“Mr. Atherwald,” she said, “I wonder if you could identify this.”
The man studied the trinket for a moment.
“It looks very much like a ring which Grant purchased for Sylvia,” he declared. “Where did you get it?”
“I found it lying on the ground at the Kippenberg estate,” Penny replied vaguely. She had no intention of divulging the exact locality where she had picked up the ring.
“You see,” said Mr. Parker, “we have supporting facts in our possession which were not published. All in all, I think the story was handled discreetly, with due regard for the feelings of those involved.”
“Then you refuse to retract the story?”
“I should like to oblige you, Mr. Atherwald, but you realize such a story as this is of great interest to our readers.”
“You care only for sensationalism!”
“On the contrary, we try to avoid it,” Mr. Parker corrected. “In this particular case, we deliberately played the story down. If it develops that your son actually has disappeared—”
“I tell you it was only a practical joke,” Mr. Atherwald interrupted. “No doubt my son is at home by this time. The wedding has merely been postponed.”