Violet opened the book, and Henry said, “See if there are any entries for August, the month she disappeared.”
Violet read aloud: “August 1, 1917 … Dear Diary, I told Father last night that I was in love with George Collins and that we wanted to get married. I explained that since George is in the army and due to go overseas we wanted to be wed before he went. Father was very upset. He said he would never allow that. He said George and I didn’t know each other well enough and that it was a foolhardy thing to do. He said he would never give his permission. I cried and cried but he refused to change his mind.”
Jessie sighed. “Isn’t that romantic?”
“Read some more, Violet,” Henry said.
Violet went on. “August 3, 1917 … Dear Diary, I tried to talk to Father about George again, but he still won’t listen to how I feel. He wants George and me to wait until the end of the war. But who knows how long it will last? George is coming over tonight and he is going to try to change Father’s mind.
“August 4, 1917 … Dear Diary, George had no luck either. I am so unhappy. I don’t want to disobey Father, but I want so much to marry George now.
“August 5, 1917 … Dear Diary, George and I had a long talk today. He is sure he is going to be shipped to Europe soon. What are we going to do? I never thought Father could be so stubborn. I know Father loves me and I love him. But I love George, too.
“August 6, 1917 … Dear Diary, I feel much better tonight. Father seemed so calm and kind today. I am sure that if I’m patient he will come around and see my point of view. He almost always does. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Violet flicked the pages. “That’s the last entry,” she said.
Jessie frowned. “It seems as if Mr. Roth really didn’t understand how unhappy Celia was.”
Benny said, “I think it’s all very mushy.”
The other children laughed. Grandfather said, “Well, children, you certainly have made an interesting discovery. But now it’s late. Benny, I think you should be off to bed.”
Benny kissed Mr. Alden good night and started for the stairs. He smiled broadly. “Tomorrow Aunt Jane will be here.”
CHAPTER 7
Aunt Jane Arrives
In the morning, the Aldens made breakfast. Jessie dipped pieces of bread into egg and milk for French toast. Benny set the table. Violet put out the maple syrup and jam, and Henry filled glasses with milk.
After the bread was browned, the children ate the tasty meal and then cleaned up the kitchen.
“Let’s wait in the boxcar for Aunt Jane,” Benny said.
Henry said, “Good idea. I’ll tell Mrs. McGregor where we are.”
Once the Aldens were in their beloved boxcar, they sat on the floor on the colorful cushions.
“You know,” Jessie said, “before I went to sleep last night I kept thinking about the Roth house. I kept wondering if someone was deliberately trying to scare us away — and scare Joe and Alice away, too.”
“What do you mean?” Henry asked.
“Well,” Jessie went on, “maybe someone is behind the singing, and the dress, and all that … doing it on purpose.”
“Who would want to do a thing like that?” Violet asked.
“I don’t know for sure,” Jessie answered, “but look at all the people who might have a reason. Mr. Carter doesn’t want any neighbors. And Mr. Yeats doesn’t want the house changed. And Ms. Evans thinks the house should be a landmark. Maybe one of them thinks we’ll tell Joe and Alice not to buy the house.”
“Yeah,” Benny said, “and Mr. Farley is just plain weird.”
Henry shook his head. “Jessie, no one has a key to the house but Joe and Alice, and now us. So how would someone get in? There has never been any sign of anyone breaking in.”
“Henry is right,” Violet said.
Jessie sighed. “I don’t know.”
Then Violet read to Benny while Jessie and Henry worked on a model airplane, until there was a knock at the door. Benny opened it, and there was Aunt Jane.
“It’s so good to see all of you,” she cried, hugging each one of them.
“We’re awfully glad to see you, too,” Violet said. “We have an extra pillow, so you can sit down with us.”
When they all settled themselves on the pillows, Aunt Jane said, “Your grandfather tells me you’ve been having some mysterious adventures in Joe and Alice’s new house.”
