“Now don’t start that, Aunty,” Louise said, taking her by the arm. “Your car is perfectly all right. And so are you.”
They went up the steps of the stone building and mingled with the other women. So many persons were present that the three newcomers attracted no attention. Miss Frome was reassured to see that she was as well dressed as anyone in the room.
Several long tables were covered with various articles offered for sale. Penny and Louise wandered about examining objects which struck their fancy. Miss Frome bought a vase and an imitation ivory elephant, but the girls considered the prices too high for their purses.
Presently, Penny’s gaze was drawn to a young woman who stood behind one of the tables at the far end of the room. She stopped short and stared.
“See someone you know?” inquired Louise.
“Why, that young woman with the dark hair and the lace dress, Louise! She is Sylvia Kippenberg!”
“Really? I must say she has courage to come here today after all that happened!”
The young woman did not realize that she was being subjected to scrutiny. However, she seemed fully aware that she was a general object of curiosity, for her lips were frozen in a set smile and her face was pale despite the rouge on the smooth cheeks.
“I suppose she must be on the bazaar committee,” Louise went on. “But my, if anyone had jilted me, I would not have come here today.”
“Jerry must have missed his interview after all,” Penny murmured, half to herself.