Mystery of the Queen's Jewels by Gertrude Chandler Warner Page A

another country!”
    â€œLet’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.”
    â€œWhat’s all that blue in the middle of the page?” Benny asked, pointing.
    â€œThat’s the Atlantic Ocean,” said Henry.
    â€œEngland looks pretty far away,” said Benny.
    â€œIt is,” Jessie said. “Grandfather’s plane ride there will probably take at least six hours.”
    â€œLook,” 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.
    â€œWhat’s that?” Benny asked.
    â€œThat’s Buckingham Palace, where the queen lives,” Henry said.
    â€œWow! 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.
    â€œTheir hats sure are funny,” said Benny.
    â€œThat’s Big Ben,” said Violet, pointing to another picture.
    â€œWho?” Benny asked.
    Violet giggled. “It’s not a who ,” she said. “It’s a beautiful old clock tower.”
    â€œAnd there’s a double-decker bus,” said Henry. “It must be fun to ride on the top of one of those.”
    â€œI bet Grandfather is going to have a good time in London,” said Benny. “I sure wish we could go with him.”
    That night, when James Alden came home for dinner, his grandchildren were waiting for him in the front hallway.
    â€œYour travel agent called today,” Jessie said. “She told me—”
    â€œWe didn’t know you were going away,” Benny interrupted. “To London!”
    â€œYes, 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.
    â€œI wish we could go with you,” said Benny.
    â€œYou do?” Grandfather said. Nobody noticed the slight smile on his face.
    â€œWe found some pictures of London in a guidebook,” Jessie explained. “It looks like a wonderful place.”
    â€œIt’s one of my favorite cities,” said Grandfather, his smile spreading. “I think you’ll like it.”
    â€œYou think we’ll like it?” asked Violet.
    â€œYes,” Grandfather said, breaking into a big smile. “You’re coming with me!”
    â€œWe are?” asked Benny.
    â€œI guess the travel agent didn’t tell you,” Grandfather explained. “Those airplane tickets are for all of us.”
    â€œHooray!” the