The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

Kate and Reynie keep busy with chores while they wait. Kate introduces Reynie to Moocho Brazos, one of Kate’s friends from her circus days; Milligan has hired Moocho to work on the farm. At noon, Miss Perumal and Pati (Reynie’s adoptive mother and grandmother) arrive, as do Sticky and his parents. The children are excited to see each other again and are impatient to speak in private, away from the adults. When the adults shoo them away, Kate observes that they must want to discuss the details of Mr. Benedict’s surprise. The children speculate about what the surprise could be. They look forward to seeing Constance, Mr. Benedict, Rhonda, and Number Two again on the following day. Kate reveals that her father is away on a secret mission. She has tried to figure out what he is doing by scanning the newspaper for clues, but none of the recent headlines seem relevant. The next day, both the children and the adults head to Mr. Benedict’s house, and Moocho goes to the orchard. No one is left at the farmhouse when a telegram arrives from Rhonda, urging the children not to come to Mr. Benedict’s house, as it is too dangerous.

As they drive to Mr. Benedict’s house, Reynie recalls a conversation he had with Mr. Benedict. Since the conclusion of the mission to stop Mr. Curtain, Reynie has struggled to trust people and is “disturbed by the wickedness of which so many people seem capable” (40). Earlier, Mr. Benedict assured him that most people are not untrustworthy or wicked and explained that wickedness is more noticeable than goodness, but Reynie was not entirely convinced. They also discussed nightmares, and Mr. Benedict revealed that he has sleep paralysis, which, accompanied by his narcolepsy, used to make him afraid to sleep at night. In a particularly frightening hallucination, Mr. Benedict sometimes sees what he calls an “old hag” sitting at the foot of his bed. These days, Mr. Benedict recovers more quickly from his episodes.

As everyone arrives at Mr. Benedict’s house in Stonetown, they are all surprised to see police officers outside talking to government officials. Rhonda sees the children and their families and laments that they did not get her telegram in time. She reveals that Mr. Benedict and Number Two have been kidnapped by Mr. Curtain and urges them to come inside where they will be safe. Rhonda shows them a box containing a pigeon. She tells them that what happens to Mr. Benedict and Number Two depends on the pigeon.

The government officials tell the children that a carrier pigeon arrived with a letter from Mr. Curtain strapped to its leg. Sticky corrects him; the pigeon is in fact a homing pigeon, which is capable of flying much farther than carrier pigeons. Rhonda pulls the children and their families aside and recites the letter from Mr. Curtain by memory. In the letter, Mr. Curtain demands to know the location of a rare plant that he wants for himself. Mr. Curtain assumes that Rhonda knows the plant’s location, and he is giving her four days to return the pigeon with the location of the plant. If she does not, great harm will come to Mr. Benedict and Number Two.

The children have no idea what the plant is, which is a relief to Rhonda, as she does not want them to be questioned by the government officials. Rhonda reveals that Mr. Benedict and Number Two left two weeks ago as part of the surprise for the children. Benedict was organizing a mysterious adventure for the children, Milligan, and Rhonda; their parents had all agreed because they believed it would be a good supplement to their education. Mr. Benedict did not tell the other adults what the adventure was going to be, and even Rhonda does not know the details. Rhonda does not trust the government officials. She wants to speak with Milligan, but he has not yet arrived.

Their discussion is interrupted by Constance’s arrival. She is upset that a meeting is happening without her. Rhonda gives the children a letter from Mr. Benedict, which contains instructions for the start of their adventure. She hopes that his letter might also contain clues about where he went; if it does, they are to tell only her or Milligan. The children go to Constance’s room to read the letter. Constance tells them all that a sinister man called a Ten Man delivered the carrier pigeon to the house; the others are horrified to hear that the Ten Men, whom they used to know as Recruiters, are still working as Mr. Curtain’s lackeys. Reynie proposes that they follow Mr. Benedict’s clues and rescue him independently, without the adults. Although they are scared, the children all agree to begin the adventure and attempt to rescue Mr. Benedict and Number Two.

The letter from Mr. Benedict contains a riddle that initially sounds incomprehensible, but Reynie solves it and realizes that the clue is pointing them to a dictionary. Sticky recalls that there are 17 dictionaries in the house, so they set out to find them all. During their search, they learn that Mr. Benedict took a dictionary into his study a few weeks ago. This must be the dictionary they are looking for, but they cannot get into Mr. Benedict’s study, as it is being searched by the government officials. They need to stage a distraction and sneak in. They are spared having to come up with a plan by the arrival of Moocho Brazos. Moocho causes a commotion when the agents refuse him entry; Kate uses her agility and speed to sneak into the study and grab the dictionary before anyone notices.

The dictionary is old and falling apart, but when the children open it, they discover that it is hiding a blank journal. A note from Mr. Benedict instructs them to read the journal’s first entry “quickly and move on” (77). Every page of the journal contains one word; Constance works out that the clue is telling them to “take the shortcut” (78). The children are disappointed to realize that they have no idea what this clue means. Rhonda interrupts their work by telling them that they have a visitor.