Chapter 5
Penny Sillyn went down the stairs of the pension she lived in, trying not to be seen. She hid the suitcase somewhere in the back yard, and went back inside to pay the landlady.
She complained about the cold she had to suffer every night because the fireplace couldn’t be used and asked the lady again, to fix it, to reinforce the feeling that there was nothing out of the ordinary going on.
Then she took her suitcase back and walked through Montmartre and up to the Sacré Coeur.
She went into the church almost a trump and got out looking like a real lady. All had gone well and according to plan. Not knowing much why, she stopped, looked back at the huge white Basilica and whispered “thank you” into the wind, almost like a prayer, before heading to the Ritz.
The glamour of the famous Hotel shook her to the core. The instant she went in she felt small and poor, and for the first time since that morning she felt really nervous. She walked slowly and scared to the front desk.
-Bonjour, Monsieur: On m'a dit qu'il ya une enveloppe pour moi ici.
(Good morning sir, I was told there is an envelope for me here)
-Bonjour Madame, vous êtes Madame...?
(Good morning Madame, your name please?-Sillyn, mademoiselle Sillyn.
-Oh oui, bien sur, toutes mes excuses Mademoiselle! Voici l'enveloppe.
(Oh yes! of course, forgive me Miss. Here is your envelope.)
-Merci
(Thank you)-Mademoiselle prendra sa chambre dès maintenant?
(Miss, will you take your room now?)-Ma chambre?
(My room?)-Il y a une réservation à votre nom. Faite par votre tante.
(There's a reservation under your name. Your aunt made it)-Ma tante?? Oh ma tante!! Hahaha! Quelle folle!
(My aunt? oh my aunt! Hahah that crazy aunt of mine!)
She opened the envelope and read as fast as she could. “Follow the lead”, the note just read. Under it: a ticket to The Amazing Amazone to board the next morning.
-Oui! Je vais prendre cette chambre maintenant.
(Yes, I shall take my room now)-Très bien, Mademoiselle Sillyn. Vos bagages viennent d'arriver.
(Good, your luggage have already arrived) Mes bagages?
(My luggage?) –she asked herself.
-Merci, Monsieur.
He nodded and watched her go following the bellboy.
A while later as soon as he saw the Countess coming out of the dining room he approached her.
-Ma’am, your niece is already here. She had been shown to her room.
-Perfect! Thank you Monsieur LeCloche. She is my favorite niece, please see to her every need and put it in my bill.
-Or course Madame. Have a good night.
The journey to America took 13 days. The first port they reached was Rio de Janeiro and three days later Montevideo.
From Montevideo’s port they took two carriages. It was dusk and the road they took out of the harbor was not what Miss Sillyn had expected.
In the dim light of the carriage Miss Sillyn took a deep breath and questioned the Countess.
- Mrs. Van der Hess . . . why aren’t we taking the main road?
- I thought you saw all those journalists at the pier, miss Penny.
- Yes I did ma’am.
- They were there because of me –She said looking out of the window - I played my part and let them ask me some questions, take me some photographs and I, then, let them think I’ll stay at the Hotel Presidente. I need them to direct their attention somewhere else, you see? They must be following the other carriage to the Hotel right now. We are obviously going somewhere else.
- Where?
- Have you ever been in an airplane Miss Penny? – Asked the Countess with a smile.
The road was leading them to a private farm, two hours away from the city. There, two airplanes were waiting.
End of chapter 5.
Thanks a lot to Cowabounga (Arnaud) for helping me with the french dialogues. 
