Five Have Plenty Of Fun
Chapter
One
AT
KIRRIN COTTAGE
‘I
feel as if we’ve been at Kirrin for about a month already!’ said Anne,
stretching herself out on the warm sand, and digging her toes in. ‘And we’ve
only just come!’
‘Yes
- it’s funny how we settle down at Kirrin so quickly,’ said Dick. ‘We only came
yesterday, and I agree with you, Anne - it seems as if we’ve been here ages. I
love Kirrin.’
‘I
hope this weather lasts out the three weeks we’ve got left of the holiday,’
said Julian, rolling away from Timmy, who was pawing at him, trying to make him
play. ‘Go away, Timmy. You’re too energetic. We’ve bathed, had a run, played
ball - and that’s quite enough for a little while. Go and play with the crabs!’
‘Woof!’
said Timmy, disgusted. Then he pricked up his ears as he heard a tinkling noise
from the promenade. He barked again.
‘Trust
old Timmy to hear the ice-cream man,’ said Dick. ‘Anyone want an ice-cream?’
Everyone
did, so Anne collected the money and went off to get the ice-creams, Timmy
close at her heels. She came back with five cartons of ice-cream, Timmy jumping
up at her all the way.
‘I
can’t think of anything nicer than lying down on hot sand with the sun on every
part of my body, eating an ice-cream, and knowing there are still three weeks’
holiday in front of us - at Kirrin too!’ said Dick.
‘Yes.
It’s heaven,’ said Anne.
Who are they? Have we got to dress up for them?’
‘I
don’t think so,’ said George. ‘Timmy, you’ve eaten your ice-cream in one gulp.
What a frightful waste!’
‘When
are these people coming?’ asked Dick.
‘About
half past twelve,’ said George. ‘They’re coming to lunch - but thank goodness
Father told Mother he didn’t want a pack of children gobbling all round him and
his friends at lunch, so Mother said we could go in at half past twelve, say
how-do-you-do and then clear off again with a picnic basket.’
‘I
must say I think your father has some good ideas at times,’ said Dick. ‘I
suppose they are some scientist friends of his?’
‘Yes.
Father’s working on some great scheme with these two men,’ said George. ‘One of
them’s a genius, apparently, and has hit on an idea that’s too wonderful for
words.’
‘What
kind of modern idea is it?’ said Julian, lazily, holding out his finger-tips
for Timmy to lick off smears of ice-cream. ‘Some space-ship to take us on
day-trips to the moon - or some new bomb to set off - or...’
‘No,
I think it’s something that will give us heat, light and power for almost
nothing!’ said George. ‘I heard Father say that it’s the simplest and best idea
anyone had ever worked out, and he’s awfully excited about it. He called it a
“gift to mankind” and said he was proud to have anything to do with it.’
‘Uncle
quentin is very clever, isn’t he?’ said Anne. George’s father was the uncle of
Julian, Dick and Anne, and they were cousins to George - short for Georgina.
Once more they had all come down to Kirrin for part of their holiday, the last
three weeks.
George’s
father was certainly clever. All the same, George sometimes wished that he was
a more ordinary parent, one who would play cricket or tennis with children, and
not be so horrified at shouting and laughter and silly jokes. He always made a
fuss when George’s mother insisted that George should have her cousins to stay.
‘Noisy,
rowdy, yelling kids!’ he said. ‘I shall lock myself in my study and stay
there!’
‘All
right, dear,’ said his wife. ‘You do that. But you know perfectly well that
they will be out practically all day long. George must have other children to
stay sometimes, and her three cousins are the nicest ones I know. George loves
having them here.’
The
four cousins were very careful not to upset George’s father. He had a very hot
temper and shouted at the top of his voice when he was angry. Still, as Julian
said, he really couldn’t help being a genius, and geniuses weren’t ordinary
people.
‘Especially
scientific geniuses who might easily blow up the whole world in a fit of
temper,’ said Julian, solemnly.
‘Well,
I wish he wouldn’t keep blowing me up if I let a door bang, or set Timmy
barking,’ said George.
‘That’s
only to keep his hand in,’ said Dick. ‘Just a bit of practice at blowing up!’
‘Don’t
be an ass,’ said George. ‘Does anyone feel like another bathe?’
‘No.
But I don’t mind going and lying in the very edge of the sea, and letting the
waves there just curl over me,’ said Dick. ‘I’m absolutely baked lying here.’
‘It
sounds lovely,’ said Anne. ‘But the hotter you are the colder the water feels.’
‘Come
on!’ said Dick, getting up. ‘I shall hang my tongue out and pant like Timmy
soon.’
They
all went down to the edge of the water and lay down flat in the tiny curling
waves there. Anne gave a little shriek.
‘It
feels icy! I knew it would. I can’t lie down in it yet - I can only sit up!’
However
they were soon all lying full-length in the shallow waves at the edge of the
sea, sliding down the sand a little every now and again as the tide ebbed
farther from them. It was lovely to feel the cool fingers of the sea on every
part of them.
Suddenly
Timmy barked. He was not in the water with them, but was just at the edge. He
thought that lying down in the sea was quite unnecessary! George raised her
head.
‘What’s
the matter?’ she said. ‘There’s nobody coming.’
But
Dick had heard something too. He sat up hurriedly. ‘Gosh, I believe that’s
someone ringing a bell for us. It sounds like the bell from Kirrin Cottage!’
‘But
it can’t be dinner-time yet!’ said Anne in dismay.
‘It
must be,’ said Julian, leaping up. ‘Blow! This is what comes of leaving my
watch in my blazer pocket! I ought to have remembered that time at Kirrin goes
more quickly than anywhere else!’
He
ran up the beach to his blazer and took his wristwatch from the pocket. ‘It’s
one o’clock!’ he yelled. ‘In fact, it’s a minute past. Buck up, we’ll be
awfully late!’
‘Blow!’
said George. ‘Mother won’t be at all pleased with us, because those two
scientist people will be there!’
They
collected their blazers and tore up the beach. It was not very far to Kirrin
Cottage, fortunately, and they were soon running in at the front gate. There
was a very large car outside, one of the latest American models. But there was
no time to examine it!
They
trailed in quietly at the garden door. George’s mother met them, looking rather
cross.
‘Sorry,
Aunt Fanny,’ said Julian. ‘Please forgive us. It was my fault entirely. I’m the
only one with a watch.’
‘Are
we awfully late?’ asked Anne. ‘Have you begun lunch yet? Would you like us just
to take our picnic basket and slip off without interrupting?’
‘No,’
said her aunt.  I’ve sounded the gong once but I don’t expect they’ve even heard it! I
rang the bell for you because I thought that any moment they might come out,
and your uncle would be cross if you weren’t there just to say how-do-you-do!’
‘But
Father’s friends don’t usually want to see us,’ said George, surprised.
‘Well,
one of them has a girl a bit younger than you, George - younger than Anne too,
I think,’ said her mother. ‘And he specially asked to see you all, because his
daughter is going to your school next term.’
‘We’d
better buck up and have a bit of a wash then,’ said Julian - but at that very
moment the study door opened, and his Uncle Quentin came out with two men.
‘Hallo - are these your kids?’ said one of the
men, stopping.
‘They’ve
just come in from the beach,’ said Aunt Fanny hurriedly. ‘I’m afraid they are
not really fit to be seen. I...’
‘Great
snakes!’ said the man, ‘don’t you dare to apologise for kids like these! I
never saw such a fine lot in my life - they’re wunnerful!’
He
spoke with an American accent, and beamed all over his face. The children
warmed to him at once. He turned to George’s father. ‘These all yours?’ he
asked. ‘I bet you’re proud of them! How did they get that tan - they look like
Red Indians! My, my - wish my Berta looked like that!’
‘They’re
not all mine,’ said Uncle Quentin, looking quite horrified at the thought.
‘Only this one is mine,’ and he put his hand on George’s shoulder. ‘The others
are nephews and a niece.’
‘Well,
I must say you’ve got a fine boy,’ said the American, ruffling George’s short
curls. As a rule she hated people who did that, but because he mistook her for
a boy, she grinned happily!
‘My
girl’s going to your school,’ he said to Anne. ‘Give her a bit of help, will
you? She’ll be scared stiff at first.’
‘Of
course I will,’ said Anne, taking a liking to the huge loud-voiced American. He
didn’t look a bit like a scientist. The other man did, though. He was
round-shouldered and wore owl-like glasses, and, as Uncle Quentin often did, he
stared into the distance as if he was not hearing a single word that anyone
said.
Uncle
Quentin thought this gossiping had lasted long enough. He waved the children
away.
‘Come
and have lunch,’ he said to the other men. The second man followed him at once,
but the big American stayed behind. He thrust his hands into his pocket and
brought out a pound note. He gave it to Anne.
‘Spend
that on yourselves,’ he said. ‘And be kind to my Berta, won’t you?’
 ‘Goodness
- what will Father say to a bang like that!’ said George, with a sudden giggle.
‘I like him, don’t you? That must be his car outside. I can’t imagine the other
man even riding a bicycle, let alone driving a car!’
‘Children
- take your picnic basket and go!’ said Aunt Fanny, urgently. ‘I must run and
see that everything is all right!’
She
thrust a big basket into Julian’s hands, and disappeared into the dining-room.
Julian grinned as he felt the weight of the basket.
‘Come
along,’ he said. ‘This feels good! Back to the beach, everyone!’
Chapter
Two
A
VISITOR IN THE NIGHT
The
Five were on the beach in two minutes, and Julian undid the basket. It was full
of neatly packed sandwiches, and packets of biscuits and chocolate. A bag
contained ripe plums, and there were two bottles of lemonade.
‘Home-made!’
said Dick, taking it out. And icy-cold. And what’s this? A fruit cake - a whole
fruit cake - we’re in luck.’
‘Woof,’
said Timmy, approvingly, and sniffled inside the basket.
Wrapped
in brown paper were some biscuits and a bone, together with a small pot of
paste. George undid the packet. ‘I packed these for you, Timmy,’ she said. ‘Say
thank you!’
Timmy
licked her so lavishly that she cried out for mercy. ‘Pass me the towel, Ju!’
she said. ‘Timmy’s made my face all wet.  Get away, I said. How can I spread paste on your biscuits if
you stick your nose into the pot all the time?’
‘You
spoil Timmy dreadfully,’ said Anne. ‘All right, all right - you needn’t scowl
at me, George! I agree that he’s worth spoiling. Take your bone a bit farther
away from me, Tim - it’s smelly!’
They
were soon eating sardine sandwiches with tomatoes, and egg-and-lettuce
sandwiches after that. Then they started on the fruit cake and the lemonade.
‘I
can’t think why people ever have table-meals when they can have picnics,’ said
Dick. ‘Think of Uncle and Aunt and those two men tucking into a hot meal indoors
on a day like this. Phew!’
‘I
liked that big American,’ said George.
‘Aha!
We all know why,’ said Dick, annoyingly. ‘He thought you were a boy. Will you
ever grow out of that, George?’
‘Timmy’s
trying to get at the cake!’ said Anne. ‘Quick, George, stop him!’
 He was
most annoyed because nobody laughed at the funny part, and sat up to see why.
‘All
asleep!’ he said, in disgust.  A loud roaring noise came to him.
‘Just
the American revving up his car, do you think, Tim?’ said Julian. The boy stood
up and saw the great car tearing down the sea road.
The
day was too hot to do anything but laze. The Five were quite content to do that
on their first day together again. Soon they would want to plan all kinds of
things, but the first day at Kirrin was a day for picking up old threads,
teasing Timmy, getting into the ‘feel’ of things again, as Dick said.
Dick
and Julian had been abroad for four weeks, and Anne had been away to camp and
had had a school friend to stay with her at home afterwards. George had been
alone at Kirrin so it was wonderful to all the Five to meet together once more
for three whole summer weeks. At Kirrin too, Kirrin by the sea, with its lovely
beach, its fine boating - and its exciting little island across Kirrin Bay!
As
usual the first day or two passed in a kind of dream, and then the children
began to plan exciting things to do.
‘We’ll
go to Kirrin Island again,’ said Dick. ‘We’ve not been there for ages.’
‘We’ll
go fishing in Lobster Cove,’ said Julian.
‘We’ll
go and explore some of the caves in the cliffs,’ said George. ‘I meant to do
that these hols, but somehow it’s no fun going alone.’
On
the third day, just as they were finishing making their beds, the telephone
bell rang.
‘I’ll
go!’ yelled Julian to his aunt, and went to answer it. An urgent voice spoke at
the other end.
‘Who’s
that? Oh, you, Julian - you’re Quentin’s nephew, aren’t you? Listen, tell your
uncle I’m coming over tonight - yes, tonight. Latish, say. Tell him to wait up
for me. It’s important.’
‘But,
won’t you speak to him yourself?’ said Julian, surprised. ‘I’ll fetch him, if
you’ll...’
But
the line had gone dead. Julian was puzzled. The man hadn’t even given his name
- but Julian had recognised the voice. It was the big, cheery American who had
come to see his uncle two days before! What had happened? What was all the
excitement about?
He
went to find his uncle but he was not in his study. So he found his aunt
instead.
‘Aunt
Fanny,’ he said, ‘I think that was the big American on the phone - the one who
came to lunch the other day. He said I was to tell Uncle Quentin that he was
coming here tonight - late, he said - and that Uncle was to wait up for him,
because it was important.’
‘Dear
me!’ said his aunt, startled. ‘Is he going to stay the night then? We’ve no
bedroom free now you and the others are here.’
‘He
didn’t say, Aunt Fanny,’ said Julian. ‘I’m awfully sorry not to be able to tell
you any details - but just as I was saying I’d fetch Uncle Quentin, he rang off
- in the very middle of what I was saying.’
‘How
mysterious!’ said his aunt. ‘And how annoying. How can I put him up, if he
wants to stay? I suppose he’ll come roaring down at midnight in that enormous
car of his. I only hope nothing’s gone wrong with this latest work your uncle
is doing. I know it’s tremendously important.’
‘Perhaps
Uncle will know the American’s telephone number and he can ring him up to find
out a bit more,’ said Julian, helpfully. ‘Where is Uncle?’
‘He’s
gone down to the post-office, I think,’ said his aunt. ‘I’ll tell him when he
gets back.’
Julian
told the others about the mysterious phone call. Dick was pleased.
‘I
didn’t have a chance of getting a good look at that enormous car the other
day,’ he said. ‘I think I’ll keep awake tonight till the American comes and
then nip down and have a look at it. I bet it’s got more gadgets on the
dashboard than any car I’ve ever seen!’
Uncle
Quentin appeared to be as surprised as anyone else at the phone call, and was
inclined to blame Julian for not finding out more details.
‘What’s
he want now?’ he demanded, almost as if Julian ought to know! ‘I fixed
everything up with him the other day. Everything! Each of us three has his own
part to do. Mine’s the least important, as it happens - and his is the most
important. He took all the papers away with him; he can’t have left any behind.
Coming down in the middle of the night like this - quite extraordinary!’
None
of the children except Dick meant to stay awake and listen for the American’s
coming. Dick put on his bed-light and took up a book to read. He knew he would
fall asleep and not wake up for any noise, if he didn’t somehow keep himself
wide awake!
He
listened as he read, his ear alert to hear the coming of any car. Eleven
o’clock came - then midnight struck. He listened to the twelve dongs from the
big grandfather clock in the hall. Goodness - Uncle Quentin wouldn’t be at all
pleased that his visitor was so late!
He
yawned, and turned over his page. He read on and on. Half past twelve. One
o’clock. Then he thought he heard a sound downstairs and opened his door. Yes -
it was Uncle Quentin in his study. Dick could hear his voice.
