“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…”

“Leslie 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 Berta 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. “Why have you got to rush off like this? 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?”

“Leslie,” said his wife. “All right, don’t bother to explain. I see now that it would be foolish for him to come while Leslie’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 Leslie 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 Leslie 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.”