“We certainly have,” Violet said. And she immediately started telling her aunt the entire story of the house and all the strange happenings. She also told her about Mr. Farley and the Carters and Thomas Yeats and Terry Evans.
“And,” Jessie said, “we found Celia’s diary yesterday.”
Then they all had to tell Aunt Jane about the diary. She listened carefully and said, “There certainly has been a lot happening. I think we should go over to the house now and you can show me around.”
They piled into Aunt Jane’s car and rode into Greenfield. As they drove down Main Street, Violet cried out, “Look!”
“What?” Henry asked.
“It’s Ms. Evans, and look at what she’s carrying.”
They all looked at Terry Evans, who was walking down the street. Her arms were full of yellow roses.
“Remember,” Violet said, “we found three yellow roses in the living room at the Roth house. And we didn’t put them there.”
Aunt Jane laughed. “Violet, dear, anyone can buy yellow roses.”
“Aunt Jane is right,” Henry said.
“That’s true,” Violet said. “But it doesn’t mean Ms. Evans didn’t put the roses we saw into the living room.”
When they got to the house, Aunt Jane went over to admire Mr. Farley’s garden, as the children headed up to the porch. Benny pointed to the mailbox. “There’s a letter in it,” he said.
Jessie reached into the box and took out an envelope. On the front was printed THE ALDEN CHILDREN. She opened the envelope, took out a piece of paper, read it, and gasped.
“What does it say?” Henry asked.
Jessie handed the letter to Henry. He read, “Aldens: Go home and stay home.”
“I’ll bet Mr. Carter wrote it. He said he didn’t like neighbors,” Benny said.
Henry said firmly, “We certainly aren’t going to let whoever wrote it scare us away. Are we?”
“No!” Jessie said.
“We aren’t,” Benny agreed.
“I guess not,” Violet said.
Henry looked back at Aunt Jane, who was coming up the front walk. “Don’t mention this to Aunt Jane. She and Grandfather might not want us to come back here anymore — and then we’d never solve this mystery.”
“That certainly is a beautiful garden next door,” Aunt Jane said, stepping up onto the porch. “Come on, let’s go in and you can give me a tour.”
They all went through the house, and Aunt Jane said, “It’s a lovely house. Joe and Alice will be very happy here. And you children have done a lot of cleaning. I can see that.”
“But there is still more we want to do,” Violet said. “We want to finish cleaning out the closets, and we haven’t gone through the big desk.”
“And I have a little more painting to do,” Henry said.
“And I want to finish cleaning the windows,” Benny added.
“Well,” Aunt Jane said, “you still have time. Grandfather says Joe and Alice won’t be here for another couple of weeks.”
There was a knock on the door, and a telephone man came in. “I have an order for a phone to be installed here. A Mr. James Alden left it with the phone company.”
“That’s our grandfather,” Benny said.
“Where do you want it?” the man asked.
Aunt Jane looked thoughtful. “Why don’t you put it in the kitchen? Then the owners can have extensions added wherever they want them.”
The telephone man went into the kitchen, and Aunt Jane and the children sat on the porch steps while he worked. Mrs. Carter saw them there and ca
me over. The Aldens introduced her to Aunt Jane.
Mrs. Carter said, “Your nieces and nephews have certainly been busy fixing up this place. They don’t even seem to be bothered by the rumors of a ghost in the house.”
Aunt Jane smiled. “Of course they aren’t bothered. They are sensible children and certainly don’t believe in ghosts.”
Just then the phone man came outside. “Well, I’ve hooked up the phone and it’s working.”
The man left and Aunt Jane asked, “Do you children want to stay here and work or not? I’m ready to go home.”
Benny said, “I want to be with you, Aunt Jane.”
“Me, too,” the other Aldens said.
“Good,” their aunt said. “We’ll stop in town and have some lunch and then go home.”
They ate in the Greenfield Coffee Shop and then spent the afternoon playing Monopoly and Scrabble with Aunt Jane. None of the children mentioned the nasty letter they’d received.