‘Poor
old Aunt Fanny must be up too,’ he thought. ‘I can hear their voices. Gosh, I
shall soon fall asleep over my book. I’ll slip down and out into the garden for
a breath of fresh air. I shall keep awake then.’
He
put on his dressing-gown and went quietly down the stairs. He undid the bolt of
the garden door and slipped out. He stood listening for a moment, wondering if
he would hear the roar of the American’s car in the stillness of the night.
But
all he heard was the sound of the tyres of a bicycle on the road outside. A
bicycle! Who was riding about at this time of night? Perhaps it was the village
policeman?
Dick
stood in the shadows and watched. A man was on the bicycle.  To the boy’s
enormous surprise, he heard the sound of the man dismounting, then the swish of
the leaves in the hedge as the bicycle was slung there.
Then
someone came quietly up the path and went round to the window of the study. It
was the only room in the house that was lighted. Dick heard a tapping on the
window, and then it was opened cautiously. His uncle’s head appeared.
‘Who
is it?’ he said, in a low tone. ‘Is it you, Elbur?’
It
apparently was. Dick saw that it was the big American who had visited his uncle
two days before. ‘I’ll open the door,’ said his aunt, but Elbur was already
putting his leg across the window-sill!
Dick
went back to bed, puzzled. How strange! Why should the American come so
secretly in the night, why should he ride a bicycle instead of driving his car?
He fell asleep still wondering.
He
did not know whether the American rode away again, or whether his aunt made a
bed for him on a couch downstairs. In fact, when he awoke the next morning, he
really wondered if it had all been a dream.
He
asked his aunt, when he went down to breakfast. ‘Did that man who telephoned
come last night?’ he said.
His
aunt nodded her head. ‘Yes. But please say nothing about it. I don’t want
anyone to know. He’s gone now.’
‘Was
it important?’ asked Dick. ‘Julian seemed to think it was, when he answered the
phone.’
‘Yes
- it was important,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘But not in the way you think. Don’t ask
me anything now, Dick. And keep out of your uncle’s way. He’s rather cross this
morning.’
‘Then
something must have gone wrong with this new work he’s doing,’ thought Dick,
and went to warn the others.
‘It
sounds rather exciting,’ said Julian. ‘I wonder what’s up?’
They
kept out of Uncle Quentin’s way. They heard him grumbling loudly to his wife
about something, they heard him slam down his desk-lid as he always did when he
was bad-tempered, and then he settled down to his morning’s work.
Anne
came running to the others after a time, looking surprised. ‘George! I’ve just
been into our room and what do you think! Aunt Fanny’s put a camp-bed over in
the corner - a camp-bed made up with blankets and everything! It looks an awful
squash with two other beds as well in the room - mine and yours!’
‘Gosh
- someone else is coming to stay then - a girl,’ said Dick. ‘Or a woman. Aha! I
expect it’s a governess engaged to look after you and Anne, George, to see that
you behave like little ladies!’
‘Don’t
be an idiot,’ said George, surprised and cross at the news. ‘I’m going to ask
Mother what it’s all about. I won’t have anyone else in our room. I just will
not!’
But
just as she was marching off to tell her mother this, the study door downstairs
opened and her father bellowed into the hall, calling his wife.
‘Fanny!
Tell the children I want them. Tell them to come to my study AT ONCE!’
‘Gracious
- he does sound cross. Whatever can we have done?’ said Anne, scared.
Chapter
Three
ANNOYING
NEWS
The
four children and Timmy trooped down the stairs together. George’s mother was
in the hall, just going to call them.
‘Oh,
there you are,’ she said. ‘Well, I suppose you heard that you’re wanted in the
study. I’m coming too. And listen - please don’t make any more fuss than you
can help. I’ve had quite enough fuss made by Quentin!’
This
was very mysterious! What had Aunt Fanny to do with whatever trouble there was?
Into the study went the Five, Timmy too, and saw Uncle Quentin standing on the
hearthrug looking as black as thunder.
‘Quentin,
I could have told the children,’ began his wife, but he silenced her with a
scowl exactly like the one George sometimes put on.
‘I’ve
got something to say to you,’ he began. ‘You remember those two friends of mine
- scientists working on a scheme with me - you remember the big American?’
‘Yes,’
said everyone.
‘He
gave us a whole pound,’ said Anne.
Uncle
Quentin took no notice of that remark. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘he’s got a daughter -
let’s see now - she’s got some silly name...’
‘Berta,’
said his wife.
‘Don’t
interrupt me,’ said Uncle Quentin. ‘Yes, Berta. Well, Elbur, her father, has
been warned that she’s going to be kidnapped.’
‘Whatever
for?’ said Julian, amazed.
‘Because
it so happens that her father knows more secrets about a new scheme we’re
planning than anyone else in the world,’ said his uncle. ‘And he says, quite
frankly, that if this girl - what’s her name now...’
‘Berta,’
said everyone, obligingly.
 ‘Pah! What’s he made of? Traitor to us all!
How can he even think of giving away secrets for the sake of a silly girl?’
‘Quentin,
she’s his only child and he adores her,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘I should feel the
same about George.’
‘Women
are always soft and silly,’ said her husband, in a tone of great disgust. ‘It’s
a good thing you don’t know any secrets - you’d give them away to the milkman!’
This
was so ridiculous that the children laughed. Uncle Quentin glared at them.
‘This
is no laughing matter. It has been a great shock to me to be told by one of the
leading scientists of the world that he feels certain he might give all our
secrets to the enemy if this - this...’
‘Berta,’
said everyone again, at once.
‘If
this Berta was kidnapped,’ went on Uncle Quentin. ‘So he came to ask if we’d
take this - this Berta into our own home for three weeks. By that time the
scheme will be finished and launched, and our secrets will be safe.’
There
was a silence. Nobody looked very pleased. In fact, George looked furious. She
burst out at last.
‘So
that’s who the bed is for in our room! Mother, have we got to be squashed up
with nowhere to move about the room, for three whole weeks? It’s too bad.’
‘For
once you and I agree, George,’ said her father. ‘But I’m afraid you’ll have to
put up with it. Elbur is in such a state about this kidnapping warning that he
couldn’t be reasoned with. In fact he threatend to tear up all his figures and
diagrams and burn them, if I didn’t agree to this. That would mean we couldn’t
get on with the scheme.’
‘But
why has she got to come here?’ said George, fiercely. ‘Why put her on to us?
Hasn’t she any relations or friends she can go to?’
‘George,
don’t be so fierce,’ said her mother. ‘Apparently Berta has no mother, and has
been everywhere with her father. They have no relations in this country - and
no friends they can trust. He won’t send her back to America because he has
been warned by the police that she might be followed there - and at the moment
he can’t leave this country himself to go with her.’
‘But
why choose us?’ said George again.  He said he’d rather his Berta was with you four
than with any other family in the world.’
She
paused and looked at the four, a harassed expression on her face. Julian went
over to her.
‘Don’t
you worry!’ he said. ‘We’ll look after Berta! I won’t pretend I’m pleased at
having a strange girl to join us these last three precious weeks - but I can
see her father’s point of view - he’s scared for Berta, and he’s scared he
might find himself spilling the beans if anything happened to her! It might be
the only way he could get her back.’
‘To
think of such a thing!’ burst out Uncle Quentin. ‘All the work of the last two
years! The man must be mad!’
‘Now
Quentin, don’t think any more about it,’ said his wife. ‘I’m glad to have the
child here. I would hate George to be kidnapped, and I know exactly how he
feels. You won’t even notice she’s here. One more will make no difference.’
‘So
you say,’ grumbled her husband. ‘Anyway, it’s settled.’
‘When
is she coming?’ asked Dick.
‘Tonight.
By boat,’ said his uncle. ‘We’ll have to let Joan the cook into the secret -
but nobody else. That’s understood, isn’t it?’
‘Of
course,’ said the four at once. Then Uncle Quentin sat down firmly at his desk,
and the children went hurriedly out of the room, Aunt Fanny behind them, and
Timmy pushing between their ankles.
‘It’s
such a pity, and I’m so sorry,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘But I do feel we can’t do
anything else.’
‘I
bet Timmy will hate her,’ said George.
‘Now
don’t you go and make things difficult, George, old thing,’ said Julian. ‘We’re
all agreed it can’t be helped, so we might as well make the best of it.’
‘I
hate making the best of things,’ said George, obstinately.
‘Well,’
said Dick, amiably, ‘Julian and Anne and I could go back home and take Berta
with us if you hate everything so much. I don’t particularly want to stay here
for three weeks if you’re going to put on a Hate all the time.’
‘All
right, I won’t,’ said George. ‘I’m only letting off steam. You know that.’
‘I’m
never sure, with you,’ said Dick, with a grin. ‘Well, look - let’s not spoil
this one day when we will be by ourselves!’
They
all tried valiantly to have as good a time as possible, and went out in
George’s boat for a long row to Lobster Cove. They didn’t do any fishing there,
but bathed from the boat instead, in water as green and clear as in an open-air
bath. Timmy didn’t approve of bathing from boats. It was quite easy to jump out
of the boat into the water - but he found it extremely difficult to jump in again!
Aunt
Fanny had again packed them a wonderful lunch. ‘An extra good one to make up
for a disappointment,’ she said, smiling. Anne had given her a hug for that.
Here they had all been making such a fuss about having someone extra - and Aunt
Fanny had been the only one to feel a real kindness for a child in danger.
They
had enough food for tea too, and did not get home until the evening. The sea
was calm and blue, and the children could see almost to the bottom of the
water, when they leaned over the side of the boat. The sky was the colour of
harebells as they rowed into the bay and up to the beach.
‘Will
Berta be there yet, do you suppose?’ said George, mentioning the girl for the
first time since they had set out that morning.
‘I
shouldn’t think so,’ said Julian. ‘Your father said she would be coming tonight
- and I imagine that, as she’s coming by boat, it will be dark - so that she
won’t be seen.’
‘I
expect she’ll be feeling very scared,’ said Anne. ‘It must be horrid to be sent
away to a strange place, to strange people. I should hate it!’
They
beached the boat and left it high and dry. Then they made their way to Kirrin
Cottage. Aunt Fanny was pleased to see them.
‘You
are in nice time for supper,’ she said. ‘Though if you ate all I gave you today
for your picnics, you’ll surely find it difficult to eat very much supper.’
‘Oh,
I’m terribly hungry,’ said Dick. He sniffed, holding his nose up in the air
just as Timmy often did. ‘I believe you’ve been making your special tomato
soup, with real tomatoes, Aunt Fanny!’
‘You’re
too good at guessing,’ said his aunt with a laugh. ‘It was meant to be a
surprise! Now go and wash and make yourselves tidy.’
‘Berta
hasn’t come yet, I suppose, has she?’ asked Julian.
‘No,’
said his aunt. ‘And we’ll have to think of another name for her, Julian. It
would never do to call her Berta now.’
Uncle
Quentin didn’t appear for supper. ‘He is having his in the study by himself,’
said Aunt Fanny.
There
was a sigh of relief. Nobody had looked forward to seeing Uncle Quentin that
night. It took him quite a long time to get over any annoyance!
‘How
sunburnt you all are!’ said Aunt Fanny, looking round the table. ‘George, your
nose is beginning to peel.’
‘I
know,’ said George. ‘I wish it didn’t. Anne’s never does.
‘I’d
like to. But what about this Berta?’ said George. ‘What time is she coming? It
would be rather mean to be in bed when she arrives.’
‘I’ve
no idea what time she will come,’ said her mother. ‘But I shall wait up, of
course. There’s no need for anyone else to. I expect she’ll be tired and
scared, so I shall give her something to eat - some of the tomato soup, if
you’ve left any! - and then pop her into bed. I expect she would be quite glad
not to have to meet any of you tonight.’
‘Well
- I shall go to bed,’ said Dick. ‘I heard Mr Elbur arriving last night, Aunt
Fanny, and it was pretty late, wasn’t it? I can hardly keep my eyes open
tonight.’
‘Come
on, then - let’s all go up,’ said Julian. ‘We can read if we can’t sleep. Good
night, Aunt Fanny. Thank you for that lovely picnic food again!’
All
the four went upstairs, Anne and Dick yawning loudly, and setting the others
off too. Timmy padded behind them, quite glad that George was going to bed so
early.
They
were all asleep in ten minutes. The boys slept like logs and didn’t stir at
all. The girls fell fast asleep for about four hours - and then George was
awakened by hearing Timmy growl. She sat up at once.
‘What
is it?’ she said. ‘Oh - is it Berta arriving, Tim? Let’s keep quiet and see
what she’s like!’
After
a minute Timmy growled again. George heard the sound of quiet footsteps on the
stairs. Then the bedroom door was slid softly open, and two people stood in the
light of the landing lamp. One was Aunt Fanny.
The
other, of course, was Berta.
Chapter
Four
BERTA
George
sat up in bed and stared at Berta. She looked very peculiar indeed. For one
thing she was so bundled up in coats and wraps that it was difficult to see if
she was fat or thin, tall or short, and for another thing she was crying so
bitterly that her face was all screwed up.
Anne
didn’t wake up. Timmy was so astonished that, like George, he simply sat and
stared.
‘Tell
Timmy not to make a sound,’ whispered George’s mother, afraid that the dog
might bark the house down, once he began.
George
laid a warning hand on Timmy. Her mother gave Berta a little push farther into
the room.
‘She’s
been terribly seasick, poor child,’ she told George. ‘And she’s scared and
upset. I want her to get into bed as soon as possible.’
Berta
was still sobbing, but the sobs grew quieter as she began to feel less sick.
George’s mother was so kind and sensible that she felt comforted.
‘Let’s
take these things off,’ she said to Berta.  But if
you came in an open motorboat I expect you needed them.’
‘What
am I to call you?’ asked Berta, with one last sniff.
‘You’d
better call me Aunt Fanny, as the others do, I think,’ said George’s mother. ‘I
expect you know why you’ve come to stay with us for a while, don’t you?’
‘Yes,’
said Berta. ‘I didn’t want to come. I wanted to stay with my father. I’m not
afraid of being kidnapped. I’ve got Sally to look after me.’
‘Who’s
Sally, dear?’ asked Aunt Fanny, taking a coat or two off Berta.
‘My
dog,’ said Berta. ‘She’s downstairs in the basket I was carrying.’
George
pricked up her ears at that bit of news! ‘A dog!’ she said. ‘We can’t have a
dog here. Mine would never allow that. Would you, Timmy?’
Timmy
gave a small wuff. He was watching this night arrival with great interest. Who
was she? He was longing to get down from George’s bed and go to sniff at her,
but George had her hand on his collar.
‘Well,
I’ve brought my dog, and I just reckon she’ll have to stay now,’ said Berta.
‘The boat’s gone back. Anyway, I wouldn’t go anywhere without Sally. I told my
father that, and he said all right then, take her with you! So I did.’
‘Mother,
tell her how fierce Timmy is and that he would fight any other dog who came
here,’ said George, urgently. ‘I won’t have anybody else’s dog at Kirrin
Cottage.’
To
George’s annoyance her mother took not the slightest notice. She went on
helping Berta take off scarves and leggings and goodness knows what. George
wondered how anyone could possibly exist in all those clothes on a warm
summer’s night.

‘Thank
you,’ she said. ‘Can I get Sally my dog now?’
‘Not
tonight,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘You see, you are to sleep in that little camp-bed
over in the corner - and I can’t let you have your dog here too, because she
and Timmy might fight unless we introduce them to one another properly. And
there is no time to bother about that tonight. Do you feel hungry now? Would
you like some tomato soup and biscuits?’
