From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Chapter 7 Summary

  • On Monday, it's time to get to business and execute all their grand plans. 
  • They take the bus to the post office in order to get a P.O. Box. Jamie is absolutely horrified at the prices (what did you expect?), especially because they'll only rent it to him for a quarter of a year, and not in smaller increments. 
  • The P.O. Box costs a whopping total of $4.50—more than they've spent on anything so far. It will take a whole lot of fountain-diving to collect back that much money. 
  • They're committed to solving the Michelangelo mystery, though, so Jamie agrees to pay for it, even though he grumbles that he's paying that much for empty space. 
  • When they get back to the museum, it's time to get learning again. They look for a school group to join and find one wandering through the Egyptian wing. 
  • Those voices sound familiar… not just because they're kids around their age, but because they are Jamie's classmates. Oops. Claudia smells danger right away, but Jamie almost wanders into the group. 
  • Claudia clamps a hand over Jamie's mouth to keep him quiet. This does not make Jamie a happy camper, and he threatens to go rejoin his classmates and go home forever.
  • Claudia has a better idea though; she sends Jamie down to the museum office to deliver their typewritten letter. With the school group around, he can just say that his name is Bruce (that kid that he gambles with) if anyone asks. 
  • Jamie is nervous, but he did say that he likes complications. So he goes and delivers the letter.