Read The Mystery at Maypenny's for Free Online Page B

stairs to me.”
    “It is amazing,” Mart added, following his older brother, “how her perambulation improves when a gustatory occasion, not a scholastic one, is beckoning.”
    “If you mean I think a cookout is more fun than school, you’re right,” Trixie retorted. “But it isn’t the food that I’m excited about. It’s meeting David Maypenny.”
    “We’re all eager to meet him,” Brian said. “And we’re all ready to go. So....” Bowing low, he gestured for Trixie to go out the door ahead of him.
    As they walked through the kitchen, Mrs. Belden called out to them. “There’s a chocolate cake there on the counter for you to take along. Mr. Maypenny is an excellent cook, I know, but I don’t think he goes in much for baking. I thought a little dessert might be in order.“
    “Yummy-yum!” Trixie exclaimed. “Thanks, Moms! You’re wonderful!”
    The three Beldens went first to the Manor House to meet Honey and Jim. The two were waiting outside. Jim stood quietly with his hands in his pockets. Honey paced nervously, straining her eyes for the first sight of her friends. When she saw them, she waved excitedly.
    “It looks as though your fellow sleuth is eager to check out David Maypenny, too,” Brian observed.
    “You guys are just as excited about meeting him as we are,” Trixie said. “You’re just trying your hardest not to show it, that’s all.”
    Then, as she got closer to where Honey was waiting, Trixie burst into laughter. Her friend carried a plastic cake holder, identical to the one Mrs. Belden had sent along.
    “Miss Trask was afraid that Mr. Maypenny wouldn’t provide us with a dessert,” Trixie guessed.
    Honey started to giggle. Miss Trask had been hired by the Wheelers to be Honey’s governess. As Honey had grown up and become more independent, Miss Trask had stayed on and taken over the running of the busy Wheeler household. In a way, she was like a mother to Honey and Jim, since Mrs. Wheeler often went with her husband on business trips. “Isn’t it just like her to think of something like that?” Honey asked.
    “For reasons I cannot explain, I am suddenly overcome with anticipation of the evening’s festivities,” Mart said in a dry tone. “Shall we proceed?”
    Laughing, the Bob-Whites set off down the path to Mr. Maypenny’s.
    When they reached the tiny clearing, they saw the glow of the slow fire Mr. Maypenny used for outdoor cooking, with the big iron kettle hanging above it. Dan was tending the fire, and he waved as he saw his friends approaching.
    “Where’s David Maypenny?” Trixie asked.
    “Inside,” Dan replied.
    “Will you introduce us?” Honey asked.
    Dan hesitated for a moment. “Mr. Maypenny’s inside. He can introduce you. David’s his nephew, after all.”
    Trixie looked sharply at Dan. The boy lowered his head and pretended to inspect the fire. Again she was struck by the feeling that Dan did not like David Maypenny. Realizing that the others were going into the cabin, Trixie turned and followed them.
    David Maypenny was sitting by himself in the tiny living room of Mr. Maypenny’s cabin. When the young people entered, he jumped to his feet and held out his hand. “You must be the Bob-Whites,” he said.
    Jim stepped forward and shook David’s hand. “And you must be David Maypenny,” he said. “I’m Jim. This is my sister, Honey. And these are our friends Trixie, Mart, and Brian Belden.”
    “It’s good to meet you,” David said. “I’ve heard an awful lot about the Bob-Whites in the past couple of days. My uncle has told me about some of the projects you’ve been involved in, raising money for good causes like the school’s art department.”
    ‘Mr. Maypenny was a terrific help with that project. He let us use his clearing as a rest stop for the bikeathon, and he fed all the riders, too,” Honey said.
    “My uncle says you also solve a lot of mysteries,” David said, sitting back down.
    “Did he mention that Trixie and Honey