‘Yes,
please. I do feel a bit hungry,’ said Berta.  ‘Then hop into
bed and I’ll bring you up some soup.’
But
one look at the scowling George made her change her mind. Better not leave poor
Berta with an angry George on her very first night!
‘I
think perhaps I won’t get the soup myself,’ she said.  It’s warming up in the saucepan on the stove downstairs. You’ll
see the little soup-cup on the table, and some biscuits too.’
George
got out of bed, still looking very mutinous. She watched Berta shake out a
nightdress from her night-case and pursed up her lips.
‘She
doesn’t even wear pyjamas!’ she thought. ‘What a ninny! And she’s had the sauce
to bring her own dog, too - spoilt little thing! I wonder where it is? I’ve a
good mind to have a look at it when I’m downstairs.’
But
her mother had an idea that George might do that and she went to the door after
her. ‘George!’ she said, warningly, ‘I don’t want you to open the dog’s basket
downstairs. I’m not having any dog-fights tonight. I shall put him in Timmy’s
kennel outside before I go to bed.’
George
said nothing but went on downstairs. The soup was just about to boil and she
whipped it off the stove at once. She poured it into the little soup-cup,
placed it on the saucer, and put some biscuits on the side.
She
heard a small whimpering sound, and turned round. It came from a fairly large
basket over in the corner. George was terribly tempted to go and undo it - but
she knew perfectly well that if the new dog ran upstairs to find its mistress,
Timmy would bark and wake everybody up! It wasn’t worth risking.
She
took up the soup. Berta was now in the camp-bed and looked very cosy. Anne was
still sleeping peacefully, quite undisturbed by all that was going on. Timmy
had taken the opportunity of jumping off George’s bed and had gone to examine
this newcomer. He sniffed her delicately, and Berta put out her hand and
stroked his head.
‘What
lovely eyes he’s got,’ she said. ‘But he’s a mongrel, isn’t he? A sort of
mixture-dog.’
‘Don’t
you say anything like that to George,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘She adores Timmy. Now
- do you feel better? I hope you’ll be happy with us, Berta, dear - I am sure
you didn’t want to come - but your father was so worried. And it will be nice
for you to get to know Anne and Georgina before you go to their school next
term.’
‘Oh
- was that Georgina - the one you called George?’ said Berta in surprise. ‘I
wasn’t really sure if she was a boy or not. My father told me there were three
boys here and one girl - and that’s the girl, isn’t it - in bed there?’
She
pointed to Anne. Aunt Fanny nodded. ‘Yes, that’s Anne. Your father thought
George was a boy, that’s why he told you there were three boys and only one
girl here, I suppose. The two boys are in the next room.’
‘I
don’t like George very much,’ said Berta. ‘She doesn’t want me here, does she -
or my dog?’
‘Oh,
you’ll find George great fun when you get to know her,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘Here
she comes now with your soup.’
George
came in with the soup, and was not at all pleased to see Timmy standing by the
camp-bed, being petted by Berta. She set the soup down sharply, and pushed
Timmy away.
‘Thank
you,’ said Berta, and took the soup-cup eagerly into her hands. ‘What lovely
soup!’ she said. George got into bed and turned over on her side. She knew she
was behaving badly, but the thought of someone daring to bring another dog to
live at Kirrin Cottage was more than she could bear.
Timmy
leapt up to lie at her feet as usual. Berta looked at this with much approval.
‘I’ll
have Sally on my feet tomorrow!’ she said. ‘That’s an awfully good idea. Pops -
that’s my father - always let me have Sally in my room, but she had to be in
her basket, not on my bed. Tomorrow night she can sleep on my feet, like Timmy
does on George’s.’
‘She
will not,’ said George, in a fierce voice. ‘No dog sleeps in my bedroom except
Timmy.’
‘Now
don’t talk any more,’ said Aunt Fanny, hurriedly. ‘We can settle everything
tomorrow when you’re not so tired. I’ll look after Sally tonight for you, I
promise. Lie down now and go to sleep. You look as if you’re half asleep
already!’
Berta
was suddenly overcome with sleep and flopped down into bed. Her eyes closed,
but she managed to force them open and look up at George’s mother.
‘Good
night, Aunt Fanny,’ she said, sleepily.  Thank you for being so kind to me.’
She
was asleep almost before she had finished speaking. Aunt Fanny took up the
soup-cup and went to the door. ‘Are you awake, George?’ she said.
George
lay absolutely still. She knew that her mother was not pleased with her. It
would be better to pretend to be fast asleep!
‘I
am sure you are awake,’ said her mother. ‘And I hope you are ashamed of
yourself. I shall expect you to make up for this silly behaviour in the
morning.
She
went out of the room, closing the door softly. George put out her hand to
Timmy. She was ashamed of herself, but she wasn’t at all certain that she would
behave better in the morning. That silly, soppy girl! Her dog would be as silly
as herself, she was sure! And Timmy would simply hate having another dog in the
house. He would probably growl and snarl to such a degree that Berta would be
forced to send her dog away.
‘And
a good thing too,’ murmured George, as Timmy licked her fingers lovingly. ‘You
don’t want another girl in the house or another dog either, do you Timmy?
Especially a girl like that!’
Aunt
Fanny saw to Berta’s dog, and put her safely into Timmy’s kennel outside. It
had a little door to it, which could be shut, so the dog was safe there, and
would not be able to run out.
She
went back into the house, cleared up Berta’s belongings a little, for they had
been thrown higgledy-piggledy into the room, and then turned out the light.
She
went upstairs to bed. Her husband had slept soundly all through Berta’s late
arrival. He had been very sure that he would wake up and welcome the girl as
well as his wife, but he hadn’t even stirred!
Aunt
Fanny was glad. It was much easier for her to deal with a seasick, frightened
girl by herself. She climbed thankfully into bed and lay down with a sigh.
‘Oh
dear - I don’t look forward to the morning! What will happen then, with George
in this mood, and two dogs to sort out? Berta seems a nice little thing. Well -
perhaps they will all get on better than I think!’
Yes
- things wouldn’t be too easy in the morning. That was quite certain!
Chapter
Five
IN
THE MORNING
George
was the first to wake up in the morning. She at once remembered the events of
the night before and looked across at Berta in the camp-bed. The girl was
asleep, her wavy golden hair spread over the pillow. George leaned across
Anne’s bed and gave her a sharp nudge.
Anne
woke up at once and gazed sleepily at George. ‘What’s the matter, George? Is it
time to get up?’
‘Look
over there,’ whispered George, nodding her head towards Berta. Anne turned over
and looked. Unlike George she liked the look of Berta. Her sleeping face was
pleasant and open, and her mouth turned up, not down. Anne couldn’t bear people
whose mouths turned down.
‘She
looks all right,’ whispered back Anne. George frowned.
‘She
howled like anything when she came,’ she told Anne. ‘She’s a real baby. And
she’s brought a dog!’
‘Goodness
- Timmy won’t like that,’ said Anne, startled. ‘Where is it?’
‘Down
in Timmy’s kennel,’ said George, still whispering. ‘I haven’t seen it. It was
in a closed basket last night and I didn’t dare open it in case it tore
upstairs and had a row with Tim. But it can’t be very big.  ‘They may be small and have funny little
pug-noses, but they’re awfully brave. Fancy having another dog! I can’t think
what Timmy will say!’
‘It’s
a pity Berta isn’t our kind,’ said George. ‘Look at her pale face - not a scrap
of sun-tan! And she looks weedy, doesn’t she? I’m sure she couldn’t climb a
tree, or row a boat, or...’
‘Sh!
She’s waking up,’ said Anne warningly.
Berta
yawned and stretched herself. Then she opened her eyes and looked round. At
first she had no idea where she was, and then she suddenly remembered. She sat
up.
‘Hallo!’
said Anne, and smiled at her. ‘You weren’t here when I came to bed last night.
I was surprised to see you this morning.’
Berta
took an immediate liking to Anne. ‘She’s got kind eyes,’ she thought. ‘She’s
not like the other girl. I like this one!’
She
smiled back at Anne. ‘Yes - I came in the middle of the night,’ she said. ‘I
came by motor-boat, and the sea was so bumpy that I was frightfully sick. My
father didn’t come with me but a friend of his did, and he carried me from the
boat to Kirrin Cottage. Even my legs felt sea-sick!’
‘Bad
luck!’ said Anne. ‘You didn’t really enjoy the adventure then!’
‘No.
I can do without adventures!’ said Berta. ‘I’m not keen on them. Especially
when Pops gets all excited and worried about me - he fusses round me like a
hen, dear old Pops. I shall hate being away from him.’
George
was listening to all this. Not keen on adventures! Well, a girl like that
wouldn’t be, of course!
‘I’m
not very keen on adventures either,’ said Anne. ‘We’ve had plenty, goodness
knows. I prefer adventures when they’re all over!’
George
exploded. ‘Anne! How can you talk like that! We’ve had some smashing
adventures, and we’ve enjoyed every one of them. If you feel like that we’ll
leave you out of the next one.’
Anne
laughed. ‘You won’t! An adventure comes up all of a sudden, like a wind blowing
up in the sky, and we’re all in it, whether we like it or not. And you know
that I like sharing things with you. I say - isn’t it time we got up?’
‘Yes,’
said George, looking at the clock on the mantelpiece. ‘Unless Berta wants to
have her breakfast in bed? I bet she always does at home.’
‘No,
I don’t. I hate meals in bed,’ said Berta. ‘I’m going to get up.’
She
leapt out of bed and went to the window. Immediately she saw the wide sweep of
the bay, sparkling in the morning sun, as blue as cornflowers. The sea-sparkle
was reflected into the bedroom, and made it very bright indeed.
‘Oh!
 ‘Now I
know! What a view! Oh, how lovely the sea looks this morning! And what’s that
little island out there? What a lovely place it looks.’
‘That’s
Kirrin Island,’ said George, proudly. ‘It belongs to me.’
Berta
laughed, thinking that George was joking. ‘Belongs to you! I bet you wish it
did. It’s really wunnerful!’
‘Wunnerful!’
said George imitating her. ‘Can’t you say “wonderful”? It’s got a D in the
middle, you know.’
‘Yes.
I’m always being told things like that,’ said Berta, still staring out of the
window.
I do try, because I’ve got to go to an English school. My, my - I wish that
island belonged to me. I wonder if my Pops could buy it.’
George
exploded again. ‘Buy it! You donkey, I told you it was mine, didn’t I?’
Berta
turned round in surprise. ‘But - you didn’t mean it, did you?’ she said.
‘Yours? But how could it be?’
‘It
is George’s,’ said Anne. ‘It has always belonged to the Kirrin family. That’s
Kirrin Island. George’s father gave it to her, after an adventure we once had.’
Berta
stared at George in awe. ‘Great snakes! So it is yours! Aren’t you the lucky
one! Will you take me to visit it?’
‘I’ll
see,’ said George gruffly, glad to have impressed this American girl so much.
Getting her ‘Pops’ to buy the island indeed! George snorted to herself. What
next!
A
shout came from the next room. It was Julian. ‘Hey, you girls! Are you getting
up? We’re all too late for a bathe before breakfast this morning.  ‘We’ll get dressed, all of us, and then we’ll
introduce Berta to you.’
‘Are
they your brothers?’ asked Berta. ‘I haven’t got any. Or sisters either. I
shall be pretty scared of them-’
‘You
won’t be scared of Julian and Dick,’ said Anne, proudly. ‘You’ll wish you had
brothers like them. Won’t she, George?’
‘Yes,’
said George, shortly. She was feeling rather annoyed just then because Timmy
was standing by Berta, wagging his plumy tail. ‘Come here, Timmy. Don’t make a
nuisance of yourself.’
‘Oh,
he’s not,’ said Berta, and patted his big head. ‘I like him. He seems simply
ENORMOUS after my Sally. But you’ll love Sally, George, you really will.
Everyone says how sweet she is - and I’ve trained her beautifully.’
George
took no interest in these remarks at all. She flounced off to wash in the
bath-room, but Julian and Dick were there, and there was a lot of yelling and
shouting as George tried to make them hurry up and get out. Berta laughed.
‘That
sounds nice and family-like,’ she said. ‘You don’t get that sort of thing if
you’re an only child. What do I wear here?’
‘Oh
- something very simple,’ said Anne, looking at the suitcase open on the floor,
showing a collection of Berta’s clothes. ‘That shirt and those jeans will do.’
They
were ready just as the gong rang for breakfast.
‘I
do like English breakfast,’ she said. ‘We haven’t gotten around to a proper
breakfast in America yet! That’s bacon and tomatoes I smell, isn’t it? My
English governess always said that bacon and eggs made the best breakfast in
the world, but I guess the one we’re going to have will taste pretty good.’
Uncle
Quentin was at the table when the children came down. He looked most surprised
to see Berta, having quite forgotten that she was coming. ‘Who’s this?’ he
said.
‘Now
Quentin - don’t pretend you don’t know!’ said his wife. ‘It’s Elbur’s girl -
your friend Elbur. She came in the middle of the night, but I didn’t wake you,
you were so sound asleep.’
‘Ah
yes,’ said Uncle Quentin, and he shook hands with the rather scared Berta.
‘Glad to have you here, er - let me see now - what’s your name?’
‘Berta,’
said everyone in a chorus.
‘Yes,
yes - Berta. Sit down, my dear. I know your father well. He’s doing some
wonderful work.’
Berta
beamed. ‘He’s always at work!’ she said. ‘He works all through the night
sometimes.’
‘Does
he? Well, what a thing to do!’ said Uncle Quentin.
‘It’s
a thing you often do yourself, Quentin,’ said his wife, pouring out coffee.
‘Though I don’t suppose you even realize it.’
Uncle
Quentin looked surprised. ‘Do I really? Bless us all! Don’t I go to bed some
nights then?’
Berta
laughed. ‘You’re like my Pops! Sometimes he doesn’t know what day of the week
it is, even! And yet he’s supposed to be one of the cleverest guys in the
world!’
‘Guy?’
said Uncle Quentin, surprised, immediately thinking of Firework Night. Everyone
laughed. Anne patted her uncle’s knee. ‘It’s all right, Uncle,’ she said, ‘he’s
not going to sit on the top of a bonfire!’
But
Uncle Quentin was not listening. He had suddenly seen a letter marked
‘IMPORTANT’ on the top of his pile of correspondence, and he picked it up.
‘Well,
unless I’m much mistaken, here’s a letter from your father,’ he said to Berta.
‘I’ll see what he says.’
He
opened the letter and read it to himself. Then he looked up. ‘It’s all about
you - er - er...’
‘Her
name’s Berta,’ said Aunt Fanny, patiently.
‘About
you, Berta,’ said Uncle Quentin. ‘But I must say your father has some very
strange ideas. Yes, very strange.’
‘What
are they?’ asked his wife.
‘Well
- he says she must be disguised - in case anyone comes to find her here,’ said
Uncle Quentin. ‘And he wants her name changed - and, bless us all, he wants us
to buy her boys’ clothes - and cut her hair short - and dress her up as a boy!’
Everyone
listened in surprise. Berta gave a little squeal.
‘I
won’t! I WON’T be dressed up as a boy!   I WON’T!’
Chapter
Six
A
FEW UPSETS
Berta
looked so upset that Aunt Fanny acted quickly and firmly. ‘Don’t bother about
that letter now, Quentin,’ she said. ‘We’ll go through it afterwards and decide
what to do. Let’s have our breakfast in peace.’
