Down this he crept, and found himself beside the little gardener's door.

Although here there was only snow-lit dusk, he felt for the handle of the lock, found it, turned it, and was, at once, over the steps, into the garden.
Here, with a vengeance, he felt the full romance and danger of his enterprise.

It was horribly cold; he had been in the nursery for two whole days, wrapped up and warm, and now the snowy world seemed to leap up at him and drag him down as though into an icy well.

Mysterious shadows hovered over the garden; the fountain pointed darkly against the sky, and he could feel from the feathery touches upon his face that the snow had begun to fall again.
He moved forward a few steps; the house was so dark behind him, the world so dim and uncertain in front of him, that for a moment his heart failed him.

He might have to search the whole garden for the dog.
Then he heard a sniff, felt something wet against his leg--he had almost stepped upon the animal.