Miss Miller steered skilfully away from the subject.
“Oh, this coat was given to me. It didn’t cost me a cent.”
“And how does one go about acquiring a free coat? You’ve not become a professional model?”
“No,” the actress denied, “but your guess is fairly warm. I do have a nice figure for displaying clothes. No doubt that was why I was given the job.”
“Who is your employer, Miss Miller? Someone connected with the hotel?”
The waiter had brought a loaded tray to the table, and the actress used his arrival as a pretext for not answering Penny’s question. After the man went away she began to chat glibly about other subjects. However, with the serving of dessert, she once more switched to the topic of her wardrobe.
“You were asking me about my fur coat, dearie,” she said. “Would you like to have one like it?”
“Who wouldn’t? What must I do to acquire one—rob a bank?”
Miss Miller laughed in a forced way. “You will have your little joke. From what you’ve told me, I imagine your father has plenty of money.”
“I don’t remember saying anything about it,” responded Penny dryly. “As a matter of fact, my father isn’t wealthy.”