‘I
won’t have my hair cut off,’ said Berta, again. Uncle Quentin was not used to
being defied openly like this, and he scowled. He looked at his wife.
‘Surely
you are not going to let this - er what’s her name now - Bertha...’
‘Berta,’
said everyone automatically.
‘I
said that we would not discuss this till after breakfast,’ said Aunt Fanny, in
the kind of voice that made everyone, including Uncle Quentin, quite certain
that she meant what she said. Her husband folded up the letter and opened the
next one, frowning. The children looked at one another.
Berta
to be a boy! Goodness! If ever anyone looked less like a boy it was Berta!
George was most annoyed. She loved to dress like a boy, but she didn’t feel
inclined to urge anyone else to!  What a baby! She wouldn’t even look like a
boy, if she was dressed in boys’ clothes. She would just look absolutely silly.
Julian
began a conversation with his aunt about the garden. She was grateful to him
for breaking up the sudden awkwardness caused by the letter. She was very fond
of Julian. ‘I can always depend on him,’ she thought, and talked gladly of the
garden fruit, and who would pick the raspberries for lunch and whether the
wasps would eat all the plums or not!
Dick
joined in, and Anne, and soon Berta did too. Only George and her father
remained gloomy. They both looked so exactly alike in solemn, rather frowning
expressions that Julian nudged Dick and nodded towards them.
Dick
grinned. ‘Like father, like daughter!’ he said. ‘Cheer up, George. Don’t you
like your breakfast?’
George
was just about to answer crossly when Anne gave an exclamation. ‘Oh, look at
Uncle Quentin! He’s putting mustard on his toast - Aunt Fanny, stop him - he’s
just going to eat it!’
Everyone
roared with laughter. Aunt Fanny managed to smack her husband’s hand down from
his mouth, just as he was putting his toast and mustard up to it, reading a
letter at the same time.
‘Hey
- what’s the matter?’ he said, startled.
‘Quentin
- that’s the second time this month you’ve spread your toast with mustard
instead of with marmalade,’ said his wife. ‘Do have a little sense.’
After
that everyone became very cheerful. Uncle Quentin laughed at himself, and
George saw the funny side and laughed loudly too, which made Timmy bark, and
Berta giggled.
‘Do
you remember when Father poured custard all over his fried fish once?’ George
said, entering into the talk for the first time. ‘And he said it was the best
egg-sauce he had ever tasted?’
The
conversation was very animated after that, and Aunt Fanny felt happier. ‘You
girls can clear away and wash up the breakfast things for Joan,’ she said. ‘Or
two of you can and the other can make the beds with me.’
‘What
about my little dog?’ said Berta, suddenly remembering her again. ‘I haven’t
seen her yet, because I was only just in time for breakfast. Where is she?’
‘You
can go and get her now,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘We’ve all finished. Are you going to
start your work, Quentin?’
‘Yes,
I am,’ said her husband. ‘So I don’t want any yelling or shouting or barking
outside my study door.’
He
got up and went out of the room. Berta stood up too. ‘Where’s the kennel?’ she
said.
‘I’ll
show you,’ said Anne. ‘We’ll go and get your dog and introduce it to Timmy.
Coming, George?’
‘You
can bring the dog in here, and we’ll see what Timmy says,’ said George, going
all gloomy again. ‘If he doesn’t like the dog - and he won’t - it will have to
live out in the kennel.’
‘Oh
no,’ said Berta, at once.
 ‘He’s very jealous of
other dogs in the house. He might go for yours and savage it.’
‘Oh
no!’ said Berta, again, looking upset. ‘Timmy’s nice. He’s not a fierce dog.’
‘That’s
all you know!’ said George. ‘Well, I’ve warned you.’
‘Come
on,’ said Anne, pulling at Berta’s sleeve. ‘Let’s go and fetch Sally. She must
be wondering why nobody bothers about her. I bet Timmy won’t mind terribly.’
As
soon as the two had gone out, George spoke in Timmy’s ear. ‘You don’t like
strange dogs who want to come and live here, do you, Tim? You’ll growl and
snarl like anything, won’t you? Growl your very fiercest! I know you won’t bite
but if you could just growl your loudest, that will be enough. Berta will make
that Sally-dog live out of doors then!’
Soon
she heard footsteps returning, and Anne’s voice exclaiming in delight.
‘Oh,
she’s sweet!  Sally, you’re a pet! Julian, Dick, Aunt Fanny
- do come and see Berta’s dog!’
Everyone
came into the room, led by Berta and Anne. Berta held the dog in her arms.
It
was a tiny black poodle, whose woolly fur was cut away here and there to give
it a very fashionable look. Sally was certainly an attractive little thing!
Berta
put her down, and the little poodle stood there, poised on her dainty feet like
a ballet dancer about to perform. Everyone but George exclaimed in delight.
‘She’s
a poppet!’
‘Sally!
Sally, you’re a pet!’
‘Oh,
a poodle! I do love poodles! They look so knowing.’
Timmy
stood by George, sniffing hard to get the smell of this new dog. George had her
hand on his collar in case he sprang. His tail was as stiff as a ramrod.
The
poodle suddenly saw him.  Then she pulled away from Berta’s hand and trotted right over to
Timmy, her funny little tail wagging merrily.
Timmy
backed a little in surprise.
Timmy
sprang. He leapt in the air and came down with a thud on his big paws, and the
little poodle dodged. Timmy’s tail began to wag wildly. He sprang again in
play, and almost knocked the little poodle over. He barked as if to say ‘Sorry,
I didn’t mean that!’
Then
he and the poodle played a most ridiculous game of dodge and run, and although
one or two chairs went flying nobody minded - they were all laughing so much at
the sight of the quick little poodle leading Timmy such a dance.
At
last Sally was tired and sat down in a corner.  Then he went up to her and sniffed her nose.
Anne
gave a little squeal of laughter. ‘He’s gazing at Sally exactly as he gazes at
you, George!’ she cried.
But
George was not at all pleased. In fact she was quite astounded. To think that
Timmy should welcome another dog! To think that he should behave like this when
she had told him to do the opposite!
‘Aren’t
they sweet together?’ said Berta, pleased. ‘I thought Timmy would like Sally.
Of course Sally is a pedigree dog, and cost a lot of money - and Timmy’s only a
mongrel. I expect he thinks she’s wunnerful.’
‘Oh,
Tim may be a mongrel, but he’s absolutely wunnerful too,’ said Dick, hastily,
pronouncing the word like Berta, to try and get a laugh. He saw George’s scowl,
and knew how cross she felt at hearing her beloved Timmy compared with a
pedigree dog. ‘He’s a magnificent fellow, aren’t you, Timmy?’ went on Dick.
‘Sally may be a darling, but you’re worth more than a hundred darlings, aren’t
you?’
‘I
think he’s beautiful,’ said Berta, looking down at Timmy. ‘He’s got the
loveliest eyes I ever did see.’
George
began to feel a little better. She called Timmy. ‘You’re making rather a fool
of yourself,’ she said to him.
‘Now
that Timmy and Sally are going to be friends, can I have Sally to sleep on my
bed at night, like George has Timmy?’ said Berta. ‘Please say yes, Aunt Fanny.’
‘No,’
said George at once. ‘Mother, I won’t have that. I won’t!’
‘Well,
we’ll see what we can do about it,’ said her mother. ‘Sally was quite happy in
the kennel last night, I must say.’
‘I’m
going to have her sleep with me,’ said Berth, scowling at George. ‘My father
will pay you a lot of money to make me happy. He told me he would.’
‘Don’t
be silly, Berta,’ said Aunt Fanny, firmly. ‘This isn’t a question of money.
 And then we must consider your father’s letter, Berta, and see exactly
what he wants done. We must certainly try to follow his advice about you.’
‘But
I don’t want to...’ began Berta, and then felt a firm hand on her arm. It was
Julian.
‘Come
on, kid,’ he said. ‘Be your age! Remember you’re a guest here and put on a few
of your best manners. We like American children - but not spoilt ones!’
Berta
had quite a shock to hear Julian speaking like this. She looked up at him and
he grinned down at her. She felt near tears, but she smiled back.
‘You
haven’t any brothers to keep you in your place,’ said Julian, linking his arm
in hers. ‘Well, from now on, while you’re here, Dick and I are your brothers,
and you’ve got to toe the line, just like Anne. See? What about it?’
Berta
felt that there was nothing in the world she would like better than having
Julian for a brother! He was big and tall and had twinkling kindly eyes that
made Berta feel he was as responsible and trustable as her father.
Aunt
Fanny smiled to herself. Julian always knew the best thing to say and do. Now
he would take Berta in hand and see that she didn’t upset the household too
much. She was glad. It wasn’t easy to run a big family like this, with a
scientist husband to cope with, unless everyone pulled together!
‘You
go and help Aunt Fanny with the beds,’ said Julian to Berta. ‘And take your
Sally-dog with you. She’s great! But so is Timmy, and don’t you forget it!’
Chapter
Seven
A
LITTLE CONFERENCE
Peace
reigned in the house for a little while. George and Anne went to help the cook
with the washing-up. Joan was pleased, because with eight people in the house,
including herself, there was a lot to do.
She
had been very astonished that morning to find a fifth child added to the
household, but had been told that after breakfast she could go into the
sitting-room and hear an explanation. Joan must certainly be in the secret too!
Upstairs
Berta was helping with the beds - not very successfully because she was not
used to doing things for herself. But she was very willing to learn and Aunt
Fanny was quite pleased with her. Timmy and Sally darted about together and
made things rather more dificult than they need have been, popping under beds
and out again at top speed.
‘I’m
glad Timmy likes Sally,’ said Berta. ‘I knew he would. I can’t think why George
thought he wouldn’t. George is funny, I think.’
‘Not
really,’ said Aunt Fanny.  Lonely people aren’t so easy to get on with as others - but she is
great fun now, as you will soon find out.’
‘I’m
an only child too,’ said Berta. ‘But I’ve always had plenty of other children
to play with. My Pops saw to that. He’s wunnerful - I mean wonDERful. I’ll say
that word “wonDERful” twenny times, then maybe, I’ll get it right.’
‘Well,
say the word “twenty” as well!’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘It has a letter T at the end
as well as at the beginning, you know. It’s “twenTY” not “twenny”. But don’t
make yourself too English. It’s nice to have a change!’
‘WonDERful,
wonDERful, wonDERful! TwenTY, twenTY!’ chanted Berta, as she made the beds.
Dick looked into the room and chuckled.
‘Great
snakes!’ he said, with a grin, and an American accent. ‘You shore are
wunnerful, baby!’
‘Don’t
be so silly, Dick,’ said his aunt, laughing. ‘Now - I think we’ve finished all
we have to do, Berta. We’ll go downstairs and have a conference. Tell the
others, will you?’
Berta,
followed closely by Sally, who was also followed closely by an adoring Timmy,
went to tell Dick and Julian, and then George and Anne. George was not too
pleased with Timmy.
‘Where
have you been?’ she said. ‘Can’t you stop running about after Sally? She’ll get
very very tired of you!’
‘Wuff!’
said Sally, in a high little bark, not at all like Timmy’s deep ‘Woof!’
Soon
all five children and the two dogs, and also Joan, were in the sitting-room
with Aunt Fanny. Berta began to look a little nervous. Aunt Fanny had the
letter that Berta’s father had sent. She did not read it out to the children,
but told them what was in it. She also explained to Joan about Berta.
‘Joan,
you have always known what important work the master does,’ she said. ‘Well,
Miss Berta’s father does the same kind of work in America, and he and the
master are working on a great new scheme together.’
‘Oh
yes, Mam,’ said Joan, very much interested.
‘Berta’s
father has been warned by the police that it is possible Berta may be kidnapped
and held to ransom, not for money, but for the scientific secrets that he knows,’
went on Aunt Fanny. ‘So she has been sent to us to be kept safe for three
weeks. By that time the scheme will be finished and made public. Berta is going
to the same school as Miss Anne and Miss George, and it is a good idea to let
them know one another first.’
Joan
nodded. ‘I understand that, Mam,’ she said. ‘I think we can keep Miss Berta
safe, don’t you?’
‘Yes,’
said Aunt Fanny. ‘But her father has now put up some further ideas that he
wants us to follow. He says it would be best to disguise her as a boy...’
‘Jolly
good idea,’ interrupted Dick.
‘And
to give her another name - a boy’s name,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘He wants her to
have her hair cut short and...’
‘Oh
please not that!’ begged Berta, shaking back her fair, wavy hair. ‘I’d hate it.
Girls with short hair like boys look so silly, they...’
Anne
nudged her and frowned. Berta stopped hurriedly, remembering that George had
curly hair cut as short as any boy.
‘I
think we’ll have to do what your father says,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘This is very
important, Berta. You see, if anyone should come here looking for you, thinking
of kidnapping, they would never recognize you if you were looking exactly like
a boy.’
‘But
my hair,’ said Berta, almost in tears. ‘How could Pops say I’m to have my hair
off? He always said it was wunnerful!’
Nobody
liked to point out that there was a D in wonderful just then! Berta was really
so very upset about her hair.
‘Your
hair will grow quickly enough,’ said Aunt Fanny.
‘Her
head’s a good shape,’ said Julian, looking at it consideringly. ‘She should
look nice with short hair.’
Berta
cheered up. If Julian thought that, then it wouldn’t be so bad.
‘But
what about clothes?’ she said, remembering this point with a look of horror.
‘Girls look frightful in boys’ clothes. Pops always said so till now.’
‘You
won’t look any worse than George does,’ said Dick. ‘She’s got on a boy’s
jersey, boy’s jeans and boy’s shoes this very minute!’
‘I
think she looks awful,’ said Berta, obstinately, and George scowled.
‘Well,
I think you’d look horrible,’ she said.  I think it’s a fat-headed
idea to put you into boys’ clothes!’
‘Aha!
Our George wants to be the only one!’ said Dick, slyly, and quickly got out of
the way of a punch from the furious George.
‘Well,’
said Julian, ‘I’ll go out and buy some things for Berta this morning, so that’s
settled. What about her hair? Shall I cut it short?’
Aunt
Fanny was amused at Julian’s high-handed way of dealing with Berta and her
troubles, and even more amused to see that Berta did not even argue with
Julian.
‘You
can certainly go shopping for Berta if you like,’ she said.  You’d make her look a scarecrow!’
‘I
don’t mind if Julian cuts it,’ said Berta, surprisingly meek all at once.
‘I
shall cut it for you myself,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘Now - what about a boy’s name?
We can’t call you Berta any more, that’s certain.’
‘I’d
rather not have a boy’s name,’ said Berta. ‘It’s silly for a girl to be called
by a boy’s name, like George.’
‘If
you mean to be rude to me, I’ll ...’ began George, but got no farther. Julian
and Dick had burst into laughter.
‘Oh
George - you and Berta will be the death of us!’ said Julian. ‘Here are you
doing all you can to pretend to be a boy - and here is Berta doing all she can
to get out of it? For goodness’ sake, let’s settle the matter without any more
bickering. We’ll call Berta Robert.’
‘No
- that’s too like Berta,’ said Dick. ‘It ought to be a completely different
name. We’ll call her a good plain boy’s name like Jim or Tom or John.’
‘No,’
said Berta. ‘I don’t like any of them. Let me have my second name, please.’
‘What’s
that? Another girl’s name?’ asked Julian.
‘Yes.
But it’s used for a boy too, only then it’s spelt differently,’ said Berta.
‘It’s Lesley. It’s a nice name, I think.’
‘Lesley.
