The Aldens all stood in the lobby and Grandfather said, “This is our last day in New York. I have an appointment this afternoon. What do you children intend to do?”
“I want to swim in the purple pool,” Benny said.
Henry laughed. “I’m sure by now the pool is filled with plain, clear water — without any purple.”
“I think a swim would be very nice,” Jessie said.
“I wonder why,” Violet said, giggling.
Jessie blushed. “Violet, you are reading things into that.”
“How can she read what you said when you didn’t write it down?” Benny asked.
“We’ll explain some other time,” Henry said. “Let’s go for a swim.”
The Aldens went back to their rooms and changed into their suits. When they went up to the pool, Mike was sitting in his usual place. “Hi, Aldens,” he said.
“Can we swim today?” Benny asked.
“Sure can,” Mike replied. “Everything is in top shape.”
The children went into the pool room and saw that the water was crystal clear, sparkling in the sunlight. They dived right in. “It’s perfect,” Violet said. “Not too hot or cold.”
They swam and played and splashed for half an hour. After they had dried off, they stopped at Mike’s desk.
“We’re leaving tomorrow morning, so we won’t see you again,” Henry said.
“Well,” Mike said, “I hope you had a good visit. Come back soon.”
“I hope we can,” Jessie said quickly. She heard Violet giggle behind her.
Back in their room, they dressed. “Let’s find a hot dog stand for lunch,” Benny said.
“I’m ready for that,” Henry agreed. “Then what should we do?”
“I want to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” Violet said.
“The guidebook said they have great old suits of armor there,” Henry said. “Let’s go.”
“We mustn’t forget that Grandfather is taking us to dinner and the theater tonight. We need to get back in time to dress,” Jessie reminded them.
“We have to dress up?” Benny asked.
“Of course,” Violet answered. “When you go to the theater in New York, you have to look nice.”
They left the hotel and luckily found a hot dog vendor a block away. They bought hot dogs and cold drinks and sat down on a bench in the park to eat. When they had finished they took a bus uptown to the museum. Together they roamed around the huge building. They looked at wonderful things: the armor, famous paintings, Egyptian mummies, a Japanese garden, and at last they all agreed they were tired.
On the way back to the hotel, Jessie said, “I never realized a museum could be that big.”
“And we didn’t see a quarter of it,” Violet said. “At least according to our guidebook, we didn’t.”
Grandfather was waiting for them in their suite when they got back to the hotel. “Now, you all have to look your best tonight for the theater. Girls, wear your best dresses. Boys, jackets. We’ll have dinner at the restaurant here in the hotel and then off to the theater.”
“Are we going to eat in the coffee shop?” Benny asked.
“No, this time we’ll eat in the big restaurant,” Grandfather answered.
The restaurant had tables with pink cloths, candles, and flowers. The food was delicious, and after dinner Benny said, “You know, I think I’m full.”
“That’s a first,” said Jessie, and they all laughed.
They took a taxi to Broadway.
“Wow!” Benny said when they entered the theater. “Now I can see why we got dressed up. This is much nicer than the movie theater back in Greenfield.”
“Yes, isn’t it pretty?” said Violet.
The seats were dark red, and the stage was hidden by a dark-red velvet curtain. An usher took them to their seats. Soon afterwards, the lights dimmed and the orchestra played a lively overture. The Aldens could hardly wait for the curtain to go up.
And when it did, they were very surprised!
In the center of the stage was a man with silvery hair and a long, pointed nose. The mysterious man!
“That’s him!” Benny whispered.
Several people around Benny said, “Ssh.”
The musical was wonderful, with lots of colorful costumes and exciting dancing. But all Benny could think about was the mysterious man.
At the intermission he told Grandfather, “That was our mystery man.”
Grandfather laughed. “That was Frederick Astor, one of Broadway’s biggest stars.”
“Why was he always going around the hotel in dark glasses with his coat collar pulled up around his face?” Violet asked.
“Well,” Grandfather said, “often big stars don’t want to be recognized and bothered by the public, so they try different disguises, as Mr. Astor obviously did.”
“Now all the mysteries have been solved,” Henry said.
The next morning as the Aldens were leaving, a woman rushed in wearing dark glasses and a hat pulled low over her face. “Is it another mystery?” Benny asked hopefully.
Just then a man ran over to the woman in sunglasses and asked her for her autograph. The Aldens all laughed.
“Benny, I guess you are just going to have to find a mystery somewhere else,” Grandfather said as they all left the hotel. |