Fabulous Five 027 - The Scapegoat by Betsy Haynes Read Free Book Online Page B

a balance beam. If she made the
slightest mistake, she would fall. But she had to keep trying.
    Next they went to the building where the crown jewels were
stored.
    "There must be tons of diamonds and crowns and things
in here," said Becca, ogling the glass cases where the jewelry, golden
scepters, and other precious things were kept.
    "What I wouldn't give for a ring like that one,"
commented another girl, pointing at a diamond the size of an egg.
    "Can anyone tell me why the Tower of London was built
at this location?" Miss Woodruff asked when they were back in the central
courtyard.
    Christie raised her hand. "It was easy to defend, and
the land is good for planting gardens. Also, the river was a good place for
traders. Most big cities were built on rivers." She said a silent thank
you to Mr. Dracovitch for teaching her those things.
    Miss Finney looked coldly at Christie. "Who knows the
means of transportation the first people used to come to the British Isles?"
    Sarah raised her hand. "Boat!"
    "Correct," said Miss Finney, smiling at her.
    "They might have walked," said Christie.
    Several of the girls giggled.
    "Oh, really , Miss Winchell," replied Miss
Finney. "You certainly must know by now that Britain is an island. People
couldn't walk on water then, any more than they can now."
    "Britain wasn't always an island," offered
Christie quickly. "Thousands and thousands of years ago it was part of the
mainland of Europe. They could have walked here then."
    The rest of the girls were silent. Some of them were looking
at Miss Finney, others were pretending they were interested in other things.
Miss Finney's face had turned a deep red.
    "Miss Winchell, you shouldn't speak unless you know what
you're talking about. The first settlers in England were Celts who came by sea.
It's very well documented, and that's that! "
    Christie wanted to pull the collar of her St. Meg's blazer
up around her face and hide. She had only been trying to offer another
possibility that she had learned about at Wakeman. Mr. Dracovitch said people
today didn't know everything about what had happened in prehistoric
times. Even scientists didn't always agree on the way things were then. So why
did Miss Finney think it so terrible when Christie suggested another
possibility?
    She dropped back to the end of the line as Miss Finney
marched them along to see other parts of the tower. Christie didn't want to be
anywhere near the teacher.
    "Gosh, I'm sorry," said Becca, moving in beside
Christie. "Miss Finney shouldn't have jumped on you the way she did. I
think what you said sounds possible."
    Christie gave her a stiff smile. "I know it's possible.
A very good teacher in the States showed my class how it could have happened.
It's even suggested in some books."
    "Well, don't let her get you down," Becca told
her. "I think you're the smartest kid in our class."
    "Thanks," muttered Christie. She stared at Miss
Finney, who was explaining something to Sarah Pike and two other girls. "I
don't know if I'm the smartest, but I do know that I can't be wrong every
time. "

CHAPTER 11
    Christie set her backpack down on the front step and juggled
the books in her arms so she could open the front door. She had taken the
underground, the London subway, to the Tottenham Court station and walked to
the British Library from there.
    She'd spent two hours searching for an idea for her science
project, and still not finding one that seemed just right, Christie had checked
out as many books as she could carry. After Miss Finney's reaction at the
tower, she was more determined than ever that her project would be the best St.
Meg's had ever seen. It wouldn't matter what Miss Finney thought about it or
what score she gave Christie—the project was going to be excellent.
    Pushing the door open, Christie dragged her backpack into
the foyer and left it with the books she had been carrying at the bottom of the
stairs. She found her mother in the kitchen.
    "Hi, sweetheart," said Mrs.