Yes - it rather suits you,’ said Julian. ‘It suits you better than Berta. We’ll
call you Lesley - and people will think it’s Leslie spelt l-i-e at the end, and
not l-e-y. All right. Everything’s settled.’
‘Not
quite,’ said his aunt. ‘I just want to say that you mustn’t let Berta - I mean
Lesley - out of your sight at all. And you must report at once any mysterious
happening or any stranger you see. The local police here know that we have
Lesley with us, and why - and anything can be reported to them at once. They
also are keeping a good look-out, of course.’
‘This
almost sounds as if we’re in the middle of an adventure!’ said Dick, looking
pleased.
‘I
hope not,’ said his aunt. ‘I don’t imagine that anyone will ever guess Berta -
I mean Lesley - is anything more than she will appear to be - a boy friend of
yours and Julian’s, come to stay for a while. Dear me, it’s going to be
dificult to refer to HER and HIM all the time!’
‘It
certainly is,’ said Julian, standing up. ‘If you’ll give me some money, Aunt
Fanny, I’ll go and do a little shopping for Lesley. What size do you think HE
needs?’
Everyone
laughed. ‘HE wears size three shoes,’ said Joan, smiling. ‘I noticed that this
morning.’
‘And
HE will have to get used to doing his coat buttons up on the right-hand side
instead of on the left,’ said Anne, joining in the fun.
‘SHE
will soon get used to that?’ said George. ‘Won’t SHE, Timmy?’
‘Don’t
spoil it all now, George,’ said Julian. ‘A slip of the tongue, saying SHE
instead of HE, might lead to danger for her - I mean Lesley.’
‘Yes,
I know,’ said George. ‘It’s just that she’ll never look like a boy, and...’
‘I
don’t want to look like a boy,’ said Berta. ‘I think you look...’
‘Here
we go again!’ said Julian. ‘Stop it, Lesley, stop it, George. George, you’d
better come out and help me to get the things for Lesley. Come on.
That
made George alter her face at once. She couldn’t help grinning at the artful
Julian.
‘I’m
coming,’ she said, ‘Good-bye, Berta. When we come back, you’ll be Leslie,
haircut and all!’
 Anne fetched her aunt’s sharpest scissors and draped a big
towel round Berta’s shoulders. Berta looked as if she was going to cry.
‘Cheer
up,’ said Dick. ‘You’re going to look angelic with short hair! Begin, Aunt
Fanny. Let’s see what she’s like with shorn locks.’
‘Sit
quite still,’ said Aunt Fanny and began. Clip-clip-clip! The wavy golden hair
fell to the floor in big strands and Berta began to weep in earnest. ‘My hair!
I can’t bear this. Oh, my hair!’
Soon
most of it was on the floor, and Aunt Fanny began to clip what was left as best
she could, to make it look as boyish as possible. She made a very good job of
it indeed. Dick and Anne watched with the greatest interest.
‘There!
It’s done!’ said Aunt Fanny at last. ‘Stop crying, Lesley - and let’s have a
look at you!’
Chapter
Eight
A
TRANSFORMATION
Berta
stood in the middle of the floor, blinking her tears away. Anne gave a gasp.
‘You
know - it’s very odd - but she does look rather like a boy - a very, very
good-looking boy!’
‘An
angelic boy,’ said Dick. ‘A choirboy or something. She looks smashing! Who would
have thought it?’
Aunt
Fanny was very struck with Berta’s appearance too. ‘It’s certainly very odd,’
she said. ‘But there’s no doubt about it - when she’s - I mean he’s - dressed
in boy’s clothes, he’ll make a fine boy. Better than George, actually, because
her hair’s really too curly for a boy.’
Berta
went to the looking-glass on the wall. She gave a wail. ‘I look awful! I don’t
know myself! Nobody would EVER recognize me!’
‘Splendid!’
said Dick, at once. ‘You’ve hit the nail right on the head. Nobody would
recognize you now.  Any prowling kidnapper would never think you were Berta, the
pretty little girl.’
‘I’d
rather be kidnapped than look like this,’ wept Berta. ‘What will the girls at
your school say, Anne, when they see me?’
‘They
don’t say anything to George about her short hair, and they won’t say anything
to you,’ said Anne.
‘Stop
crying, Bert - er - Lesley,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘You make me feel quite
miserable. You’ve been very good to stand so still all that time. Now I really
must think of a little reward for you.’
Berta
stopped crying at once. ‘Please,’ she said, ‘there’s only one thing I want now.
 ‘And George would make things most unpleasant
if I did.’
‘Aunt
Fanny - Sally is a very very good guard for me,’ said Berta. ‘She barks at the
very slightest sound. I’d feel safe with her in the bedroom.’
‘I’d
like you to have her,’ said Aunt Fanny, ‘but...’
Joan
had come into the room to put away some things and had heard the conversation.
She stared in admiration at Berta’s neat golden head, and then made a
suggestion. ‘If you’ll excuse me, Mam,’ she said, ‘Miss Berta could have her
camp-bed in my room.  It’s very crowded in the girls’ room now, with
three beds in it, and my room’s a nice big one. So, if Miss Berta doesn’t mind
sharing it, she’s welcome.’
‘Oh
Joan - that’s good of you,’ said Aunt Fanny, relieved at such a simple
solution. ‘Also, your room is up in the attic - it would be very difficult for
kidnappers to find their way there - and nobody would think of looking into
your room for one of the children.’
‘Thank
you, Joan, you’re just wunnerful!’ said Berta, in delight. ‘Sally, do you hear
that? You’ll be sleeping on my feet tonight, like Timmy does on George’s.’
‘I
don’t really approve of that, you know, Berta,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘Oh dear - I
called you Berta again. Lesley, I mean. What a muddle I’m going to get into!
Anne, get the dustpan and sweep up the hair on the floor.’
When
Julian and George came back there was no sign of the golden hair on the floor.
They put their parcels down on the table and shouted for Aunt Fanny. ‘Mother!’
called George. ‘Aunt Fanny!’ shouted Julian.
She
came running downstairs with Berta and Anne and Dick. Julian and George looked
at Berta, thunderstruck. ‘Gosh - is it really you, Berta?’ said Julian. ‘I
simply don’t recognize you!’
‘Why
- you do look like a boy!’ said George. ‘I never thought you would.’
‘A
jolly good-looking boy,’ said Julian. ‘Well, your father was right. It’s the
best disguise you could have!’
‘Where
are the clothes?’ asked Berta, rather pleased at all the interest in her looks.
They opened the parcels and pulled out the things.
They
were not really very exciting - a boy’s blazer in navy blue, two pairs of boy’s
jeans, two grey jerseys, a few shirts, a tie and a pull-over without sleeves.
‘And
shoes and socks,’ said George. ‘But we decided you’d got plenty of socks that
would do, so we only bought one pair of those. Oh - and here’s a boy’s grey
felt hat in case the sun’s too hot - and a cap!’
Berta
put on the cap at once. There were squeals of laughter from everyone. ‘It suits
her! She’s got it on at just the right angle. She looks a real boy!’
‘You
put it on, George,’ said Berta, and George took it, eager to share in the admiration.
But it looked ridiculous on her curls, and wouldn’t sit down flat as it should.
Everyone hooted.
‘It
makes you look a girl! Take it off!’
George
took it off in disappointment. How very aggravating that this girl Berta should
make a better boy than she did! She threw the cap on the table, half-cross that
they had bought it.
‘Go
upstairs and put some of the things on,’ said Aunt Fanny, amused at all these
goings-on. Up went Berta obediently, and soon came down again, neatly arrayed
in jeans, grey shirt and blue tie.
Everyone
roared with laughter. Berta was now quite enjoying herself and paraded round
the room, her cap tilted on one side of her head.
‘She
looks like a very tidy, neat little boy, a good and most angelic child!’ said
Julian.  ‘I think...’
But
what she thought nobody knew because at that moment the door opened and Uncle
Quentin came into the room.
‘I’d
like to know how you think I can do my work with all this hooting and cackling
going on,’ he began, and then he suddenly saw Berta, and stopped.’
‘Who’s
this?’ he said, looking Berta up and down.
‘Don’t
you know, Father?’ said George.
‘Of
course not. Never seen him in my life before!’ said her father. ‘Don’t tell me
it’s somebody else come to stay.’
‘It’s
Berta,’ said Anne, with a giggle.
‘Berta
- now who’s Berta?’ said Uncle Quentin, frowning. ‘I seem to have heard that
name before.’
‘The
girl you thought might be kidnapped,’ explained Dick.
‘Oh
Berta - Elbur’s girl!’ said Uncle Quentin, ‘I remember her all right. But who’s
this? This boy? I’ve never seen him before. What’s your name, boy?’
‘Lesley,’
said Berta. ‘But I was Berta when you saw me at breakfast.’
‘Good
heavens!’ said Uncle Quentin amazed. ‘What a - what a transformation! Why, your
own father wouldn’t know you. I hope I remember who you are. Keep reminding me,
if I don’t.’
Off
he went, back to his study. The children laughed, and Aunt Fanny had to laugh
too.
‘By
the way,’ she said, ‘I want you all to have lunch at home today, because it’s
really too late now to start making sandwiches for a picnic; it’s only cold ham
and salad, so don’t get too hungry, will you?’
‘Is
there time for a bathe?’ asked Julian, looking at his watch.
‘Yes
- if you’ll come in about twelve o’clock and pick the fruit for a pudding for
lunch,’ said his aunt. ‘It takes ages to pick enough for eight people, and Joan
and I have a lot to do today.’
‘Right.
We’ll go for a bathe now, and then we’ll ALL pick fruit,’ said Julian. ‘Bags I
pick the plums.
‘Yes.
It’s an absolutely plain one, like a boy’s, so I’ll be all right in it,’ said
Berta. ‘Hurray, I shan’t need to wear a cap. Boys never do.’
Berta’s
cases were now all in Joan’s big room and she ran to get into her swim-suit.
‘Bring
your blazer and a towel,’ yelled George, and went into her own room with Anne.
‘I
bet Berta can’t swim,’ she said. ‘That will be a pity, because most boys swim
well. We’ll have to teach her.’
‘Well,
don’t duck her too often!’ said Anne, seeing a look in George’s eye that was
not too kindly. ‘Blow - my swim-suit isn’t here - I’m sure I brought it in from
the clothes-line.’
It
took quite a while to find it, and the boys and Berta had already gone down to
the beach with Sally by the time Anne and George were ready to follow with the
impatient Timmy.
They
were down on the beach at last, and there was Sally-dog guarding the blazers
belonging to Julian, Dick and Berta. She was lying on them, and she even dared
to growl at Timmy when he came near.
George
laughed. ‘Growl back, Timmy!  Growl
back!’
But
Timmy wouldn’t. He just sat down out of reach of Sally, and looked at her
sadly. Wasn’t she friends with him any more?
‘Where
are the others?’ said Anne, shading her eyes from the glare of the sun and
looking out to sea. ‘Goodness, how far out they’ve swum! That can’t be Berta
with them, surely!’
George
looked out over the stretch of blue sea at once. She saw three heads bobbing.
Yes, Berta was out there!
‘She
must be a jolly good swimmer,’ said Anne, admiringly. ‘I couldn’t swim out as far
as that. We were wrong about Berta. She swims like a fish!’
George
said nothing. She ran to the waves, plunged through a big one just as it was
curling over, and swam out strongly. She couldn’t believe that it was Berta out
there! And if it was, the boys must be helping her!
But
it was Berta. Her golden head glistened wet in the water, and she shouted in
glee as she swam.
‘This
is great! This is wunnerful! Gee, I’m enjoying this! Hi there, George - isn’t
the water warm?’
Julian
and Dick grinned round at the panting George. ‘Lesley’s a fine swimmer,’ said
Dick. ‘Gosh, I thought she was going to race me at one time. She’d beat you,
George!’
‘She
wouldn’t,’ said George, but all the same she didn’t challenge Berta to race!
It
was fun to be five, fun to chase one another in the sea, to swim under the
water and grab somebody's leg. And Anne laughed till she choked when she saw
somebody heave themselves out of the water right on to George’s back, and duck
her well and truly.
It
was Berta! And what was more, the angry George couldn’t catch her afterwards.
Berta could swim much too fast!
Chapter
Nine
A
SUDDEN TELEPHONE CALL
Berta
soon settled down happily with the Five. George couldn’t bear to think that the
girl had to be dressed like a boy, but her jealousy wore off a little as the
days went by - though she couldn’t help feeling annoyed that Berta proved to be
such a good swimmer!
She
could dive well too, and swim under water even longer than the boys could, much
to their surprise.
‘Oh
well, you see, back home, we’ve got a pool in our garden,’ she said. ‘A
wonDERful pool, gee, you should see it. And I learnt to swim in it when I was
two. Pops always called me a water-baby.’
Berta
ate just as much as the others, although she was not so sturdy and well built.
She was loud in her praise of the meals, and this pleased Aunt Fanny and Joan
very much.
‘You’re
getting fatter, Lesley,’ said Aunt Fanny a week later, looking at her as she
sat eating her lunch with the others. ‘And what is better still - you’re
getting a really good sun-tan. You’re almost as brown as the others!’
‘Yes.
I thought so too,’ said Berta, pleased.
‘It’s
a good thing you caught the sun so easily,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘Now, if any
kidnappers come round looking for a long-haired pale-faced American girl, they
would take one look at the lot of you and off they would go! Nobody would guess
you were Berta!’
‘All
the same, I’d much rather be Berta,’ said Berta. ‘I still don’t like pretending
to be a boy. It’s silly, and it makes me feel silly. Anyway, thank goodness my
hair’s growing a bit longer. I don’t look quite so much like a boy now!’
‘Dear
me, you’re right,’ said Aunt Fanny, and everyone looked at Berta. ‘I shall have
to cut it short again.’
‘Gosh!’
said Berta, ‘why did I say that? You wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t
mentioned it. Let it grow again, please, Aunt Fanny. I’ve been here a week and
there isn’t even a smell of a kidnapper - and I reckon there won’t be either!’
But
Aunt Fanny was firm about the hair, and after the meal she made Berta stand
still while she clipped it a little shorter. It was not a bit curly like
George’s, and now that it was short, the wave had almost gone from it. She
really did look like a good clean little boy!
‘Rather
a wishy-washy one!’ said George, unkindly, but everyone knew what she meant.
Sally
the poodle was a great success.  She trotted and capered about on her slim little legs, and
Timmy was her adoring slave.
‘She
always looks as if she’s running about on tiptoe,’ said Anne, and so she did.
She made friends with everyone, even the paper-boy, who was really scared of
dogs.
Uncle
Quentin was the only one who didn’t get used to Berta and Sally. When he met
them together, Berta so like a small boy, Sally at her heels, he stopped and
stared.
‘Now
let me see - who are you?’ he said. ‘Yes - you’re Berta!’
‘No
- he’s LESLEY!’ everyone would say.
‘You
must not call her Berta, dear,’ said his wife. ‘You really must not. It’s a funny
thing that you never could remember she was Berta, and now that we’ve made her
into Lesley, you immediately remember she’s Berta!’
‘Well,
I must say you’ve made her look exactly like a boy,’ said Uncle Quentin, much
to George’s annoyance. George was beginning to be afraid that Berta looked more
boyish than she did! ‘Well, I hope you’re having a good time with the others,
er - er...’
‘Lesley
is the name,’ said Aunt Fanny with a little laugh. ‘Quentin, do try and
remember.’
Another
day passed peacefully by, and the five children and two dogs were out of doors
all day long, swimming, boating, exploring, really enjoying themselves.
Berta
wanted to go over to Kirrin Island, but George kept making excuses not to go.
