Mystery in the Old Attic Read Online Free PDF Page B

the door to her apartment with a loud bang. Even so, they waited a little while before they ventured up the stairs again to the attic.
    The attic was a big room filled with trunks, old toys, hatboxes, and shelves that held books, blocks, tops, baseballs, and clocks.
    â€œThere is a lot to explore here,” said Violet as she went over to look at a mannequin dressed in a long black cape.
    â€œFirst let’s find the dumbwaiter,” said Henry. “It’s a good thing you brought the flashlight.” Although there was a bare light-bulb hanging from the ceiling, it did not produce much light.
    Henry moved the flashlight along all the walls very carefully. “Maybe we can find an opening in one of the walls,” he said. The Aldens looked and looked, but they did not see anything that looked like a door.
    â€œWhere is the dumbwaiter?” asked Benny. “I know I went up two floors from where I started.”
    Henry looked a little discouraged.
    â€œI have a feeling the ring is in this attic,” said Jessie as she sat down on the floor and leaned against a steamer trunk. “We’ve searched the other floors really carefully. It has to be up here.”
    â€œMaybe we should look inside some of these trunks,” said Violet. She fiddled with a padlock.
    â€œI don’t know,” said Henry. “Those trunks may not have belonged to Emily or her mother. Look, this one has Great-aunt Sophie’s name on it.” Henry held the flashlight above the trunk so Violet could read the leather name tag.
    Violet nodded thoughtfully. “That’s true. Emily probably would not hide the ring in a trunk or on a shelf, where the box would be in plain sight.”
    â€œI bet she hid the ring in a closet or, like you said, in a safe,” Benny said as he looked around the big attic and up at the rafters. “Hey, wait a minute,” he exclaimed. He had just noticed that the ceiling continued above a wall that did not reach all the way to the rafters. There’s a room behind that wall!” Benny was so excited he was shouting.
    â€œYou’re right,” said Henry as he rushed over to the wall. Carefully he examined every square inch with his flashlight. “Aha, here’s a keyhole.” Henry shone his flashlight on the iron fitting.
    â€œBut we don’t have a key,” Violet pointed out.
    â€œWait,” said Jessie. “I saw some keys hanging on the wall near the trunks.” She rushed over to the other side of the attic.
    â€œI saw those, too,” said Benny, following her.
    â€œLook, these keys are labeled,” Jessie said to Benny. “Workshop, sewing room, library, hall closet, and attic!”
    Jessie ran toward Violet and Henry with the attic key in her hand. She took a deep breath and fit the key into the lock.
    â€œIt fits! It fits!” cried Benny.
    Jessie nodded. It took two hands to do it, but the lock finally did turn. The Aldens looked at one another.
    â€œWhat do you think we’ll find in there?” asked Benny excitedly.
    Slowly, Jessie pushed the door open.
    It took a while for their eyes to adjust to the dim light in the room, but when they did, they could not believe what they saw.

    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
    J essie was the first to find her voice. “Look, the dolls are using the blue-and-white china Emily mentioned in her diary.”
    â€œAnd this doll is probably Samantha,” said Violet as she walked over to a dark-haired doll in a faded pink dress.
    â€œYou know,” said