. "Perhaps Ican slip in through a rear door."
Penny circled the building, taking care to avoid snow patches whererevealing footprints would be left behind. She crossed through the oldchurch-yard with its toppled, weather-stained stones, passing close alongthe church wall.
Coming to a small arching door, she tried the knob.
"Locked!" she muttered in disgust. "One would think this place were ajail!"
Half way around the building Penny found another door which evidentlyopened into the kitchen. It too was locked.
"I'm out of luck!" she decided, losing heart.
As she turned away intending to return to her car, she noticed a windowat shoulder level, opening from a kitchen wall. A ventilator screen hadbeen inserted to permit free circulation of outside air.
Penny carefully studied the window. A crack between the screen and windowframe encouraged her to hope that the mesh might be removed.
Obviously, the plan had disadvantages. In removing the screen, she mightmake too much noise and be detected.
Furthermore, a wide patch of snow separated her from the window. Shecould not reach the wal
l without leaving a trail of telltale footprints.
Then an idea flashed into Penny's mind. How easy it would be to makedeceptive prints in the snow merely by walking _backwards_!
"If Father Benedict discovers my shoetracks, he'll think someone frominside the building crawled out the window!" she chuckled. "At least Ihope he will!"
Now completely dedicated to the adventure, the girl carefully backedtoward the window. She took each step slowly to make a distinct print.
Reaching the window, she tried the ventilator screen. To her delight, itfolded like an accordian when she pushed one side against the edge of thewindow. Making no sound, she removed it.
Listening a moment to make certain no one was close by, Penny raised thewindow higher. Then on strong arms she swung herself up and over theledge.
The girl found herself in a large kitchen lighted only by a smolderinglog in a great cavern of a fireplace.
Rows of copper pans hung on the smoke-stained walls. In a huge blackkettle, watery soup simmered over the fire.
Penny turned to close the window and stepped squarely on the tail of adrowsing cat.
"Ye-eow!" screeched the frightened animal.
Penny huddled against the wall, listening. Her heart sank as she heardheavy footsteps in the passageway. The howling cat had brought someone toinvestigate!
Frantically, the girl glanced about the room. Huge cupboards which rosefrom the floor to the ceiling offered the only possible hiding place inthe otherwise barren kitchen.
Pulling open one of the doors, she saw an interior cluttered with greasypans and dishes. With desperate haste, she tried the adjoining door. Thiscupboard was empty except for a few dusty newspapers.
Penny stepped inside, softly closing the door. Only then, as she heardsomeone enter the kitchen, did she realize that in her haste to hide, shehad forgotten to close the window.