This would have crushed Flip, but Gloria merely took her nail scissors out of the manicure box her mother's Emile had sent her for her birthday, and started to clip her toe nails.
"Sometimes when Percy thinks no one is looking at her she gets the saddest look in her eyes." Jackie said, "It's as if she hurt deep inside."
"Maybe her husband died on her wedding night and she's mourned for him ever since," Erna suggested.
"Gee, I wish I could put nail polish on my toe nails," Gloria sighed, "but Black and Midnight would spot it somehow ... maybe he was killed in the war."
"Switzerland wasn't in the war, dopey," Erna said.
"Well, maybe he was French or something, dopey," Gloria retorted. "Or maybe he ran away and left her."
"Hah," Jackie snorted. "I bet if anybody left anybody Percy would do the leaving."
"Well, maybe he was an awful drunkard and she left him. I bet she's divorced."
"She wears a wedding ring," Jackie said. "She wouldn't wear her wedding ring if she were divorced."
"Well, maybe he has amnesia and he's just wandering about."