‘Don’t be mean,’ said Dick. ‘We all want to go. It’s ages since we went. It’s
just that you don’t want to let Lesley do something she’d like to do!’
‘It
isn’t,’ said George. ‘Perhaps we’ll go tomorrow.’
But
when tomorrow came something happened that upset their plans for going to
Kirrin Island. A telephone call came for Uncle Quentin, and immediately he was
in a panic.
‘Fanny!
Fanny, where are you?’ he called. ‘Pack my bag at once. At once, do you hear?’
His
wife came running down the stairs at top speed. ‘Quentin, why? What’s
happened?’
‘Elbur’s
found a mistake in our calculations,’ said Uncle Quentin. ‘What nonsense!
There’s no mistake. None at all.’
‘But
why can’t he come here and work it out with you?’ asked his wife.  Tell him to come here, Quentin. I’ll find him a bed
somehow.’
‘He
says he doesn’t want to, while his daughter - his daughter - what’s her name
now?’
‘Lesley,’
said his wife. ‘All right, don’t bother to explain. I see now that it would be
foolish for him to come while Lesley’s here - she’d be calling him Pops,
and...’
‘Pops?’
said her husband, startled. ‘What do you mean - Pops?’
‘It’s
what she calls her father, dear,’ said Aunt Fanny, patiently. ‘Anyway, he’s
quite right. It would be foolish to hide Lesley here so well, and then have
everyone hear her calling him Pops, and him calling her Berta - if any
kidnappers followed him, they would soon find out where his daughter was -
here, with our four!’
‘Yes
- that’s what I was trying to tell you,’ said her husband, impatiently. ‘Anyway
I must go to Elbur straightaway. So pack my bag, please. I’ll be back in two
days’ time.’
‘In
that case I’ll go with you, Quentin,’ said his wife. ‘I could do with a quiet
two days - and you’re not much good when you’re alone, are you - losing your
socks, and forgetting to have your shoes cleaned, and...’
Her
husband gave a sudden smile that lighted up his face and made him seem quite
young. ‘Will you really come with me? I thought you’d hate to leave the
children.’
‘It’s
only for two days,’ said his wife. ‘And Joan is very good with them. I’ll
arrange that they shall go out on all-day picnics in the boat - they’ll be
quite safe then. If any kidnappers were around they’d find it difficult to
snatch Lesley out of a boat! But I’m beginning not to believe that tale of
Elbur’s. He just got into a panic when he heard the rumour, I expect.’
The
children were told of the sudden decision when they got back to lunch that day.
Joan had to tell them, because Aunt Fanny and her husband had already departed,
complete with two suitcases, one containing precious papers and the other
clothes for two days.
‘Gosh!’
said Julian, surprised. ‘I hope nothing horrid’s happened.’
‘Oh
no - it was just a sudden telephone call from Master Lesley’s father,’ said
Joan, smiling at Berta. ‘He had to see your uncle in a hurry - about some
figures.’
‘Why
didn’t Pops come down here - then he could have seen me?’ demanded Berta at
once.
 ‘We’re hiding you,
don’t forget!’
‘Oh
yes - well I do believe I had forgotten,’ said Berta, rather surprised at
herself. ‘It’s so lovely down here in Kirrin with you all. The days seem to
swim by!’
‘Your
mother said you had better go off on all-day picnics in the boat,’ said Joan to
George. ‘That was to make things easy for me, of course. But I don’t mind what
you do - you can come back to lunch each day, if you like.’
‘I
do so like you, Joan!’ said Berta, giving the surprised cook a sudden hug.
‘You’re a real honey!’
‘In
fact, she’s quite wunnerful!’ said Dick. ‘It’s all right, Joan - we’ll go out
for the midday meal, and for tea, till my aunt comes back. And we’ll make the
sandwiches and pack up everything ourselves.’
‘Well,
that’s nice of you,’ said Joan. ‘Why don’t you go across to Kirrin Island for
the day? Master Lesley keeps wanting to go.’
Berta
grinned at Joan. It always struck her as extremely funny to be called Master
Lesley, and Joan never once forgot.
‘We’ll
go if the boat is ready,’ said George, rather reluctantly. ‘You know James is
mending one of the row-locks. We’ll go and see if it’s finished.’
They
all went to see, but James was not there. His father was working on another
boat, over by the jetty, and he called to them.
‘Do
you want my James?  He
said to tell you the row-lock’s not mended yet, but he’ll do it for certain
tonight when he comes back.’
‘Right.
Thank you,’ called back Julian. Berta looked very disappointed. ‘Cheer up,’ he
said. ‘We’ll be able to go tomorrow.’
‘We
shan’t,’ said Berta, mournfully. ‘Something else will happen to prevent us - or
George will think of another excuse not to go. Gee, if I had a wunnerful -
wonDERful - island like that, I’d go and live on it.’
They
went back to Kirrin Cottage and packed up a very good lunch for themselves.
Berta’s father had sent down a parcel of American goodies three days before,
and they meant to try them.
‘Snick-snacks!’
said Dick, reading the name on a tin. ‘Shrimp, lobster, crab and a dozen other
things all in one tin. Sounds good. We’ll make sandwiches with this!’
‘Gorgies,’
said Anne, reading the name on another tin. ‘What a peculiar name! Oh - I
suppose it’s something you gorge yourself with. Let’s open it.’
They
opened half a dozen tins with most exciting names and made themselves so many
sandwiches that Joan exclaimed in amazement. ‘However many have you made for
each of you?’
‘Twenny
each - I mean twenTY,’ said Berta. ‘But we won’t be back to lunch or tea, Joan.

What
a day they had! They walked for miles and picnicked in a shady wood near a
little stream that bubbled along near by, sounding very cool and enticing.
They
were so tired when they got home that night that it was all they could do to
eat their supper and stagger upstairs to bed.
‘I
shan’t wake till half past twelve tomorrow morning,’ yawned Dick. ‘Oh my poor
feet! Gosh, I’m so tired I shall probably fall asleep cleaning my teeth.’
‘What
a peaceful night!’ said Anne, looking out of her window. ‘Well - sleep tight,
everyone. I don’t expect any of us will open an eye till late tomorrow morning.
I know I shan’t!’
But
she did. She opened both eyes very wide indeed in the middle of the night.
Chapter
Ten
A
PUZZLING THING
All
was quiet in Kirrin Cottage. The two boys slept soundly in their room, and
George and Anne slept without stirring in theirs. Berta was up in Joan’s attic
room, and hadn’t moved since she had flopped into bed.
Timmy
was on George’s feet, as usual, and Sally the poodle was curled up in the crook
of Berta’s knees, looking like a ball of black wool! Nobody stirred.
A
black cloud crept up the sky and blotted out the stars one by one. Then a low
roll of thunder came. It was far off, and only a rumble, but it woke both the
dogs, and it woke Anne too.
She
opened her eyes, wondering what the noise was. Then she knew - it was thunder.
‘Oh,
I hope a storm won’t come and break up this wonderful weather!’ she thought, as
she lay and listened. She turned towards the open window and looked for the
stars, but there were none to see.
‘Well,
if a storm’s coming, I’ll go and watch it at the window,’ thought Anne. ‘It
should be a magnificent sight over Kirrin Bay. I’m so hot too - I’d like a
breath of fresh air at the window!’
She
got quietly out of bed and padded over to the open window. She leaned out,
sniffing the cool air outside. The night was very dark indeed, because of the
great black cloud.
The
thunder came again, but not very near - just a low growl. Timmy jumped off
George’s bed and went to join Anne. He put his great paws up on the windowsill
and looked out solemnly over the bay.
And
then both he and Anne heard another sound - a faraway chug-chug-chug-chug-chug.
‘It’s
a motor-boat,’ said Anne, listening. ‘Isn’t it Timmy? Someone’s having a very
late trip! Can you see any ship-lights, Tim? I can’t.’
The
engine of the motor-boat cut out just then, and there was complete silence
except for the swish-swash-swish of the waves on the beach. Anne strained her
eyes to see if she could spot any light anywhere to show where the motor-boat
was. It sounded quite far out on the bay. Why had it stopped on the water? Why
hadn’t it gone to the jetty?
Then
she did see a light, but a very faint one, right out at the entrance of the
bay, about the middle. It shone for a while, moved here and there, and then
disappeared. Anne was puzzled.
‘Surely
that’s just about where Kirrin Island is?’ she whispered to Timmy. ‘Is anyone
there? Has the motor-boat gone there, do you suppose? Well, we’ll listen to see
if it leaves again and goes away.’
But
no further sound came from across the bay, and no light shone either. ‘Perhaps
the motor-boat is behind Kirrin Island,’ thought Anne, suddenly. ‘And then I
wouldn’t be able to see any lights on it - the island would hide the boat and
its lights. But what was that moving light I saw? Was it someone on the island?
Oh dear, my eyes are getting so sleepy again that I can hardly keep them open.
Perhaps I didn’t hear or see anything after all!’
There
was no more thunder, and no lightning at all. The big black cloud began to thin
out and one or two stars appeared in the gaps. Anne yawned and crawled into
bed. Timmy jumped back on George’s bed and curled himself up with a little
sigh.
In
the morning Anne had almost forgotten her watch at the open window the night
before. It was only when Joan mentioned that a big storm had burst over a town
fifty miles away that Anne remembered the thunder she had heard.
‘Oh!’
she said, suddenly. ‘Yes - I heard thunder too, and I got out of bed, hoping to
watch a storm. But it didn’t come. And I heard a motor-boat far out on the bay,
but I couldn’t see any lights - except for a faint, moving one I thought was on
Kirrin Island.’
George
sat up in her chair as if she had had an electric shock. ‘On Kirrin Island!
Whatever do you mean? Nobody’s there. Nobody’s allowed there!’
‘Well
- I may have been mistaken,’ said Anne. ‘I was so very sleepy. I didn’t hear
the motor-boat go away. I just went back to bed.’
‘You
might have waked me, if you thought you saw a light on my island,’ said George.
‘You really might!’
‘Oh,
Miss Anne - it wouldn’t be kidnappers, would it!’ said Joan, at once.
Julian
laughed. ‘No, Joan. What would be the use of them going to Kirrin Island? They
couldn’t do any kidnapping there, in full view of all the houses round the
bay!’
‘I
guess it was only a dream, Anne,’ said Berta. ‘I guess you heard the thunder in
your sleep and it turned into the sound of a motor-boat chugging - dreams do
that sort of thing. I know once I left the tap running in my basin when I went
to sleep, and I dreamed all night long I was riding over the Niagara Falls!’
Everyone
laughed. Berta could be very droll at times. ‘If the boat’s ready, we’ll
certainly go over to Kirrin Island today,’ said George. ‘If any trippers are
there I’ll send Timmy after them!’
‘There
will only be the rabbits,’ said Dick. ‘I wonder if there are still hundreds
there - my word, last time we went they were so tame that we nearly fell over
them!’
‘Yes
- but we didn’t have Timmy with us,’ said Anne. ‘George, it will be nice to go
to Kirrin Island again. We’ll have to tell Lesley about the adventures we’ve
had there.’
They
washed up after breakfast, made the beds and did their rooms. Joan put her head
round Julian’s bedroom door.
‘Will
you want a packed lunch for a picnic again, Master Julian?’ she said. ‘If you
don’t, I can get you a nice bit of cold ham for lunch. The grocer’s just rung
up.’
‘If
the boat’s mended, we’re going over to the island, Joan,’ said Julian. ‘And
then we’d like a packed lunch. But if we don’t go, we’ll stay for lunch. It
will be easier for you in a way, won’t it? We all got up so late this morning
that there’s not much time to make sandwiches and pick fruit and so on.’
‘Well,
you tell me, as soon as you know about the boat,’ said Joan, and disappeared.
George
came in. ‘I’m going to see if the boat is mended,’ she said. ‘I’ll only be gone
a minute. Joan wants to know.’
She
was back almost at once. ‘It’s not ready,’ she said, disappointed. ‘But it will
be ready at two o’clock this afternoon. So we’ll have lunch here, shall we, and
then go over to the island afterwards. We’ll pack up a picnic tea.’
‘Right,’
said Julian. ‘I vote we bathe from the beach this morning, then. The tide will
be nice and high and we can have some fun with the big breakers.’
‘And
also keep an eye on James to see that he keeps his word about the boat,’ said
Dick.
So,
when all their jobs were finished - and they were very conscientious about them
- the five children and the two dogs went off down to the beach. It was a
little cooler after the thunder, but not much, and they were quite warm enough
in their swim-suits, with a blazer to wear after a bathe.

‘You
say that every single day!’ said George. ‘It’s like a gramophone record! Still,
I must say that I agree with you! Come on - let’s have a jolly good swim!’
They
all plunged through the big, curling breakers, squealing as the water dashed
over their bodies, cold and stinging. They chased one another, swam under water
and grabbed at the legs swimming there, floated on their backs, and wished they
hadn’t forgotten to bring the big red rubber ball with them. But nobody wanted
to go and fetch it so they had to do without it.
Timmy
and Sally raced about in the shallow waves at the edge of the sea. Timmy was a
fine swimmer, but Sally didn’t much like the water, so they always played
together at the edge. They really were most amusing to watch.
The
dogs were glad when the children came panting out of the water. They lay down
on the warm beach and Timmy flopped down beside George. She pushed him away.
‘You
smell of seaweed,’ she said. ‘Pooh!’
After
a while Dick sat up to pull on his blazer. He gazed over the bay to where
Kirrin Island lay basking in the sun and gave a sudden exclamation.
‘I
say! Look, all of you!’
Everyone
sat up. ‘There’s someone on Kirrin Island, though we can’t see them,’ said
Dick. ‘Someone lying down, looking through binoculars at our beach. Can you see
the sun glittering on the glasses?’
‘Yes!’
said Julian. ‘You’re right! Someone must be using binoculars to examine this
beach. We can’t see them as you say - but it’s easy enough to see the sunlight
glinting on the glasses. Gosh, what cheek!’
‘Cheek!’
said George, her face crimson with rage. ‘It’s a lot more than cheek!  Let’s spy on
them! Let’s get our own field-glasses and look through them.  He felt worried. It seemed
a strange thing to do - to spy on people sitting on the beach round the bay, using
binoculars on Kirrin Island. What was the reason?
He
came back with the binoculars, and handed them to Julian. ‘I think they’ve gone
now, whoever it was,’ said Julian.  We can’t see the glint of the sun on their glasses any
more.’
‘Well,
buck up and see if you can spy anyone through our glasses,’ said George,
impatiently.
Julian
adjusted them, and gazed through them earnestly. The island seemed very near
indeed when seen through the powerful glasses. Everyone watched him anxiously.
‘See
anyone?’ asked Dick.
‘Not
a soul,’ said Julian, disappointed. He handed the glasses to the impatient
George, who put them to her eyes at once. ‘Blow!’ she said. ‘There’s not a
thing to be seen, not a thing. Whoever it was has gone into hiding somewhere.
If it’s trippers having a picnic there I’ll be absolutely furious. If we see
smoke rising we’ll know it is trippers!’
But
no smoke arose. Dick had a turn at looking through the glasses, and he looked
puzzled. He took them down from his eyes and turned to the others.
‘We
ought to be able to see the rabbits running about,’ he said. ‘But I can’t see a
single one. Did either of you, Julian and George?’
‘Well
- now I come to think of it - no, I didn’t,’ said Julian, and George said the
same.
‘They
were frightened by whoever was there, of course,’ said Dick. ‘I suppose it will
he all right to take Lesley with us when we go to the island this afternoon? I
mean - it’s just a bit queer that anyone should be using the island to spy
from.’
