Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #11 Read Online Free Page B

a parachute, holding the thief beneath him.

    They landed gently, with the Mona Lisa unharmed.
    â€œYou are under arrest!” Agent Lunette immediately cut the Mona Lisa from the thief’s back and handed the painting to one of the officers. Then he pulled the thief’s hands behind them and handcuffed them. Finally he pulled off the mask . . . and a short crop of dark hair spilled out.
    Stanley sucked in a breath. “It’s M-Madame Sévère!” he stammered. “She’s a teacher at L’école d’Art!”
    â€œAs I tell my pupils,” Madame Sévère said coldly, “the only way to paint like the masters . . . is to steal from them. My plan was perfect.”
    â€œNo,” Stanley replied. “Your plan fell flat .”

    All the museum visitors burst into applause as the officer led Madame Sévère away. Agent Lunette slapped Stanley on the back. “You have done it, Monsieur Lambchop! How can we ever repay you?”
    Stanley thought for a moment. “There is one thing I’d like to do before I leave Paris.”

Crêpe Stanley
    Aunt Simone chose the restaurant for dinner: She said it was one of the finest in Paris. She wore a red dress to match her red lips and hair, and Agent Lunette was dressed in his best uniform, with medals pinned to his chest. Stanley had on a white shirt and a tie. When Etoile arrived, her dark hair was pulled back off her face. Her blue eyes sparkled in the candlelight.
    While Aunt Simone and Agent Lunette talked to each other in French, Stanley leaned toward Etoile.

    â€œSorry I left you at the Eiffel Tower,” he told her.
    â€œI knew you weren’t just visiting,” Etoile said with a smile.
    â€œAre you upset about your teacher?” asked Stanley.
    Etoile’s face darkened. “Madame made us copy masterpieces so she could have something to hang on the walls after she stole the originals. From now on, I will create my own masterpieces. Maybe one day they will hang in the Louvre.”
    â€œI hung in the Louvre for two whole days,” said Stanley. “It’s not as glamorous as it looks.”
    Etoile laughed.
    Their meal was served, and Stanley remembered what his aunt had said when he first arrived: “This is France. Everything is delicious.” He couldn’t agree more. The beef Bourguignonne was rich and full-bodied, just like the province of Burgundy where Aunt Simone said it was a specialty. They agreed that the Camembert cheese tasted like the fields in the town of Camembert. There was cassoulet stew from Toulouse filled with beans and meat that made Stanley feel as if he were by a fireplace in a country castle.
    â€œThis is the finest meal I have ever had,” Agent Lunette said. He looked into Aunt Simone’s eyes. “And it is only partly because of the food.”
    Aunt Simone waved him away, but Stanley noticed her blushing. “Oh, Pierre, you are such a romantic!”
    Stanley smiled. Just then the waiter appeared with the chef. “Monsieur Lambchop,” he said, “the chef has something special for you.”
    Stanley looked up and nearly fell out of his chair. “No!” he cried. In his panic, he leaped up onto the table, grabbed a fork, and brandished it in front of him.
    â€œStanley, what’s wrong?” cried Aunt Simone.
    â€œThe chef!” Stanley declared. “He’s the one who chased me across Mexico, trying to steal La Abuela’s secret!”

    Chef Lillou held out his palms and shook his head. “Non! Non! S’il vous plaît ,” he pleaded. “Please. I am not the man I was. I was wrong. I want to apologize.”
    â€œYou— What?” Stanley said, surprised.
    â€œI have dreamed of seeing you again. I am glad you stopped me in Mexico. There was a missing ingredient in my life. I thought it was La Abuela’s secret, but I was a fool. It was only when I came back to Paris