“Sealed?”
“I promise Mrs. Marborough I tell nothing of what I see in the house.”
“Then there is something mysterious going on there!” Penny exclaimed. “Tell me, why did you go to the house?”
“Mrs. Marborough sent for me.”
“But why?” Penny demanded, exasperated because she could learn nothing of importance. “Did Mrs. Marborough sell you something?”
“Maybe so, maybe not,” the second-hand man answered, climbing into his overloaded car. “You ask her.”
Penny watched him drive away, and then returned to her own doorstep. She was listlessly throwing acorns at a squirrel when Louise Sidell came down the street, dressed in her Sunday best.
“What’s the matter, Penny?” she inquired, roving over to the porch. “How do you feel this morning?”
“Lower than the center of the earth. I’ve lost my reputation with Dad, my allowance, and my initiative. If I had a nickel I’d go drown myself in a coke!”
“What you need is a nice adventure,” Louise said mischievously. “How about a trip out to Mrs. Marborough’s tomorrow night?”