“But why choose us?” said George again. “He doesn’t know a thing about us!”

“Well,” said her mother, with a small smile, “he met you all the other day, you know — and he was apparently very struck with you — and especially with you, George, though I can’t imagine why. 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 this 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!