chapter 8 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 thoughtit?'

aunt fanny was very struck with berta's appearance too. 'it's certainly very odd,' she said. 'but there'sno doubt about it - when she's - i mean he's - dressed in boy's clothes, he'll make a fine boy. betterthan 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 younow. your father was quite right to say, cut your hair off and dress up as a boy. any prowlingkidnapper 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,' saidanne.

'stop crying, bert - er - lesley,' said aunt fanny. 'you make me feel quite miserable. you've beenvery 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. i want sally-dog tosleep with me.'

'oh dear, ber - er lesley - i really can't have another dog in that little bedroom,' said poor auntfanny. '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 slightestsound. 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 inadmiration at berta's neat golden head, and then made a suggestion. 'if you'll excuse me, mam,' shesaid, 'miss berta could have her camp-bed in my room. i don't mind the dog a bit, she 34can have her and welcome, he's a pet, that little poodle. it's very crowded in the girls' room now, withthree beds in it, and my room's a nice big one. so, if miss berta doesn't mind sharing it, she'swelcome.'

'oh joan - that's good of you,' said aunt fanny, relieved at such a simple solution. 'also, your roomis up in the attic - it would be very difficult for kidnappers to find their way there - and nobody wouldthink 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 besleeping 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 onthe floor.'

when julian and george came back there was no sign of the golden hair on the floor. they put theirparcels 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 couldhave!'

'where are the clothes?' asked berta, rather pleased at all the interest in her looks. they opened theparcels 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 greyjerseys, 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 weonly 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 iton 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 lookedridiculous on her curls, and wouldn't sit down flat as it should. everyone hooted.

'it makes you look a girl! take it off!'

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george took it off in disappointment. how very aggravating that this girl berta should make a betterboy 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 wentberta 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. 'dear lesley,you must get yourself just a little dirty - you look too good to be true.'

'i don't like getting dirty,' said berta. 'i think...'

but what she thought nobody knew because at that moment the door opened and uncle quentin cameinto the room.

'i'd like to know how you think i can do my work with all this hooting and cackling going on,' hebegan, 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 elsecome 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 fatherwouldn'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 tostart 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.

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'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.

the raspberries are such fiddley little things.'

'have you a swim-suit, berta, i mean lesley?' asked george.

'yes. it's an absolutely plain one, like a boy's, so i'll be all right in it,' said berta. 'hurray, i shan'tneed 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 toteach 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 sallyby 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 tojulian, dick and berta. she was lying on them, and she even dared to growl at timmy when he camenear.

george laughed. 'growl back, timmy! don't let a little snippet like that cheek you. growl back!'

but timmy wouldn't. he just sat down out of reach of sally, and looked at her sadly. wasn't shefriends 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 wasout 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, andswam out strongly. she couldn't believe that it was berta out there! and if it was, the boys must behelping her!

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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, ithought 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 grabsomebody's leg. and anne laughed till she choked when she saw somebody heave themselves out ofthe 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 swimmuch too fast!