‘Yes.
I see what you mean,’ said Julian. ‘If it occurred to the kidnappers, whoever
they are, that Berta might be down here with us, it would be quite a good idea
on their part to land on the island and use it as a place from which to spy on
the beach. They would guess we would come down to bathe every day.’
‘Yes.
And they would see five children instead of four and would begin to make
inquiries about the fifth!’ said Dick. ‘They would hope actually to see Berta
on the beach - they’ve probably got a photograph of her - and they would be
looking for a girl with long wavy hair.’
‘And
there isn’t one!’ said Anne. ‘Mine’s not wavy and it’s not right down to my
shoulders as Lesley’s was. How muddled they would be!’
‘There’s
one thing that would tell them that Berta was here though,’ said Julian,
suddenly. He pointed to Sally.
‘Good
gracious, yes!’ said Dick. ‘Sally would give the game away all right! Whew!
We’ll have to think about all this!’
Chapter
Eleven
ON
KIRRIN ISLAND AGAIN
George
wanted to get her boat and go across to the island immediately. She was so
furious at the thought of anyone else being there without permission that all
she wanted to do was to chase them away.
But
Julian said no. ‘For one thing the boat won’t be ready till two,’ he said. ‘For
another thing we’ve got to consider whether it’s a sensible thing to do, to go
to the island if possible kidnappers are here, on the lookout for Berta -
Lesley, I mean.’
‘We
could go without her,’ said George. ‘We could leave her safely with Joan.’
‘That
would be a foolish thing to do,’ said Dick. ‘Anyone watching us coming across
in the boat would see that one of the five was missing, and would guess at once
it was Berta. If we go, all of us must go.’
‘Actually
I think it might be a good thing to go,’ said Julian. ‘Carry the war right into
the enemy’s camp, so to speak - if there are enemies! It would be a most useful
thing if we could see what they are like and give a description to the police.
I rather vote we go.’
‘Oh
yes!’ said Dick. ‘Anyway, we’ll have Tim with us. He can deal with any bad
behaviour on the part of the intruders!’
‘I
don’t really think it’s anybody but trippers,’ said Julian. ‘I think we’re
making too much of the whole thing just because someone gazed at the beach
through glasses!’
‘Remember
that I think I saw a light on the island last night,’ Anne reminded him.
‘Yes,
I’d forgotten that,’ said Julian, looking at his watch. ‘It’s almost
lunch-time. Let’s go and have something to eat, and then fetch the boat. James
is working on it now. We’ll give him a shout to see if it will be ready at
two.’
James
was hailed, and he shouted back. ‘Yes, sir! Be ready sharp at two o’clock, if
you want her. I’ve done one or two little jobs on her besides the rowlock.’
‘That’s
good,’ said Dick, and they walked back to Kirrin Cottage. ‘Well - we’ll soon
find out who’s on your island, George - and if they are obstinate about
leaving, we’ll have a little fun with Timmy! He can round them up all right,
can’t you, Tim!’
‘So
could Sally,’ said Berta. ‘Sally’s teeth aren’t very big, but they’re sharp.
She once went for a man who accidentally pushed into me, and you should have
seen the nips she gave him, all down his leg!’
‘Yes.
Sally would come in useful,’ said Dick. George looked rather scornful.  ‘A fat lot of good she would be! Timmy’s
worth a hundred of her!’
Joan
had a fine lunch ready for them - ham and salad and new potatoes piled high in
a big dish. There were firm red tomatoes from the greenhouse, and lettuces with
enormous yellow-green hearts, crisp radishes, and a whole cucumber ready for
anyone to cut as they liked. Slices of hard-boiled egg were mixed in with the
salad, and Joan had put in tiny boiled carrots and peas as well.
‘What
a salad!’ said Dick. ‘Fit for a king!’
‘And
big enough for several kings!’ said Anne. ‘How many potatoes, Ju? Small or
large ones?’
Julian
looked at the piled-up dish. ‘Ha - I can really go for these potatoes!’ he
said. ‘I’ll have three large and four small.’
‘What’s
for pudding?’ asked Berta. ‘I like this kind of salad so much that I might not
have room for a stodgy sort of pudding.’
‘It’s
fresh raspberries from the garden, sugar and home-made ice-cream,’ said Joan.
‘I didn’t think you’d want a hot pudding. My sister came to see me this
morning, so I got her to pick the raspberries for me.’
‘I
can’t think of a nicer meal than this,’ said Berta, helping herself to the
salad. ‘I really can’t. I like your meals better than the ones we have at home
in America.’
‘We’ll
turn you into a proper little English boy before you know where you are!’ said
Dick.
They
told Joan about what they had seen that morning on the island. She took a grave
view of it at once.
‘Now
you know what your aunt said, Master Julian,’ she said. ‘The police have got to
have a report of anything suspicious. You’d better ring them up.’
‘I
will when we’ve been over to the island and back,’ said Julian.  If it’s only harmless trippers who don’t know any better
there’s no need to bother the police. I promise to ring the police if we find
anything suspicious.’
‘I
think you ought to ring them now,’ said Joan. ‘And what’s more I don’t think
you ought to go over to the island if you’re suspicious of the people there.’
‘We’ll
have Timmy with us,’ said Dick. ‘Don’t worry.’
‘And
Sally too,’ added Berta at once.
Joan
said no more, but went out to get the raspberries and ice-cream, looking
worried. She brought in an enormous glass dish of fresh red raspberries and
another dish of creamy-looking ice-cream blocks from the refrigerator.
A
sigh of admiration went up from everyone. ‘Who could want anything better?’
said Dick. ‘And that ice-cream - how do you get it like that, Joan - not too
frozen and not too melty? Just how I like it. I do hope some American doesn’t
get hold of you and whisk you away across the ocean - you’re worth your weight
in gold!’
Joan
laughed. ‘You say such extravagant things, Master Dick - and all because of an
ordinary dish like raspberries and ice-cream. Get along with you! Master Lesley
will tell you there’s nothing clever about raspberries and cream.’
‘I
agree with every word the others say,’ said Berta fervently. ‘You’re wunnerful,
you’re a honey, you’re...’
But
Joan had run out of the room, laughing, very pleased.
After
they had finished lunch, they went down to the beach. James was still with the
boat.
‘She’s
finished!’ he called. ‘You going out in her now? I’ll give you a hand down with
her, then.’
Soon
all five children and the dogs as well were in George’s boat. The boys took the
oars and began to pull hard towards the island. Timmy stood at the prow as he
loved to do, fore-paws on the edge of the boat, looking out across the water.
‘He
fancies himself as a figure-head,’ said Dick. ‘Ah, here comes Sally - she wants
to be one too.  You’ll have to learn to swim if you do!’
Sally
stood close beside Timmy, and both dogs looked eagerly towards the island -
Timmy because he knew there were hundreds of rabbits there, and Sally because
for her it was still quite an adventure to go out in a boat like this.
Berta,
too, gazed eagerly at the little island as they drew near. She had heard so
many tales about it now! She looked especially at the old castle rising up from
it. It was in ruins, and Berta thought it must be very old indeed. Like all
Americans, she loved old buildings and old customs. How lucky George was to own
an island like this!
Rocks
guarded the island, and the sea ran strongly over them, sending up spray and
foam.
‘However
are we going to get safely to the shore of the island?’ said Berta, rather
alarmed at the array of fierce-looking rocks that guarded it.
‘There’s
a little cove we always use,’ said George. She was at the tiller, and she
steered the boat cleverly in and out of the rocks.
They
rounded a low wall of very sharp rocks and Berta suddenly saw the little cove.
‘Oh
- is that the cove you mean?’ she said. ‘Why, it’s like a little harbour going
right up to that stretch of sand!’
There
was a smooth inlet of water running between rocks, making a natural little
harbour, as Berta said. The boat slid smoothly into the inlet and up to the
beach of sand.
 ‘She’s safe here,’ he told Berta.
‘Welcome to Kirrin Island!’
Berta
laughed. She felt very happy.
George
led the way up the sandy beach to the rocks behind, and they climbed over them.
They stopped at the top, and Berta exclaimed in amazement.
‘Rabbits!
Thousands of them! Simply thousands. My, my, I never saw such tame ones in my
life. Will they let me pick them up?’
‘No,’
said George. ‘They’re not as tame as that! They’ll run away when we go near -
but they will probably not go into their holes. They know us - we’ve so often
been here.’
Sally
the poodle was amazed at the rabbits. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She stood
close beside Berta, staring at the scuttling rabbits, her nose twitching as she
tried to get their smell. She simply couldn’t understand why Timmy didn’t run
at them.
Timmy
stood quite still beside George, his tail down, looking very mournful. A visit
to Kirrin Island was not such a pleasure to him as to the children, because he
wasn’t allowed to hunt the rabbits. What a waste of rabbits!
‘Poor
old Tim! Look at him!’ said Julian. ‘He looks the picture of misery. Look at
Sally, too - she’s longing to go after the rabbits, but she doesn’t think it’s
good manners to chase them till Timmy does!’
Good
manners or not, little Sally could bear it no longer! She suddenly made a dart
at a rabbit who had come temptingly near, and it leapt into the air in fright.
‘Sally!’
called George, in a most peremptory manner. ‘NO! You’re not to chase my
rabbits! Tim - go and fetch her here!’
 Sally looked at him in
amazement. Could her friend Timmy really be growling at her? Timmy began to
push himself against her and she found herself shep-herded over to George.
‘Good
dog, Timmy,’ said George, pleased to have shown everyone how obedient he was.
‘Sally, you mustn’t chase these rabbits, because they are too tame! They
haven’t learnt to run away properly yet, because not many people come here and
frighten them.’
‘Whoever
was here this morning scared them all right,’ said Julian, remembering. ‘Gosh,
don’t let’s forget there may be people here. Well - I can’t see anyone so far!’
They
went cautiously forward, towards the old castle. Timmy running ahead. Then
Julian stopped and pointed to the ground.
‘Cigarette
ends - look! Fresh ones, too. There are people here, that’s certain. Walk ahead
of us, Tim.’
But
at that moment there came the sound that Anne had heard the night before - the
sound of a motor-boat’s engine. R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!
‘They’re
escaping!’ cried Dick. ‘Quick, run to the other side of the island! We may see
them then!’
Chapter
Twelve
VERY
SUSPICIOUS
The
children, with the two dogs barking excitedly, ran to the other, seaward side
of the island. Great rocks lay out there, and the sea splashed over them.
‘There
it is - a motor-boat!’ cried Dick. They all stood and watched the boat riding
over the sea at a very fast speed.
‘Where
are the glasses - did we bring them with us?’ said Julian. ‘I’d like to focus
them on the boat and see if I can read the name - or even see the men in it!’
But
the glasses had been left behind at Kirrin Cottage - what a pity!
‘They
must have anchored their motor-boat out there, and somehow clambered inshore
over the rocks,’ said George. ‘It’s a dangerous thing to do if you don’t know
the best way.’
‘Yes
- and if they came last night, as I think they must have done, because I’m sure
now it was the engine of the motor-boat that I heard,’ said Anne, ‘if they came
last night, they must have clambered to the shore in the dark. I wonder they
managed it!’
‘It
must have been the light of a lantern or a torch you saw on the island in the
night,’ said Julian. ‘They probably didn’t want to be seen arriving on the
island, and that’s why they went to the other side, the seaward side. I wonder
if they were men spying to find out if Berta is with us or not.’
‘Let’s
snoop around a bit more and see if we can find anything else,’ said Anne. ‘The
motor-boat is almost out of sight now.’
They
went back to the other side of the island. Berta looked with awe at the old
ruined castle in the middle. Jackdaws circled round a tower, calling loudly.
‘Chack-chack-chack!’
‘Once
upon a time my castle had strong walls all round it,’ said George. ‘And there
were two great towers. One’s almost in ruins, as you can see, but the other is
fairly good. Come right into the castle.’
 To think that this island, and
this wonderful old ruined castle, belonged to George! How very, very lucky she
was!
She
went through a great doorway, and found herself in a dark room, with stone
walls enclosing it. Two narrow, slit-like windows brought in all the light there
was.
‘It’s
strange and old and mysterious,’ said Berta, half to herself. ‘It’s asleep and
dreaming of the old days when people lived here. It doesn’t like us being
here!’
‘Wake
up!’ said Dick. ‘You look quite dopey!’ Berta shook herself and looked round
again. Then she went on through the castle and looked at other rooms, some
without roofs, some without one or two of their walls.
‘It’s
a honey of a castle!’ she said to George. ‘A real honey. Wunnerful. WonDERful.’
They
wandered all round, showing the awe-struck Berta everything. ‘We’ll show you
the dungeons too,’ said George, very pleased to be impressing Berta so much.
‘Dungeons!

‘Dungeons! You don’t say! My my, I’ll never forget this afternoon.’
As
they walked over the old courtyard Timmy suddenly growled and stood still, his
tail down, the hackles on his neck rising. Everyone automatically stood still
too.
‘What
is it, Tim? asked George, in a whisper. Timmy’s nose was pointing towards the
little harbour where they had left their boat.
‘There
must be someone there,’ said Dick. ‘Don’t say they’re going off with our boat!’
George
gave a scream. Her boat! Her precious boat! She set off at top speed with Timmy
bounding in front.
‘Come
back, George - there may be danger!’ shouted Julian, but George didn’t listen.
She ran over the rocks that led down to the little harbour-beach, and then
stopped still in surprise.
Two
policemen were walking up the sandy beach! Their boat was drawn up beside
George’s. They saluted her and grinned.
‘Afternoon,
Miss George!’
‘What
are you doing on my island?’ demanded George, recognising them. ‘Why have you
come here?’
‘Someone
reported suspicious people on the island,’ said the first policeman.
‘Who
did?’ said George. ‘Nobody knew about it but us!’
‘I
bet I know who reported it,’ said Dick suddenly. ‘Joan did! She didn’t like us
going off by ourselves; she said we ought to telephone the police.’
‘That’s
right,’ said the policeman. ‘So we came to see for ourselves. Found anyone?’
Julian
took command then, and related how they had first seen the cigarette ends, and
then heard the motor-boat starting up, and had gone to see it roaring away from
the island.
‘Ah,’
said both policemen, profoundly. ‘Ah!’
‘What
do you mean - “AH”?’ asked Dick.
‘Fred
here heard a motor-boat somewhere in the bay in the night,’ said the first man.
‘What was it doing there, I’d like to know?’
‘So
would we,’ said Julian. ‘We saw someone on the island looking through
binoculars at the beach this morning.’
This
brought forth two more ‘Ahs’, and the policemen exchanged glances.
‘Good
thing you’ve got a couple of dogs with you,’ said the one called Fred. ‘Well -
we’ll just have a bit of a look round, and then we’ll go back on our beats
again. And mind you ring us up next time anything turns up, Miss George, see?’
Off
they went together, looking closely at the ground. They found the cigarette
ends and picked them up. Then on they went again.
‘Let’s
go back,’ said George, in a low voice. ‘It spoils things if other people are on
the island. I don’t want to have a picnic here now. We’ll go off in the boat
somewhere and have a picnic tea in a cove.’
So
they dragged the boat down to the water and jumped in. Sally was very pleased
to be back in the boat and ran from end to end wagging her stiff little tail in
delight. Timmy followed her up and down and got in everyone’s way.
‘How
can I row if you keep on jumping over me, Timmy?’ complained Dick. ‘Sally,
you’re just as bad. Berta, are you all right?  ‘I’ll be all right as soon as we get on
to calm waters.’