At the dinner table that night, Grandfather said, “I have some good news for you. Alice called this afternoon and said they are planning on moving earlier than they thought they would. They’ve sold their house and the new owners want to move in next week, if possible.”
“Next week!” Jessie cried out. “We won’t have time to finish everything.”
“Well, just do the best you can,” Mr. Alden said. “I know you’ve done a great deal already.”
Henry sat silently. Then he said, “I have an idea! Suppose we go over tomorrow and stay overnight. That way we can work all day and the next morning, too, without going back and forth.”
Benny looked surprised. “There’s only one bed,” he said.
“We’ll bring sleeping bags,” Jessie said.
“And food,” Benny added.
Violet looked unsure. “You want to stay there at night?” she asked.
“Violet,” Jessie said firmly, “there’s nothing to be nervous about. You know there are no ghosts in that house.”
“I forgot about the ghost,” Benny said.
Grandfather looked uncertain. “I certainly don’t think there are any ghosts in the house, but I’m not sure you children should stay there alone.”
Jessie looked at Aunt Jane pleadingly. Aunt Jane said, “Well, James, there are neighbors on both sides of them. That Mrs. Carter seems like a very nice woman. If they needed anything I’m sure she would be very helpful.”
“And the phone has been installed,” Henry added. “So we can always call you.”
Grandfather smiled. “It’s hard to resist you children. I guess it’s all right. But the least little thing that goes wrong, you will call me. Right?”
“Absolutely, Grandfather,” Jessie said.
CHAPTER 8
The Letter
The next afternoon, the children packed up their sleeping bags, pajamas, and a change of clothes. Henry put in a flashlight, some more cleaning equipment, and a camera.
“What’s the camera for?” Benny asked, sounding puzzled.
“I just thought it would be fun to take some pictures while we’re working. Joe and Alice can put them in their scrapbook,” Henry said.
Aunt Jane said, “I’ll drive you all over to the house and pick you up in the morning.”
“Can we take Watch?” Benny asked.
“That’s a good idea,” Henry said. “He’s a good watch dog.”
“What about food?” Benny asked.
“I heard that,” Mrs. McGregor said. She came into the living room carrying a big picnic basket. “Everything you’ll need is in here. For dinner there is a cold roast chicken, raw vegetables, potato salad, and cake. There’s fresh fruit for an evening snack. Just remember to put everything in the refrigerator as soon as you get to the house.”
“I’ll remember that,” Violet said.
“Oh,” Mrs. McGregor said, “there are also two cartons of milk and a thermos of lemonade. And cold cereal and bananas for breakfast.”
“They certainly won’t starve.” Aunt Jane laughed.
They all piled into Aunt Jane’s car, and she drove to the Roth house. Watch jumped out when the door was opened and ran around the house. When Henry whistled, however, he came right back.
“You’d better keep him indoors,” Aunt Jane said. “You don’t want him to get lost.”
“Don’t worry,” Benny said. “He won’t go far.”
“All right,” Aunt Jane said. “I’ll be back in the morning. If you need anything, just call home.”
The children watched her car drive away and then they went inside. They got to work right away, polishing and scrubbing and making sure the house was as clean as they could make it. As they worked, they noticed the sun that had filled the house was gone. Violet looked out of a window and said, “Look at the sky! It’s filled with dark clouds.”
Henry looked out, too. “It’s going to rain. I’ll turn on the radio and see what the weather report is.”
The Aldens gathered around the radio and listened. “A severe storm watch is now in effect,” the announcer said. “Heavy rain and lightning are expected.”
Benny frowned. “I don’t like that.”
Henry laughed. “You’re not afraid of thunder and lightning.”
“I know,” Benny said. “But I just hope the lights don’t go out.”
Violet’s eyes widened. “Me, too.”
Jessie said quickly, “Come on, let’s get dinner ready. We can open our sleeping bags and sit on them while we eat.”
