“I’ll walk along if you don’t mind having company.”
“Not at all.”
Penny studied Ralph Fergus curiously, fairly certain he had a special reason for wishing to walk with her. For a time they trudged along in silence, the snow creaking beneath their boots.
“Staying at the Downey Lodge?” Fergus inquired after awhile.
“Yes, I am.”
“Like it there?”
“Well, I only arrived on the morning plane.”
“Yes, I noticed you aboard,” he nodded. “Mrs. Downey is a very fine woman, a very fine woman, but her lodge isn’t modern. You noticed that, I suppose?”
“I’m not especially critical,” smiled Penny. “It seemed to suit my needs.”
“You’ll be more critical after you have stayed there a few days,” he warned. “The service is very poor. Even this little matter of getting a morning newspaper. Now our hotel sees that every guest has one shoved under his door before breakfast.”