Mystery of the Queen's Jewels Read online

  The Boxcar Children Mysteries

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  SURPRISE ISLAND

  THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY RANCH

  MIKE’S MYSTERY

  BLUE BAY MYSTERY

  THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

  THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

  MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

  SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

  CABOOSE MYSTERY

  HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

  SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

  TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

  BICYCLE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY IN THE SAND

  MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

  BUS STATION MYSTERY

  BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL

  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  The Mystery of the Queen’s Jewels

  Created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  Illustrated by Charles Tang

  ALBERT WHITMAN & Company, Chicago

  Contents

  1. An Exciting Phone Call

  2. Two Very Different Guests

  3. A Friend Stops By

  4. Follow That Cab

  5. A Secret Plan

  6. The Tower of London

  7. “I’ve Hidden It…”

  8. Afternoon Tea

  9. A Hidden Package

  10. Mystery Solved

  CHAPTER 1

  An Exciting Phone Call

  “I’ll get it!” twelve-year-old Jessie Alden called, running for the telephone. She and her brother, six-year-old Benny, had been playing checkers in the living room of their grandfather’s large house. Jessie reached the phone on the hall table just as it rang for the third time. “Hello?” she said, picking it up. “Yes, this is the home of James Alden. I’m his granddaughter.” She paused, listening to what the person on the other end was saying. “Really? How exciting!” Jessie said after a moment.

  Benny had followed his sister into the hall. He wondered who was on the telephone, and what he or she had said that was so exciting. He liked solving mysteries, even small ones like this.

  “I didn’t even know he was going away,” Jessie said into the phone.

  “Who’s going away?” Benny said to himself.

  “To London!” Jessie was saying. “I’ll tell him as soon as he gets home. Thank you. Good-bye.” She hung up the phone.

  “Who was that? What’s so exciting? Who’s going away?” Benny asked.

  “Slow down,” Jessie said, smiling at her little brother. “That was Grandfather’s travel agent. She said that his airplane tickets to London are ready.”

  “Airplane tickets!” Benny cried with excitement. “But where’s London?”

  “It’s across the ocean, in a country called England,” Jessie said.

  “Did I hear you say Grandfather was going away?” asked their ten-year-old sister, Violet, who had just come downstairs.

  “Yes, to London!” Benny said. “It’s across the ocean, in another country!”

  “Let’s go look in the atlas, Benny, and I can show you exactly where it is,” Jessie suggested.

  They all went into the den, which was lined with bookcases. Their fourteen-year-old brother, Henry, was sitting in a large comfortable chair, reading a book. Their dog, Watch, lay curled up at his feet.

  The children had lived with their grandfather ever since their parents had died. At first they’d been afraid of him and had run away to hide in an old boxcar in the woods. But once they met Mr. Alden they’d realized what a warm, loving man he was and had come to live with him. And he had even moved the boxcar to the backyard so they could play in it.

  Jessie told Henry about Grandfather’s trip. Then she pulled out the large leather-bound atlas from the bottom shelf of one of the bookcases. She turned the pages slowly until she found a map that showed the United States and England. “See, here’s where we live.” She pointed to the United States. “And here’s England,” she said, pointing to a small country on the other side of the page. “London is the capital city, just like Washington, D.C., is the capital of our country.”

  “What’s all that blue in the middle of the page?” Benny asked, pointing.

  “That’s the Atlantic Ocean,” said Henry.

  “England looks pretty far away,” said Benny.

  “It is,” Jessie said. “Grandfather’s plane ride there will probably take at least six hours.”

  “Look,” Henry said, pulling another book from the shelf. “Here’s a guide to London.”

  The children gathered around Henry as he slowly turned the pages. The book told all about London, the sights to see and things to do. It had lots of glossy colored pictures. Henry turned to a page with a picture of a palace.

  “What’s that?” Benny asked.

  “That’s Buckingham Palace, where the queen lives,” Henry said.

  “Wow! A real palace, with a queen and everything!” said Benny.

  The next picture showed a line of men marching, wearing bright red coats, and tall furry black hats on their heads. “Those are the queen’s guards,” Jessie said.

  “Their hats sure are funny,” said Benny.

  “That’s Big Ben,” said Violet, pointing to another picture.

  “Who?” Benny asked.

  Violet giggled. “It’s not a who,” she said. “It’s a beautiful old clock tower.”

  “And there’s a double-decker bus,” said Henry. “It must be fun to ride on the top of one of those.”

  “I bet Grandfather is going to have a good time in London,” said Benny. “I sure wish we could go with him.”

