Miss Ballingers spoke. "This is fun, isn't it!" - and here Penny felt Dickie step gently on her foot under the table - "I wonder if you would all have pity on a lonely old woman who was going to have her lunch alone and come and join me? Would you? I should be so glad of your company."

Then, before Penny could make any further protest, the waiter appeared again and they soon found themselves seated round a larger table with their new hostess, who had her back to the window. She gave them a very good meal - a meal so unusual and so satisfying that even Dickie was reduced to silence. Penny was too worried to say much, but she did notice that Slinky kept very quiet and this, of course, was in keeping with the part they now knew he had to play with Miss Ballinger.

It was while the grown-ups were having their coffee, however, that Penny noticed the weather. From where she was sitting she could see the Parade and part of the beach, but for the last hour she had been too busy listening to Miss Ballinger and keeping a guard on her own tongue to realize that what had seemed to be a storm was now a raging gale.

"We shan't be able to bathe now," she said to Mary regretfully.

"I've got a better idea," Miss Ballinger broke in. "The weather's too bad to do anything out of doors and I've done all my shopping. If Mr. Grandon would give me a lift home I should be very grateful and then, perhaps, you would all come and have tea with me and finish off the day nicely."

Mr. Grandon murmured a polite acceptance - just a little too quickly it seemed - and the twins looked rather at a loss. But by now Penny's mood had changed. Perhaps it was the good lunch, but although she was sure that this meeting had been arranged, she no longer felt afraid. If they thought that they could bully Penny Warrender they were mistaken, and perhaps this would be a chance for her to solve the mystery on her own.

If she was clever she might find out more than Miss Ballinger realized and, in any case, no real harm could come to them. Miss Ballinger would not dare to hurt them and the meeting was not likely to be more than a battle of wits, so she turned to their hostess and thanked her as charmingly and naturally as she knew.

"Of course we will give you a lift home, Miss Ballinger. I know my aunt would be very cross with us if we did not help you after your kindness. But I don't think really that we ought to stay to tea, because four extra is a lot..."