plight. But as her eyes returned to the mastiff, the truth struck her with sickening force.
She could neither do any investigating without attracting the dog’s attention, nor could she leave the wooden enclosure by way of the gate!
Indeed, she dared not make the slightest sign or sound that would betray her presence to the mastiff and set him to baying an alarm.
She was trapped!
CHAPTER XIV
Mad Dash!
NANCY felt a wave of panic, but she swiftly steeled her nerves. Now was the time for cool reasoning, she told herself, not a surrender to sudden fears.
“If I go in the other direction, away from the dog, maybe he won’t detect me,” she decided. “I’ll worry later about getting out of here.”
Nancy tiptoed along, making her way to the old brick building. Not a sound could be heard from within. She tried the door. It was locked.
Suddenly lights sprang up behind some distant trees and spread a low white glow over the area. A moment later a red glare flared up briefly and Nancy could hear indistinct voices.
Presently there was a clink of metal, the rattle of a chain. Then an engine sputtered, coughed, and finally settled down to a steady chug-chug-chug.
“What’s that for?” Nancy wondered. “It might be a water pump, but why all the lights?”
Starting forward, she suddenly found her path blocked. Two Lavender Sisters came out of the shadows. One stood as if guarding the unseen operation. The other walked briskly toward the mastiff. Nancy recognized her as the woman she had encountered earlier.
The dog rose at her approach, and the woman placed a large tin pan heaped with raw meat in front of him. As the dog’s jaws crunched into the meat, the Lavender Sister turned to go back. At that moment in a low but clearly audible voice from outside the high board fence came a call.
“Nancy!”
It was Bess’s voice!
She called again, even more anxiously. “Nancy! Where are you?”
Nancy longed to reply, but more fervently than that she wished Bess would stop calling, because the woman was staring in the direction of the voice.
Hastily Nancy tiptoed nearer the fence. Taking a notebook from her bag, she quickly scribbled a warning:
“Hide!”
She tore off the page and wrapped it around a stone, which she tossed over the fence. She hoped Bess or George would see it. Then she looked again toward the woman.
The Lavender Sister seemed to be hesitating, not certain whether to investigate or not. Then, with sudden decision, she walked to the gate and pushed up the latch.
“The ladder!” Nancy remembered wildly.
What if the girls had left it propped against the fence and the woman instigated a search of the grounds to see who had climbed over!
As the long-robed figure slipped outside the wooden enclosure, Nancy waited with bated breath for the outcome of the woman’s search. Seconds dragged into minutes, but there was no sound. Finally the Lavender Sister reappeared inside the grounds and shut the gate behind her.
Nancy gave a sigh of relief. Taking the ladder with them, the girls had apparently hidden in the nearby woods.
Nancy’s hope of seeing more of the grounds to learn if there were a China clay pit, or to locate Manning-Carr or his brother, faded as time went on. The two Lavender Sisters stood in stony silence, barring all chance to do this. Finally Nancy concluded she would have to give up and try to get out of the place.
“But that awful beast!” she told herself.
The mastiff uttered a low, throaty growl as if he sensed an alien presence. Nancy scribbled a second note to Bess and George, briefly describing her plight. After folding the paper around a stone, she tossed the note over the fence.
But neither a note nor the sound of a voice came over the top of the wooden partition in reply.
Nancy was worried. “I hope they didn’t run into any trouble.”
This thought spurred her on to seek an escape from the enclosure and find out what had happened to them.
The dog stretched himself on
She could neither do any investigating without attracting the dog’s attention, nor could she leave the wooden enclosure by way of the gate!
Indeed, she dared not make the slightest sign or sound that would betray her presence to the mastiff and set him to baying an alarm.
She was trapped!
CHAPTER XIV
Mad Dash!
NANCY felt a wave of panic, but she swiftly steeled her nerves. Now was the time for cool reasoning, she told herself, not a surrender to sudden fears.
“If I go in the other direction, away from the dog, maybe he won’t detect me,” she decided. “I’ll worry later about getting out of here.”
Nancy tiptoed along, making her way to the old brick building. Not a sound could be heard from within. She tried the door. It was locked.
Suddenly lights sprang up behind some distant trees and spread a low white glow over the area. A moment later a red glare flared up briefly and Nancy could hear indistinct voices.
Presently there was a clink of metal, the rattle of a chain. Then an engine sputtered, coughed, and finally settled down to a steady chug-chug-chug.
“What’s that for?” Nancy wondered. “It might be a water pump, but why all the lights?”
Starting forward, she suddenly found her path blocked. Two Lavender Sisters came out of the shadows. One stood as if guarding the unseen operation. The other walked briskly toward the mastiff. Nancy recognized her as the woman she had encountered earlier.
The dog rose at her approach, and the woman placed a large tin pan heaped with raw meat in front of him. As the dog’s jaws crunched into the meat, the Lavender Sister turned to go back. At that moment in a low but clearly audible voice from outside the high board fence came a call.
“Nancy!”
It was Bess’s voice!
She called again, even more anxiously. “Nancy! Where are you?”
Nancy longed to reply, but more fervently than that she wished Bess would stop calling, because the woman was staring in the direction of the voice.
Hastily Nancy tiptoed nearer the fence. Taking a notebook from her bag, she quickly scribbled a warning:
“Hide!”
She tore off the page and wrapped it around a stone, which she tossed over the fence. She hoped Bess or George would see it. Then she looked again toward the woman.
The Lavender Sister seemed to be hesitating, not certain whether to investigate or not. Then, with sudden decision, she walked to the gate and pushed up the latch.
“The ladder!” Nancy remembered wildly.
What if the girls had left it propped against the fence and the woman instigated a search of the grounds to see who had climbed over!
As the long-robed figure slipped outside the wooden enclosure, Nancy waited with bated breath for the outcome of the woman’s search. Seconds dragged into minutes, but there was no sound. Finally the Lavender Sister reappeared inside the grounds and shut the gate behind her.
Nancy gave a sigh of relief. Taking the ladder with them, the girls had apparently hidden in the nearby woods.
Nancy’s hope of seeing more of the grounds to learn if there were a China clay pit, or to locate Manning-Carr or his brother, faded as time went on. The two Lavender Sisters stood in stony silence, barring all chance to do this. Finally Nancy concluded she would have to give up and try to get out of the place.
“But that awful beast!” she told herself.
The mastiff uttered a low, throaty growl as if he sensed an alien presence. Nancy scribbled a second note to Bess and George, briefly describing her plight. After folding the paper around a stone, she tossed the note over the fence.
But neither a note nor the sound of a voice came over the top of the wooden partition in reply.
Nancy was worried. “I hope they didn’t run into any trouble.”
This thought spurred her on to seek an escape from the enclosure and find out what had happened to them.
The dog stretched himself on
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