“We’re not accustomed to waiting,” Isabel Topham told him icily.
“Such service!” Ada chimed in. “Do you realize that my father owns stock in this store? If we report your conduct to him, he could have you discharged.”
“I’m sorry,” the harassed floor manager apologized. “But it is a rule of the store. You must await your turn.”
Ada tossed her head and her dark eyes flashed angrily. In spite of the expensive clothes she wore, she was anything but attractive, for she was tall and slender to the point of being termed “skinny.” Now that her face was distorted with anger, she was positively ugly.
Isabel, who was the pride of the Topham family, was rather pretty in a vapid sort of way, but Nancy Drew thought that her face lacked character. She had acquired an artificial manner of speaking which was both irritating and amusing. It was her mother’s ambition that some day she marry into a wealthy family, and every opportunity was given her for a brilliant match.
The two sisters were older than Nancy, but had been in her class at school. She had found them stupid, as well as arrogant. They had never been popular with their classmates and had boasted few friends.
Now, as they turned from the floor manager and saw her for the first time, Nancy bowed.
Isabel coldly returned the bow but did not speak a word of greeting. Ada gave no indication that she had even noticed her.
“Snobs!” Nancy told herself. “The next time I won’t even bother to speak to them!”
At that moment a saleswoman hurried toward the Topham girls and at once they began to shower abuse upon her for her failure to wait upon