Fabulous Five 031 - The Fabulous Five Together Again Read Online Free PDF Page B

copy of that picture."
    Melanie looked wounded. "What'd he do that for?"
she asked. "I thought he was going to shoot me."
    Phoebe struggled to keep a straight face. "The guards
do that at set times. You just happened to be next to him at the wrong moment."
    Melanie looked up at the building they were standing in
front of. "What is this place, anyway?"
    "I'm not sure we should tell you," replied Eleanore,
giggling.
    Christie tried to break the news to Melanie gently. "Actually,
it's St. James's Palace, Mel."
    "Oh," said Melanie, looking embarrassed. Nicki,
Eleanore, and Phoebe began laughing all over again.
    Christie started to join in, but stopped when she noticed
the look on Melanie's face. Her friend was usually able to laugh at herself,
but this time Melanie seemed upset. The incident had really bothered her, and
the British girls' teasing wasn't helping. Christie wished she could find a way
to ease the tension between the two groups.
    When the girls reached the wide avenue called the Mall that
led directly to Buckingham Palace, they saw that people were starting to gather
along the curb for the changing of the guard.
    "We'd better find a place to stand before it gets too
crowded," suggested Phoebe.
    "Wow," said Katie, looking at the palace. "This
place is only a little bit larger than my house."
    "And that's just the back door," remarked
Eleanore.
    "Who's the statue of?" asked Jana, pointing at a
huge statue surrounded by a pool of water outside the palace gate.
    "That's the Queen Victoria Memorial," answered Phoebe.
"Victoria's regarded as one of our greatest queens."
    "That's one thing I've always admired you British for,"
commented Katie. "You let a woman run your country."
    "I hate to disappoint you, Katie," said Christie, "but
the queen doesn't run the country anymore; the prime minister does."
    "I know that," Katie said. "But at least
there was a female prime minister when Margaret Thatcher was in office. In the
States we've never had a female president or even vice president."
    "The Queen's flag's up," observed Eleanore,
pointing to a tall flagpole on top of the palace. "That means she's here."
    "Isn't she always?" asked Beth.
    "No," responded Phoebe. "Sometimes she stays
in the country at Windsor Castle."
    "Oh, my gosh," exclaimed Melanie. "Do you
mean she has two palaces to live in?"
    Phoebe nodded.
    "Here come the guards!" cried Beth.
    Down the avenue came soldiers on horseback. They were
carrying swords and wearing brightly colored jackets and silver helmets trimmed
in gold. It was a magnificent parade. When the soldiers had passed, the crowd
moved out into the street behind them and followed.
    "Everyone's going to watch the changing of the guard
now," explained Christie. "Some of the arriving soldiers will stay to
protect the palace, while the ones who were there will get a break. We can go
and watch, if you want."
    "Maybe we'll see Princess Di," said Melanie
hopefully.
    "Fat chance," replied Nicki. "Even if she is
here, she won't be sticking her head out every five minutes to see if the post
has come."
    "We didn't expect her to," snapped Katie. "But
we're not complete pessimists—like some people."
    "Why don't we go to the Tower of London,"
interrupted Christie hastily. "We can use our travel cards and catch a
bus. You guys have been wanting to ride a double-decker."
    She turned to lead the way. Katie, Jana, Melanie, and Beth
were right behind her; Phoebe, Nicki, and Eleanore followed them.
    On the way they stopped by the Houses of Parliament so Jana
could have her picture taken with Big Ben in the background.
    Next they caught a bus and dashed to the upper deck. As they
rode along the Thames River, Christie pointed out interesting sights.
    "Those dragons at the ends of the bridges are supposed
to protect London," she explained, pointing to statues of the mythical
animals. "And that's the Westminster Pier, where you can catch a
sightseeing boat. Over there is where the Globe Theatre used to be. That's
where