But
she wasn’t, so it was regretfully decided that they must row to the shore. They
had a lazy tea on the beach, and Berta recovered enough to join in heartily.
‘Anyone
got room for an ice-cream?’ asked Anne. ‘Because if so I’ll stroll down to the
shops and get some. I want to buy a new pair of shoe-laces too. One of mine
broke this morning.’
Everyone
appeared to have room for an ice-cream, so Anne set off with Sally, who wanted
to come with her. She went to the draper’s and got the laces, and then went to
the tea-shop that sold ices.
‘Seven,
please,’ she said. The girl in the shop smiled.
‘Seven!
You used to ask for five.’
‘Yes,
I know. But we’ve got someone staying with us - and another dog,’ explained
Anne. ‘And both dogs like ice-creams.’
‘That
reminds me - someone was in my shop yesterday asking about your uncle,’ said
the girl. ‘He said he knew him. He wanted to know how many children were
staying at Kirrin Cottage, and I thought only the four of you were there - and
Timmy, of course. He seemed surprised, and said, surely there was another
girl?’
‘Good
gracious!’ said Anne, startled. ‘Did he really? How inquisitive! What did you
say then?’
‘I
just said there were two boys and a girl, and a girl who liked to dress as a
boy,’ said the girl.
Anne
was glad to think the shop-girl hadn’t known about Berta. ‘What was the man
like?’ she asked.
‘Quite
ordinary,’ said the girl, trying to remember. ‘He wore dark glasses like so
many visitors do in the bright sun. I noticed he had a large gold ring on his
finger when he paid my bill. That’s all I can remember.’
‘Well,
if anyone else asks you about us, just say we’ve got a friend staying with us
called Lesley,’ said Anne. ‘Good-bye.’
She
went off at top speed, anxious to tell the others. The man in the tea-shop must
have been one of those who had gone to the island to watch the beach - he might
have been staring at the five of them as they had played together. He must be
one of the men now in the motor-boat. Anne didn’t like it, and it made her feel
very uneasy.
She
told the others what the shop girl had said as they sat in the sand and ate
their ice-creams. Timmy gobbled his almost at once, and sat patiently watching
for Sally to deal with hers, hoping that she would leave some.
All
the four listened intently to Anne’s little story.
‘That
settles it,’ said Dick. ‘Those men are certainly snooping round trying to find
out if Lesley is here.’
‘They
are getting uncomfortably close,’ said Julian.
‘Still,
your uncle and aunt come back tomorrow,’ said Berta. ‘We’ll tell them, and maybe
they’ll have some good plan.’
‘I
hope those men don’t know that they are away,’ said Dick, uneasily. ‘I think
we’ll have to keep a pretty close watch from now on. I wonder if Berta ought to
stay on here with us.’
‘See
what Father says tomorrow,’ said George. So it was decided that nothing should
be done except to keep a sharp look-out until George’s parents came back. They
all went back rather soberly to Kirrin Cottage and told Joan what had happened
on the island.
‘You
telephoned to the police, Joan!’ said Dick, shaking his finger at her.
‘I
did. And I was right to,’ said Joan. ‘And what’s more Master Lesley’s bed is
going to be moved away from the window tonight and the window’s going to be
fastened even if we melt, and the door will be locked.’
‘I’ll
lend you Timmy, too, if you like,’ said George ‘He can sleep in the room with
Sally. You ought to be safe then!’
She
really only meant it as a joke, but to her surprise Joan accepted at once.
‘Thank you, Miss,’ she said. ‘I’d be glad of Timmy. I feel all of a dither,
left on my own like this, and kidnappers closing in on us!’
Julian
laughed. ‘Oh, it’s not so bad as that, Joan! Only one more night and Uncle
Quentin and Aunt Fanny will be back.’
‘Oh
- I quite forgot to tell you,’ said Joan. ‘Look, there’s a telegram come.
They’re staying away a whole week! That’s why I feel so scared. A week - well a
lot can happen in a week!’
Chapter
Thirteen
A
HORRID SHOCK
Julian
was not very happy to hear that his aunt and uncle were staying away for a week.
He picked up the telegram. It was addressed to George, but Joan had opened it.
‘Not
returning for a week,’ it said. ‘Complications have arisen, Hope all goes well.
Love from Mother.’
There
was no address. How annoying! Now Julian couldn’t even let them know that he
was feeling uneasy. He made up his mind to guard Berta every minute! Thank
goodness they had Timmy. Nobody would dare to do any kidnapping under Timmy’s
eye!
He
thought it was a good idea to put Timmy in Joan’s room that night with Berta. In
fact, if George would agree, it would be best to do that each night. He thought
it would not be wise to ask George now, though, because he could see that she
was half sorry she had made the offer to Joan!
Julian
was quite fussy that evening. He insisted on the blinds being drawn when they
sat down to play cards after their supper. He would not let Berta take Sally
out for a run, but took her himself, watching for any strange person as he went
down the lane.
‘You’re
making me feel quite scared!’ said Anne with a laugh. ‘Oh Ju, it’s so hot in
this room. Do, do let’s have the blind up for a few minutes and let some air
in. I shall begin to sizzle if we don’t.  It was dark outside now, and the
light streamed out.
‘That’s
better,’ said Anne, mopping her wet forehead. ‘Now, whose turn is it? Yours,
George.’
They
sat round the table, playing. Julian and Berta sat side by side, as Julian was
helping her in a new game of cards. She looked exactly like a very earnest
little boy, with her straight close-cut fair hair. George sat opposite the
window with Dick on one side of her and Anne on the other.
‘Your
turn, Dick,’ said George. ‘Do buck up, you’re slow tonight.’ She sat and
waited, looking out of the window into the darkness.
Then
suddenly she slammed down her cards and leapt up, shouting. Everyone jumped
almost out of their skins.
‘What
is it, what is it, George?’ cried Julian.
‘Out
there - look - a face! I saw a face peeping in at us - the light of the window
just caught it! Timmy, Timmy! Quick, go after him!’
But
Timmy wasn’t there! Nor was Sally. George called frantically again. ‘TIMMY!
Come here, quickly. Oh, blow him, that fellow will get away. TIM!’
Timmy
came bounding up the hall and into the sitting-room, barking. Sally followed
behind.
‘Where
were you! Fathead!’ cried George furiously. ‘Jump out of the window - go on -
chase him, find him!’
Timmy
leapt out of the window and Sally tried to do the same, but couldn’t. She
barked and yelped, trying again and again to jump out. Joan came running in,
panic-stricken, wondering what was happening.
‘Listen,’
said Julian, suddenly. ‘Shut up, Sally, Listen!’
They
were all suddenly quiet, Sally too. There was the sound of a car being revved
up down the lane, and then the sound died down as the car sped away.
‘He’s
got away, whoever he was,’ said Dick, and sat down suddenly. ‘Gosh, I feel as
if I’d been running a mile. You nearly scared the life out of me when you
slammed down your cards like that, George, and yelled in my ear.’
Timmy
leapt in at the window at that moment and Dick almost jumped out of his skin
again. So did everyone else, including Sally, who fled behind the sofa in
panic.
‘What’s
all this about?’ said Joan, quite fiercely. ‘Really!’
George
was in a tearing rage - with Timmy of all things! She shouted at the surprised
dog and he put his tail down at once.
‘Where
were you? Why did you slink out of the room into the kitchen?  Just when we needed you! I’m ashamed of you,
Timmy - you could have caught that fellow easily!’
‘Oh
don’t,’ said Berta, almost in tears. ‘Poor Timmy! Don’t George!’
Then
George turned on Berta. ‘You just let me scold my own dog if he needs it!   ‘Your temper gets us nowhere. Calm down and let’s
hear what you saw. CALM DOWN, I say.’
George
stared at him, about to retort with something defiant. Then Timmy gave a small
whimper - his heart was almost broken to hear George - George, his beloved
mistress - rave at him in such anger. He had no idea what he had done to displease
her.
The
whimper brought George to her senses. ‘Oh Timmy!’ she said, and knelt down and
flung her arms round his neck. ‘I didn’t mean to shout at you. I was so angry
because we missed our chance of getting that man who was peeping in at us. Oh
Timmy, it’s all right, it really is.’
Timmy
was extremely glad to hear it. He licked George lavishly, and then lay down by
her very soberly. He wished he knew what all the excitement was about.
So
did Joan. She thumped on the table to get everyone’s attention, and at last got
Julian to explain everything to her. She stared out of the window,
half-thinking that she could see faces in the darkness outside. She drew the
blind down sharply.
‘We’ll
go to bed,’ she said. ‘All of us. I don’t like this. I shall ring up the police
and warn them. Master Lesley, you come with me straightaway now.’
‘I
think perhaps you’re right, Joan,’ said Julian. ‘I’ll lock up everywhere. Come
on, girls.’
Timmy
was astonished and upset to find himself handed over to Joan and Berta. Was George
still cross with him then? It was a very, very long time since he had slept
away from her at night. He cheered up a little when he saw that Sally was going
to be with him, and trotted rather mournfully up the attic stairs to Joan’s
room.
Joan
soon got Berta into bed, and then undressed herself. She fastened the window
and locked the door. She gave Timmy a rug in a corner, and Sally jumped up on
Berta’s bed as usual.
‘Now
we ought to be quite safe!’ said Joan, and settled creakingly into her bed.
On
the floor below the two boys followed the same procedure, and so did Anne and
George. Doors were locked and windows fastened, though it was a hot night and
they were all sure they would be melted by the morning. George couldn’t bear to
think of Timmy with Berta and Joan - especially as she had been so very cross
with him.  Dear, kind, faithful Timmy - how
could she have shouted at him like that?
‘Do
you suppose Timmy is feeling very upset?’ she said, when she and Anne were in
bed.
‘A
bit, perhaps,’ said Anne. ‘But dogs are very forgiving.’
‘I
know. That somehow makes it worse,’ said George.
‘Well,
you really shouldn’t get into such tempers,’ said Anne, seizing the opportunity
to tell George a few home truths. ‘I thought you were getting over the tantrums
you used to have. But these hols you’ve been pretty bad. Because of Berta, I
suppose.’
‘I
wish I could go up and say good night to Timmy,’ George began again, after a
few minutes’ silence.
‘Oh
for goodness’ sake George!’ said Anne, sleepily. ‘Do be sensible. You can’t go
and bang on Joan’s door and ask for Timmy - you’d scare them to death!’
Anne
fell asleep, but George didn’t. Then suddenly she heard the sound of a door
being unlocked, and sat up. It sounded as if it came from the attic. Was it
Joan unlocking her door? What did she want?
A
cautious little knock came at George’s door. ‘Who is it?’ said George.
‘Me.
Joan,’ said Joan’s voice. ‘I’ve brought Sally down, Miss George. Timmy keeps
trying to get up on Miss Berta’s bed to be with Sally, and she simply can’t go
to sleep, her camp-bed is too small to hold all three of them. So will you have
Sally, please?’
‘Oh
blow!’ said George, and went to open her door. ‘How’s Timmy?’ she said, in a
low voice.
‘All
right,’ said Joan. ‘He’ll be annoyed I’ve taken Sally away. I’m glad to have
him up here tonight with all these goings on!’
‘Is
he - is he happy, Joan?’ asked George, but Joan had turned away and didn’t
hear. George sighed. Why had she offered to let Joan and Berta have Timmy
tonight of all nights, when she had scolded him so unfairly? Now she had got to
have this silly little Sally instead!
Sally
whimpered. She didn’t like being away from Berta, and she was not fond of
George. She wriggled out of George’s arms and ran round the room, still
whimpering.
Anne
woke up with a jump. ‘Whatever’s going on?’ she said. ‘Why - it’s Sally in the
room! How did she get here?’
George
told her, sounding very cross. ‘Well, I hope she’ll settle down,’ said Anne. ‘I
don’t want her to whimper and run round the bedroom all night long.’
But
Sally wouldn’t settle down. Her whimpering became louder, and when she took a
flying jump on to George’s bed and landed right on George’s middle, the girl
had had enough of it. She sat up and spoke in a fierce whisper.
 I’m jolly well going to take you downstairs and put you into
Timmy’s kennel!’
‘Good
idea,’ said Anne, sleepily.  Anne promptly went to sleep again.
George
crept down the stairs and went to the garden door. She undid it and walked out
in dressing-gown and pyjamas, her curly hair all tousled, carrying the
whimpering little dog.
Suddenly
she felt Sally stiffen in her arms, and growl. Grrrrrrr! George stood quite
still. What had Sally heard?
Then
things happened very suddenly indeed. A torch was flashed in her face, and
before she could cry out, a cloth was thrown over her head so that she could
not make a sound.
‘This
is the one!’ said a low voice. ‘The one with curly hair! And this is her dog,
the poodle. Put him in that kennel, quick, before he barks the place down.’

George, struggling and trying vainly to call out, was lifted off her feet and
carried swiftly down to the front gate.
The
garden door swung creaking to and fro in the night wind. Sally whimpered in her
kennel. But no one heard either door or dog. Everyone in Kirrin Cottage was
sound asleep!
Chapter
Fourteen
WHERE
IS GEORGE?
Next
morning, about half past seven, Joan went downstairs as usual. Berta was awake
and decided to fetch Sally from George’s bedroom. She put on her dressing-gown
and padded downstairs with Timmy behind her, to George’s room on the floor
below. The door was shut, and she knocked gently.
‘Come
in,’ said Anne’s sleepy voice. ‘Oh, it’s you, Berta.’
‘Yes.
I’ve come for Sally,’ said Berta. ‘Hallo - where’s George?’
Anne
looked at the empty bed beside hers. ‘I don’t know. The last thing I heard of
her was in the middle of the night when we got cross because Sally wouldn’t
settle down, and George said she would take her down to the kennel.’
‘Oh.
Well, probably George has gone down to fetch her back,’ said Berta. ‘I’ll go up
and dress. It’s a heavenly morning again. Are you going to bathe before
breakfast, because if so I’ll just put on my swim-suit.’
‘Yes.
I think we might today - we’re nice and early,’ said Anne, scrambling out of
bed. ‘Go and wake the boys. Timmy, go down and find George.’
Dick
and Julian were awake, and quite ready for a before-breakfast bathe. Anne
joined them as they went downstairs. Berta had already gone down and had
discovered Sally in the kennel, most excited to see her. She pranced round
barking happily.
Timmy
came up to the children, looking puzzled. He had hunted everywhere for George
and hadn’t found her. ‘Woof,’ he said to Anne. ‘Woof, woof!’ It was just as if
he were saying, ‘Please, where is George?’
‘Haven’t
you found George yet?’ said Anne in surprise. She called to Joan. ‘Joan,
where’s George? Has she gone down to bathe already?’
‘I
haven’t seen her,’ said Joan. ‘But I expect she has because the garden-door was
open when I came down, and I guessed one of you had gone for an early bathe.’
‘Well,
George must be down on the beach, then,’ said Anne, feeling rather puzzled. Why
hadn’t George wakened her and told her to come too?
Soon
all four were on the beach with the two dogs, Sally very happy to be with Berta
again, and Timmy very downcast and puzzled, He stood staring up the beach and
down, looking quite lost.
‘I
can’t see George anywhere,’ said Dick, suddenly feeling scared. ‘She’s not in
the sea.’
They
all gazed over the water, but no one was bathing that morning. Anne turned to
Julian in sudden panic.
‘Ju!
Where is she?’
‘I
wish I knew,’ said Julian, anxiously. ‘She’s not here. And she hasn’t gone out
in her boat - it’s over there. Let’s go back to the house.’
‘I