Read Online The Mystery of the Queen's Necklace by Julie Campbell - Free Book Online

to his not being here yet, he told me not to expect him until noon. He is anxious to get his English money at the Exchange before we leave London. He wants to pay you back, Trixie. After that, he plans to go to the Auto Hire to rent us a car, and he has also kindly offered to check with the police again, concerning Honey’s handbag. He has a lot to do.”
    “Oh.” Trixie felt like a balloon that had just been pricked by a pin.
    “Would that you evinced such alacrity and celerity every Monday morning,” Mart teased her.
    “I don’t know about celery, but I am dying to get to Stratford,” she said impatiently. “I have a hunch that’s where we’re going to solve the mystery of Honey’s inheritance.”
    “I’m with Trix,” Honey said loyally. “And besides, the sooner we get out of this city, the better.”
    “I’m glad to see you two are on speaking terms again,” said Jim, “but I don’t understand why you want to leave. We haven’t seen half the sights yet.”
    “Well, there’s one sight I don’t ever want to see again.” Honey shuddered. “And that’s that horrible pickpocket.”
    “To make the best of the time we have left,” Miss Trask suggested, “you might like to take the cruise down the Thames to Greenwich. You’ll see the Houses of Parliament, the Tower and the Tower Bridge, and a great deal more of London’s waterfront. Then there’s the Maritime Museum at Greenwich, with models of sloops and steamers, old maps, charts, and early instruments of navigation. You can go aboard an old China tea clipper, the Cutty Sark, and see a fascinating collection of carved figureheads taken from wrecked ships.”
    “Greenwich.” Jim’s green eyes sparkled. “Is that where they have the prime meridian? You know— what all the world’s time zones are measured by?”
    “Right,” Mart said enthusiastically. “Let’s go!”
    “But Trixie and I wanted to do a little shopping in London,” Honey said. “We have to get some souvenirs for the folks back home, and I’m going to have to get another handbag. Could we do that, too?”
    “Shopping?” the boys asked, incredulous.
    “Nobody asked you to come along,” Trixie assured them.
    “There wouldn’t be time for both,” Miss Trask said, “and I hate to have you split up.”
    “And what if you get lost again?” Jim looked a bit worried.
    “Oh, I know how to get around London now,” Trixie said confidently. “And we won’t have anything pick-able in our pockets, since we’re leaving Honey’s necklace here in the hotel safe.”
    “We don’t even have very much money,” Honey added.
    “Expenses” for the Belden-Wheeler Detective Agency didn’t include souvenirs. The Wheelers could have given Honey all the spending money she asked for, of course, but she didn’t want any more than Trixie had—which, until McDuff returned her five pounds, was just about zilch.
    “We’ll be careful,” Trixie promised.
    “Very well,” their chaperon decided.
    “You’re such a jolly good sport!” said Honey.
    “I try,” Miss Trask chuckled. “You needn’t be back on the dot of twelve, by the way. When Mr. McDuff gets here with the car, we’ll have to pack it. Then I think we should all have lunch before we leave. You go ahead and eat wherever you like, and then be back here before two. Mr. McDuff says it isn’t far to Stratford—no more than a two-hour drive.”
    Hmm , thought Trixie as the two girls went outside to wait for a double-decker, if McDuff does show up, things are certainly working out conveniently for him. He gets to have lunch with Miss Trask, just the two of them....
    Usually, Trixie talked over her suspicions with Honey, but by then it was clear that Honey didn’t want to hear them. The morning paper had had another headline on tourist rackets, but Trixie knew enough not to bring that up again.
    I'm not going to say any more about it till two o'clock, Trixie resolved. If he hasn't shown up by then, they'll have to