  That night, whe
n James Alden came home for dinner, his grandchildren were waiting for him in the front hallway.

  “Your travel agent called today,” Jessie said. “She told me—”

  “We didn’t know you were going away,” Benny interrupted. “To London!”

  “Yes, I have some business to take care of there,” said Grandfather. “I just found out myself.” He took off his coat and hung it in the closet.

  “I wish we could go with you,” said Benny.

  “You do?” Grandfather said. Nobody noticed the slight smile on his face.

  “We found some pictures of London in a guidebook,” Jessie explained. “It looks like a wonderful place.”

  “It’s one of my favorite cities,” said Grandfather, his smile spreading. “I think you’ll like it.”

  “You think we’ll like it?” asked Violet.

  “Yes,” Grandfather said, breaking into a big smile. “You’re coming with me!”

  “We are?” asked Benny.

  “I guess the travel agent didn’t tell you,” Grandfather explained. “Those airplane tickets are for all of us.”

  “Hooray!” the children chorused.

  A week later, their suitcases packed, the Aldens were boarding a large airplane, bound for London. It was almost nine o’clock at night. Grandfather had explained that they would sleep on the airplane and the next morning they’d be in England.

  “We’re in row three,” called Jessie, leading the way. “We can put our backpacks up here, Benny.” After putting her own backpack in the overhead bin, she reached for Benny’s. He had packed all sorts of games and toys in his little red backpack.

  “But I wanted to do some of the puzzles I brought,” he said.

  “Grandfather said we have to put everything away before takeoff,” said Jessie.

  She settled into her seat and helped Benny buckle his seat belt. Henry and Violet were sitting right across the aisle, and Grandfather was in front of them, reading his newspaper.

  Just then, a man came rushing down the aisle. He was wearing a wrinkled suit and a raincoat. His arms were filled with newspapers, and over his shoulder was a red backpack much like Benny’s. The man’s face was flushed, as if he’d been running, and his hair was a mess. He stopped when he got to the third row, and dropped everything onto the floor. After searching in all his pockets, he finally pulled out a crumpled ticket. He looked at it, then turned to Henry and spoke softly with a British accent. “Excuse me. I believe you’re in my seat.” He held out his ticket for Henry to see.

  Henry looked at the man’s ticket. “I think you’re in this row,” he said politely, pointing to the seat in front of Jessie.

  “I am? Yes, you’re right. I’m so sorry,” the man said. He looked down at his pile of things on the floor. “Oh, dear, what a mess.”

  “Can I help you?” Henry asked. “How about if I put your backpack up here?” He placed the backpack in the overhead bin.

  “Thanks so much.” The man put out his hand to Henry. “I’m Charles Finchley.”

  “I’m Henry Alden, and this is my grandfather, James Alden, and my sisters and brother, Violet, Jessie, and Benny,” Henry said.

  “It’s our first trip to London,” Benny said.

  “It is?” Charles said. “London’s my home. I’m sure you’ll like it very much.”

  A friendly voice began speaking over the loudspeaker. “This is the pilot. Please take your seats. We’re ready to taxi out to the runway.”

  Soon all the passengers were settled in their seats, and the airplane taxied out to the runway and took off. After a while the flight attendants came down the aisles pushing large carts filled with drinks and snacks. While the children drank their juice and ate their small packets of peanuts, they chatted with Charles and some of the other passengers about London. Charles suggested some sights near their inn that they might like.

  The flight attendants came down the aisles and gave a set of earphones to each passenger.

  “What are these for?” Benny asked.

  “You plug them into the side of your seat,” Jessie explained. “You can listen to music, or you can use them to hear the movie that’s going to be shown.” She motioned to the screen at the front.

  The children all plugged in their earphones and enjoyed the funny movie. When it was over, they felt very tired. Grandfather had urged them to get some sleep, but they’d been having too much fun. Finally, one by one, the children curled up and went to sleep. They’d been so busy, they’d forgotten all about the puzzles in Benny’s backpack, which was still up in the overhead bin.

  The children were awakened a short while later by sunlight streaming through the small airplane windows. The flight attendants were passing out trays of breakfast: scrambled eggs, toast with jam, slices of melon, and orange juice.

  “Are we there yet?” Benny asked hopefully, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

  “Soon,” Grandfather told the children. “Eat your breakfast and we’ll be there in no time.”

  Just as Grandfather had promised, once the flight attendants had cleared away the trays, a voice on the loudspeaker told them to fasten their seat belts. They would be landing soon! The children peered out the windows excitedly at the countryside below.

