Penny paused to introduce Louise. Mrs. Deline acknowledged the girl with an indifferent nod. Somewhat confused, Louise nervously twisted a silver ring she wore. It slipped from her finger and fell into the loose sand.
“Oh, how awkward of me!” she exclaimed, and stooped to retrieve it.
The ring buried itself deeper in the sand.
“You’ll lose it entirely if you’re not careful!” Penny warned. “Here, let me help you.”
Getting down on their knees, the girls sifted the sand with their hands. Mrs. Deline seemed amused by their difficulties and did not offer to help.
“Well, I must be getting on to the hotel,” she said casually. “I took a long walk this afternoon and I’m tired.”
“To the lighthouse?” Penny commented, before she stopped to think.
Mrs. Deline glanced at her sharply. “No, not to the lighthouse,” she replied in a tone meant to put the girl in her place. “I shouldn’t think of walking that far.”
“But I thought I saw you there.”
“You saw me?” Mrs. Deline laughed. “Well, my dear, you certainly were mistaken. I walked to the 12th Street bridge. No farther.”