Mystery in the Old Attic by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Inside were six dolls seated around a table. They were having a tea party. On the table were blue-and-white china plates, a teapot, a sugar bowl, a pitcher, and cups and saucers. One doll held a small spoon in her hand. Another had her arms around her teacup.

A thick layer of dust covered everything in the room. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling. And the dim noonday light slanted through a little window that was covered with grime.

CHAPTER 7

A Discovery

Jessie was the first to find her voice. “Look, the dolls are using the blue-and-white china Emily mentioned in her diary.”

“And this doll is probably Samantha,” said Violet as she walked over to a dark-haired doll in a faded pink dress.

“You know,” said Henry, “this could very well be the special place Emily talks about in her diary. The place that meant so much to her — and her mother.”

The others nodded. “And besides,” said Benny, “they are all having tea. Emily talks about tea in the first line of her riddle.”

“That’s right,” said Henry.

“Oh, I just know the ring is in this room,” said Benny.

“Well, the obvious place to look is near the dumbwaiter,” said Henry.

“Right,” said Jessie as she looked around the room for a little door.

“Here’s the dumbwaiter,” said Benny as he rushed over to the far wall. He poked his head inside the dumbwaiter’s door. He noticed a small hole near the dumbwaiter’s shaft. “Oh, look,” he said excitedly, “this would be a great place to hide the ring.”

While the others looked over his shoulder, Benny put his fingers in the hole. Plaster crumbled from the wall.

“Did you find it?” asked Violet.

Benny shook his head. “No, there’s nothing here.”

The Aldens searched and searched. They looked inside and outside the dumbwaiter, in all the cracks in the wall, under tables and chairs and dishes, and in all the corners and crannies of the room.

They went downstairs for lunch and came back with their grandfather and more flashlights. Still they could not find the ring.

“Oh, where could it be?” Benny said.

“I don’t know,” said Henry, shaking his head. “We’ve looked everywhere in this room.”

“Do you think someone found the ring before us and took it?” asked Jessie.

“It’s possible,” said Grandfather. “But it doesn’t look like anyone has been in this room in a very long time.”

“Not with all that dust on the dolls and furniture,” Violet agreed.

“I don’t remember ever seeing this room before,” said Grandfather. “Not in all the summers I visited.” He shook his head. “You children are discovering all kinds of things in the old mansion,” he added proudly.

“But not the ring,” said Henry.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.