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 have my hair cut off. Don’t you dare to make me! 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! She looked at Berta, who was eating her breakfast with tears in her eyes. 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 should 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.