16-FIRST-CLASS HOME

FIRST-CLASS HOME That night, we all went to Trap's house. Thea drove Trap and Benjamin. As for me, I took the bus again. I'm too fond of my fur! My cousin's house was once a train. The walls are covered in wood paneling. It has a big kitchen in front of the first-class car. Trap converted it into his living room. The room is filled with red velvet stuffed armchairs. They are so comfortable! When you sit in them, you feel like you're settling in for a nice, cozy ride on the rails. Trap converted the boxcar into his bedroom. When he pushes on a spring, his bed flips down from the wall. It's very unusual— but then again, so is Trap. "Coffee, anyone?" Trap asked. He is very

proud of his shiny brass coffee machine. There is a winged rodent on top. Trap started up the machine. Steam puffed out of the jets. Soon he poured us PIPING HOT coffee into small cups. They were marked with the initials M.I.R.: Mouse Island Railway. I curled up in a leather armchair in front of the fireplace, where bright flames crackled merrily. Benjamin curled up in my lap and fell asleep. Outside, cold winds were blowing, but we all felt WARM AND TOASTY in Trap's first-class home. Thea struck her cup with her spoon to get our attention. "Today I went to Rodent Bank, where the crown of Princess Angorat Curlyfur VII is

kept," she said. "As you know, it is our eighth clue. I discovered that in the middle of the crown there is an A made of tiny diamonds." "That makes eight letters," Benjamin said sleepily. "Only three more to go!" "There is something else," Thea said, and her tone was serious. "As I was leaving, I saw a strange mouse wearing a raincoat. He was watching me from behind his newspaper. This can't be a coincidence. He must belong to a family of mice, just like us, who are trying to solve the mystery of the Mona Mousa!"