"Thank you so much for calling out the alarm," she told Penny gratefully. "If the thief isn't caught I may lose my job."
"So do I, but I shouldn't have broken a store rule. I was completely taken in by the man's appearance."
"I don't wonder at that," Penny said. "He certainly looked anything but a crook. Was the ring a valuable one?"
"It was priced to sell at eight hundred dollars. I don't see how I could have been so stupid."
Penny felt sorry for the salesgirl, particularly so when the floorwalker came up and began to question her sharply.
"It really wasn't the clerk's fault," Penny insisted. "I feel certain that man was a professional jewel thief."
"Did you notice his appearance?" the floorwalker asked.
"Yes, he was dressed in a gray tweed suit. I'd say he was approximately six feet in height, dark hair and eyes. His face was long and angular."
The store official noted down the description and took Penny's address in case she might be needed later on to identify the crook if he were captured.
"We're watching all the lower floor exits," the floorwalker informed, "but the chances are the man got away by means of one of the fire escapes."
The store rapidly was clearing of shoppers. Penny and her companions lingered a few minutes longer and then they too were politely requested to leave.
"I'd like to know if the store detective caught that man," Penny declared as they paused for an instant on the street. "I suppose now we'll have to find out by reading our newspapers."
Rosanna Winters turned as if to leave the girls.
"Thank you again for saving my pocketbook," she said to Penny. "My ankle is much better now so I'll just take a streetcar home."
"You'll do no such thing. Why, I can see that it hurts you every step you take. It isn't more than a block or two out of my way to drive you home."
Despite Rosanna's protests, she urged the girl into the roadster which was parked at the curbing. Penny was very proud of her car. Although it was not a new model it ran very well and she spent most of her spare time keeping it washed and polished.
Since the Altman residence was close by, Penny dropped her chum off before taking Rosanna home. During the ride to Sixty-fifth Street, the Winters girl spoke scarcely a word. Several times Penny cast a curious glance in her direction.