THE SECRET OF THE ICE CASTLE

8: THE OLD STONE HOUSE

Louise hurried over to Jean's bed and shook her roughly by the shoulders to awaken her. The girl stirred and opened her eyes.

"Whaa -a-a-t?"

Louise put a finger to her lips. "Shhh! Listen!"

Jean pushed herself up to her elbows and her eyes widened as she heard the sad sweet music wafting on the wind, and the mournful howl of the wolf.

"Jeepers! That's really spooky," she whispered, shuddering. "No wonder everyone here is frightened."

"It's scary, all right," Louise agreed. "But that's a person out there, not a ghost. Someone who is purposely trying to frighten the Symingtons."

Jean jumped out of bed and pulled on her slippers and robe. "But who and why? And if it is Lorraine, well it doesn't make sense. Why would she try to frighten her parents?"

Louise shook her head. "It is a real mystery, and we have to get busy and solve it! Get the flashlight and I'll turn these lights off. Maybe we can see who's outside."

Louise turned off the lights as Jean retrieved the flashlight. They both crept up to the window where Louise had been reclining on the love-seat and peered out through the leaded panes. The back acreage was bathed in moonlight and thousands of stars glittered in the velvet winter sky. They searched the gardens and the lawns that led up to the woods, but nothing was there to be seen.

Again the song of the flute and the howl of the wolf broke the stillness of the night.

"Ooh!" Jean shuddered. "It gives me the willies!"

"That sounded closer to the house," Louise whispered, intensely scrutinizing the darkness. "Oh, look! By the abbey ..."

But just as soon as she had seen the slight movement of a shadow, it was gone.

"Where?" Jean looked at the small stone building. "I don't see anything."

"It's gone. It was just a shadow by the old chapel. But I'm sure I saw something move!"

"Let's go out to the gallery," Jean suggested. "Uncle Ned and Mr. Symington may be out there by now. If the prowler enters the house, we may able to catch him."

"Or her," Louise added, as they turned to leave the room. "We should have a gun to help deal with that wolf."

"I dare say Mr. Symington has one with him," Jean guessed, switching on the flashlight.

But when they opened the door to the suite's parlor they were surprised to see the lights on. The doors to the other bedrooms were open, and the door to the hall was ajar.

"Uncle Ned and Aunt Harriet must have already gone out to the gallery," Louise said. She explained that she had fallen asleep while reading and that the haunting episode may have been going on longer than they thought.

"Some detectives we are," Jean harrumphed. "Both of us sleeping on the job!"

Lights were aglow in the hallways and gallery and, as they approached the stairway, they could see the main hall was well lit too. The sound of someone crying came from behind a door in the main wing and the girls surmised it was Mrs. Symington. They shared a concerned glance as they passed the door, but then hurried down the stairway when they heard Uncle Ned's and Mr. Symington's voices downstairs.

As they crossed the hall the girls could see that most of the first floor lights in the surrounding rooms were burning. They went straight into the Winter Parlor where the voices had come from and saw Uncle Ned and Mr. Symington, in their robes and slippers, looking out the bay window by the Christmas tree. Jean had been right; Mr. Symington had a pistol in hand.