bout my fender?" the man demanded testily of
Penny, ignoring Susan entirely.

"Nothing. The fault was entirely yours. You're lucky the accident
wasn't any worse."

"We'll see about this," the driver snapped. He made a great ado of
copying down the license number of Penny's car.

"If you're determined to make a fuss, I should advise you to see my
father--his name is Christopher Nichols."

"Nichols, the detective?"

Penny could not restrain a smile for it was easy to see that the name
had startled the belligerent driver.

"Yes," she admitted.

With a scowl, the man returned paper and pencil to his pocket, not
bothering to copy down the entire license number.

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" he muttered, climbing back into
his car.

"You didn't ask me."

The man drove away, while Penny and Susan, after making a careful
examination of the roadster, continued toward the Gage Galleries.

"I guess it was lucky I had slowed down before we met that fellow,"
Penny remarked. "Otherwise I couldn't have stopped in time to avert a
crash."

"Do you think he'll try to cause trouble?"

"I doubt it. Legally he hasn't any grounds for complaint. He probably
thought he could bluff me into paying for a new fender, but when he
discovered I had a detective for a father he changed his mind."

Penny chuckled softly and drew up at the rear entrance of the Gage
Galleries. The street was crowded with fine limousines, but after
searching for a minute or two the girls found a parking place.

"We're late," Penny announced. "Let's go in the back way. It will
save time."

They entered the rear door. Hurrying along the dark corridor, intent
only upon finding the main exhibition room, they did not observe a
uniformed attendant who was approaching from the opposite direction
bearing a canvas covered painting. The girls ran into him.

"Oh, I beg your pardon," Penny apologized. "I didn't see you at all."

The man muttered something which the girls did not catch.

"Can you tell us the way to the exhibition room where the Huddleson
prize ceramics are being displayed?" Susan requested.

The attendant did not answer. Instead he moved swiftly on down the
corridor with his burden.

"Real sociable, isn't he?" Penny commented. "But come on, Sue, we'll
find the place without his help."

They followed the corridor until it branched off in several directions.
As they paused uncertainly, another attendant approached them