As Jerry arose to leave, Penny jumped up from her own chair.
“I’d like to see that stone too!” she declared. “Jerry, do you mind if I go along with you?”
“Glad to have you,” he said heartily.
Before Penny could get her hat and coat, Mrs. Maud Weems, the Parker housekeeper, appeared in the doorway to announce dinner. She was a stout, pleasant woman of middle-age and had looked after Penny since Mrs. Parker’s death many years before.
“Penny, where are you going now?” she asked, her voice disclosing mild disapproval.
“Only over to the museum.”
“You’ve not had your dinner.”
“Oh, yes, I have,” Penny laughed. “I dined on chicken at the Dorset Tourist Camp. I’ll be home in an hour or so.”
Jerking coat and hat from the hall closet, she fled from the house before Mrs. Weems could offer further objections. Jerry made a more ceremonious departure, joining Penny on the front porch.
At the curb stood the reporter’s mud-splattered coupe. The interior was only slightly less dirty, and before getting in, Penny industriously brushed off the seat.