Read Online Mandie Collection, The: 4 by Lois Gladys Leppard - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lois Gladys Leppard
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examine the floor, but the bag was nowhere to be found.
The young man finally stood and looked at Mandie in dismay. “No bag, Signorina,” he said.
Mandie couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Thank you for looking,” she said sadly.
“Grazie,” Senator Morton told the young man. “Thank you very much.”
“ Prego ,” the guard replied. “You are welcome.” He bowed slightly and went back to his station at the entrance of the catacombs.
Mrs. Taft looked at her granddaughter. “I’ll buy you another bag, Mandie.”
“Thank you, Grandmother, but I did bring another bag with me to Europe,” Mandie replied weakly. “That one just happened to be my favorite. I took it everywhere.”
“What did you carry in it, dear?” her grandmother asked.
“I don’t really know,” Mandie said. “I’ve been trying to remember. Let me see—I think I had a handkerchief, a comb, and a little money in it.”
“Is that all?” Senator Morton asked.
“I think so,” Mandie replied.
“Then there was nothing that can’t be replaced,” Mrs. Taft said. “Now let’s get on with our tour.”
As the group slowly made their way through the catacombs, Mandie and her friends watched carefully for any signs of her bag. They scrutinized everyone they passed, looking to see what each person was carrying. They also searched the stone floors as they followed Mrs. Taft and the senator through the maze of tombs. But there was no sign of Mandie’s bag.
Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton entered a small room at the end of a long corridor, and Mandie heard her grandmother greet someone. The young people pushed forward to see who it was.
“Good morning,” Mrs. Taft said courteously. “Imagine seeing you here.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Taft,” a male voice replied. “I am delighted to see you and the senator again.”
Mandie gasped and said, “It’s Mr. Rushton.”
The man kept looking from one side to the other, as if in a hurry to go on. “If you will excuse me, I hope to see you all later.” He quickly proceeded down the passageway.
Mandie watched him go, and when he got to the end of the corridor, he stopped to speak to another man. The candlelight was too dim to make out what the other man looked like. The two disappeared around the bend.
Mandie turned to Jonathan. “I wish I could have spoken to him. I would have asked him if you could use his equipment to show us some magic, Jonathan.”
“Mandie, you know that man isn’t going to let anyone touch his equipment,” Jonathan insisted.
“You never know till you ask,” Mandie replied.
Mandie and her friends caught up with her grandmother and the senator, but they quickly became bored with the place. Time seemed to drag. There were so many other things to see in Rome. Mandie wanted to move on.
The young people were relieved when the adults finally decided to leave.
“I believe we have seen about all there is to see, dears,” Mrs. Taft said. “Everything else is just more of the same. Shall we go now?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the three quickly answered.
“I don’t know about you young folks, but something tells me it’s time to have some more of that good Italian food,” Senator Morton said with a smile.
“Yes, sir,” the young people agreed.
They walked quickly through the passageways, and on upstairs. As they arrived at the top step, they were shocked to see policemen everywhere.
“My goodness!” Mandie cried. “What’s happened now?”
A policeman standing near the stairs stepped forward to speak to the senator. He was carrying a small notebook.
“Please, Signor, may I have your names and where you are from and where you are staying?” the policeman asked in perfect British English. He looked from one to the other of the group.
Senator Morton pulled their papers out of his pocket and handed them to the policeman. “Of course,” he said. “I believe you will find the information you need for all of us right here.”
The man took the
The young man finally stood and looked at Mandie in dismay. “No bag, Signorina,” he said.
Mandie couldn’t hide her disappointment. “Thank you for looking,” she said sadly.
“Grazie,” Senator Morton told the young man. “Thank you very much.”
“ Prego ,” the guard replied. “You are welcome.” He bowed slightly and went back to his station at the entrance of the catacombs.
Mrs. Taft looked at her granddaughter. “I’ll buy you another bag, Mandie.”
“Thank you, Grandmother, but I did bring another bag with me to Europe,” Mandie replied weakly. “That one just happened to be my favorite. I took it everywhere.”
“What did you carry in it, dear?” her grandmother asked.
“I don’t really know,” Mandie said. “I’ve been trying to remember. Let me see—I think I had a handkerchief, a comb, and a little money in it.”
“Is that all?” Senator Morton asked.
“I think so,” Mandie replied.
“Then there was nothing that can’t be replaced,” Mrs. Taft said. “Now let’s get on with our tour.”
As the group slowly made their way through the catacombs, Mandie and her friends watched carefully for any signs of her bag. They scrutinized everyone they passed, looking to see what each person was carrying. They also searched the stone floors as they followed Mrs. Taft and the senator through the maze of tombs. But there was no sign of Mandie’s bag.
Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton entered a small room at the end of a long corridor, and Mandie heard her grandmother greet someone. The young people pushed forward to see who it was.
“Good morning,” Mrs. Taft said courteously. “Imagine seeing you here.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Taft,” a male voice replied. “I am delighted to see you and the senator again.”
Mandie gasped and said, “It’s Mr. Rushton.”
The man kept looking from one side to the other, as if in a hurry to go on. “If you will excuse me, I hope to see you all later.” He quickly proceeded down the passageway.
Mandie watched him go, and when he got to the end of the corridor, he stopped to speak to another man. The candlelight was too dim to make out what the other man looked like. The two disappeared around the bend.
Mandie turned to Jonathan. “I wish I could have spoken to him. I would have asked him if you could use his equipment to show us some magic, Jonathan.”
“Mandie, you know that man isn’t going to let anyone touch his equipment,” Jonathan insisted.
“You never know till you ask,” Mandie replied.
Mandie and her friends caught up with her grandmother and the senator, but they quickly became bored with the place. Time seemed to drag. There were so many other things to see in Rome. Mandie wanted to move on.
The young people were relieved when the adults finally decided to leave.
“I believe we have seen about all there is to see, dears,” Mrs. Taft said. “Everything else is just more of the same. Shall we go now?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the three quickly answered.
“I don’t know about you young folks, but something tells me it’s time to have some more of that good Italian food,” Senator Morton said with a smile.
“Yes, sir,” the young people agreed.
They walked quickly through the passageways, and on upstairs. As they arrived at the top step, they were shocked to see policemen everywhere.
“My goodness!” Mandie cried. “What’s happened now?”
A policeman standing near the stairs stepped forward to speak to the senator. He was carrying a small notebook.
“Please, Signor, may I have your names and where you are from and where you are staying?” the policeman asked in perfect British English. He looked from one to the other of the group.
Senator Morton pulled their papers out of his pocket and handed them to the policeman. “Of course,” he said. “I believe you will find the information you need for all of us right here.”
The man took the
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