The Aldens all went into the kitchen and took Mrs. McGregor’s feast out of the refrigerator. They put everything on paper plates and sat on the living room floor to eat their dinner.
As they were finishing, a flash of brilliant lightning filled the room, followed by a loud clap of thunder. The lights flickered and the children all exchanged worried glances.
Something banged upstairs. “What was that?” Violet asked.
“It’s probably just a door that blew shut,” Jessie said.
“But there are no windows open to blow it shut,” Violet said.
Watch sat next to Violet, his tail beating on the floor, and he whined loudly. “Even Watch is scared,” Benny said.
“There’s nothing to be scared of, Benny,” Henry said.
Suddenly a sweet smell filled the room. The smell of roses. “There’s that smell again. Like roses. Only there are no roses here,” Violet said. “Remember they died and we threw them away.”
“Well, then only the smell stayed,” Jessie said.
“I want to talk to Grandfather,” Benny said. “I just want to say hello.”
“Go ahead, Benny,” Henry said, following him into the kitchen.
Benny picked up the phone. “It’s not working. There’s no sound at all.”
Henry took the phone out of Benny’s hand. He listened, frowning. “Well, I guess the storm knocked some phone lines down. I’m sure it will be fixed soon.”
Henry and Benny went back into the living room. “The phone isn’t working,” Henry said.
Violet gasped. The lights flickered again and then a sound came from upstairs. It was the same sweet voice they had heard before, singing the same sweet song. The Aldens sat in silence, scarcely breathing. And then, after a few minutes, the singing stopped.
“It can’t be a radio this time,” Violet said. “And all the windows are shut.”
“Well, it has to be coming from somewhere,” Henry said. “And it isn’t from a ghost. It’s just drifting in. We’ll figure out from where. Meanwhile I say we get to work! There is a lot to do upstairs.”
“Upstairs?” Benny said.
“Yes,” Jessie agreed. “There is nothing up there to be afraid of, and if we do some work, it will take your mind off of the singing.”
The children walked up the stairs. Jessie said, “There’s that big desk in the one room we haven’t looked at.”
They went into the small room that held the big desk and Henry pulled open a drawer. It was filled with pads
of blank paper. The Aldens opened every drawer and emptied them of old pencils, rubber bands, a pair of glasses, and assorted odds and ends. When they reached the next drawer, Henry pulled on it but it didn’t move. Jessie pulled, too, and still the drawer remained shut.
“We’ll never get this open,” Henry said.
“Let me try once more,” Jessie insisted.
She pulled as hard as she could and finally it flew open. Jessie peered inside. “There’s an envelope stuck back here!” The envelope was stuck half in the drawer and half against the back of the desk. She took the drawer out of the desk, reached inside, and pulled out the envelope.
Jessie turned it over and said softly, “Look!”
Written on the front in a delicate, perfect handwriting was the word Father.
“It’s Celia’s handwriting,” Violet said. “The same handwriting that was in the diary.”
“Open it, Jessie!” Benny said.
Jessie ripped open the envelope and took out one sheet of paper that had the same delicate handwriting the children now could recognize.
“What does it say?” Henry asked.
Jessie said in a soft voice, “It’s dated August 10, 1917. And it says:
Dear Father:
I have tried to obey you always, but now I just can’t. I love George very much and we are going to be married. I am going to his parents’ home in Bromley and we will be married there in a few days.
I don’t mean to hurt you. Please call me when you read this and please come to our wedding.
I am putting this letter in this drawer because I know you open it every morning to take out your reading glasses to read the morning paper. So I know you will find the letter right away.
I love you very much and will be waiting to hear from you.
Your daughter, Celia”
The Aldens were silent. Then Violet said, “The letter must have gotten stuck in the back of the drawer, and Mr. Roth never saw it.”
“So he thought that Celia had disappeared and he had no idea where she could have gone,” Jessie said.
“Wow!” Benny said. “That was a real mystery.”