Florence led the children through a park of tall trees and green lawns.
They passed fountains and statues.
Women in long, full dresses strolled by.
Men in top hats and long coats accompanied them.
"All the men seem to like hats," remarked Vinnie.
Florence looked at Vinnie strangely again.
"What game are they playing?"
Mandy asked, pointing to a group of young men and women.
Each held a stick with a round wooden head on the end.
The sticks looked like big hammers and the players used them to hit balls through hoops.
"That's croquet," explained Florence.
"People love to play games in Hyde Park."
Mandy stopped suddenly and let out a loud gasp.
They stood in front of a large glass building.
Many people were walking through the doors.
"Wow!" cried Mandy.
"This is the Crystal Palace," explained Florence.
"The Great Exhibition is inside."
They followed the crowd into the building.
Mandy covered her mouth in shock.
The sunlight shone through the glass roof onto many exhibits.
"Whoa!" Vinnie cried, glancing from side to side.
The Crystal Palace was divided into areas, and each had a special theme.
In one area, the children saw different kinds of machines.
In another, women gathered around collections of jewelry.
"There are over 13,000 exhibits," said Florence.
Vinnie saw all kinds of things on display:
art, tools, kitchen devices, and even animals.
"I can see why Charlotte wanted to come here," said Mandy.
She looked up.
Above an amazed crowd, a man walked on a tightrope.
"What's that?" Vinnie cried.
He ran over to a tall structure with a marble statue inside.
A big crowd was gathered around it.
"The statue in this iron structure is―,"
said a man wearing a top hat.
"Shakespeare!" Vinnie shouted.
"The young man is right!" shouted the man.
"This is indeed England's own William Shakespeare."
Mandy and Florence caught up with Vinnie.
"Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, is the one who planned the exhibition.
It just opened in May.
The Crystal Palace was built in only nine months," said Florence.
"Florence, where do you think Charlotte is?" asked Mandy.
"Miss Charlotte loves music.
I heard they have the world's largest organ here," replied Florence.
She stopped to speak to a man who had a map.
"This way, Miss Mandy and Master Vinnie," called Florence.
The children followed Florence.
They passed exhibits from countries in Asia and Europe.
"It feels like we're in a giant shopping mall," said Mandy.
They reached an area where an orchestra was playing.
"I don't see her anywhere," said Florence, worried.
The children looked around too.
But they did not see anyone wearing a pink dress like Mandy's.