  At last the plane was on the ground. “We hope you’ve enjoyed your trip,” the pilot said over the loudspeaker. “Welcome to London.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Two Very Different Guests

  After the Aldens got off the plane, they had to pick up their luggage and wait in a long line to show their passports. At last they were ready to go to their inn. Grandfather had arranged for a cab to pick them up, and the large boxy black car was waiting outside. The driver loaded their suitcases into the back while the Aldens got inside.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Benny said all of a sudden.

  “What’s wrong, Benny?” Jessie asked, concerned.

  “There’s something wrong with the car!” Benny said.

  “There is?” asked Henry.

  “Yes, the steering wheel is on the wrong side!” Benny cried.

  Grandfather chuckled. “That’s how they drive here in England. And wait until you see — the cars drive on the left side of the road instead of the right!”

  In a short time they arrived at the Cheshire Inn. It was a small brick building on a quiet tree-lined street. In front was a small rose garden surrounded by a brick wall.

  A plump gray-haired woman came hurrying out to greet them. “Mr. Alden!” she called out in a distinctive accent. “How nice to see you!” She took one of Grandfather’s hands in her own and shook it vigorously.

  “Mrs. Brown, it’s so good to see you, also. These are my grandchildren, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny,” Grandfather said. “Mrs. Brown takes good care of me whenever I visit London.”

  “It’s been a long time since your last visit,” Mrs. Brown said. “Come on in and I’ll show you around.” Mrs. Brown reminded the children of Mrs. McGregor, Grandfather’s housekeeper back home.

  She led the Aldens inside to a cozy wood-paneled hallway. “Here’s where we serve breakfast each morning,” she said, motioning toward the dining room.

  Next she showed them the living room. “This room is for all our guests to enjoy. We have a chess set and a backgammon board, and plenty of books. Make yourself at home anytime.” The children saw that someone was already doing just that. A tall red-haired woman sat on the couch reading a book. She glanced up at the Aldens, but instead of saying hello, she turned her back and burrowed even more deeply into her book.

  “There are two other guests staying here,” Mrs. Brown explained. “That’s Donna Russo,” Mrs. Brown said. “These are the Aldens, Donna.”

  “Hello,” Donna murmured, not looking up from her book.

  “They’re American, too,” Mrs. Brown went on.

  “Mmm-hmmm …” Donna said, still not looking up.

  “Where in the States are you from?” Grandfather asked.

  “Californi
a,” Donna said, continuing to read.

  Then Benny piped up, “What are you reading? It must be good!” He soon realized he’d said the wrong thing.

  Donna looked up and gave him a piercing stare. “It’s none of your business,” she said angrily, closing her book with a snap. Tucking the book under her arm; she walked past the Aldens and up the stairs in a huff.

  The Aldens looked at one another, surprised at her strong reaction.

  Benny looked at the ground. “I was just trying to be friendly.”

  “Don’t mind her,” Mrs. Brown said, putting an arm around Benny’s shoulders. “That’s just her way. Come with me and I’ll show you your rooms.”

  The Aldens followed Mrs. Brown up a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs were two rooms opposite each other. One was Benny and Henry’s, and the other was Grandfather’s. Around the corner was the room Jessie and Violet would be sharing. Across from their room was a closed door.

  “Another guest is staying in that room,” Mrs. Brown explained.

  “Not Donna, I hope,” said Jessie. “I don’t want to run into her too often if she’s going to be so unfriendly.”

  Mrs. Brown smiled. “No, her room is upstairs. Andrew Smythe is across from you, and he’s very nice.”

  “And there are only two other guests?” Jessie asked.

  “Yes, that’s all,” said Mrs. Brown.

  “That’s why I like this inn,” said Mr. Alden. “It’s small and cozy.”

  Each room was decorated with pretty flowered wallpaper and delicate lace curtains. The beds had carved wooden headboards and were covered with soft fluffy quilts.

  “I’m sure we’ll be very comfortable,” Jessie told Mrs. Brown.

  “Let me know if you need anything,” Mrs. Brown said with a warm smile, and she went back downstairs.

  “I’m going to have a hot bath,” Grandfather said. “Then we can go get some lunch.” He went into his room.

  The children were just heading into their own rooms when a young man in a long raincoat came bounding around the corner and almost bumped into Violet.

  “Dreadfully sorry!” he cried, backing up and taking off his dark glasses. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” Violet said.

  “I didn’t see you,” the man said. He was very attractive and had a deep, rich voice.