Outside the wind moaned in the trees and a pale moon came up behind the Stiperstones. Downstairs the mistress of Seven Gates took a saucepan off the fire for the fifth time and somewhere out in this wild and desolate country the master strode lonely through the night.

3. The Seven Gates

The rumble of men's voices woke Peter early on her first morning at Seven Gates.

A grey square of light showed her the window, so she slipped out of bed and looked out into the farmyard towards the two ugly cottages which she had seen the evening before. It was early enough to be misty but two shadowy figures and a monster, which she supposed to be a horse, explained the voices.

The house was very quiet as she dressed quickly and stole down the stairs. There was a door into the yard from the scullery and she drew the bolts quietly and slipped out into the mist.

Away on the left were some fields which sloped away into the hazy distance. The big farmyard was bounded by a brick wall and, from where she was standing, she could see two more white gates. But over all towered the bulk of the mountain, the lower slopes of which were covered with heather. From where she was standing the Devil's Chair was invisible, but she knew it was there - poised high above the house - and now, no doubt, "he" was on his throne. She ran back to the wall and looked up to satisfy her curiosity. She was right. The Chair was hidden in the mist.

Then she heard the voices again, and walked over to the corner of the yard. The mist was thinning now as the sun gained strength and she was able to see the two men by the horse trough before they noticed her. For some reason she thought instantly of Snow White's Seven Dwarfs, although one of these men was tall and thin and the other short and stumpy. They were arguing about something as the big horse between them sucked up his morning drink.

Peter heard the one she thought of as Grumpy say in an unexpectedly thin little voice:

"I sin him, I tells yer. I sin him from upstairs windy... down foot of Dingle."

The other then noticed Peter and nudged his fellow dwarf and both swung round to stare at her. Peter grinned disarmingly.

"Good morning," she said. "It's going to be a lovely day, isn't it? I got up early specially to see you. Do you both live in those cottages?"

Instead of answering, Grumpy squeaked:

"And who might you be, Miss?"

Peter explained while they both stared at her incredulously. Then - "Dang me," said the tall one, "dang me, but be you going to stay here, Missie? You be? D'yer hear that, Humphrey? Little Miss be livin' here a while."