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collection of Berta"s clothes. „That shirt and those jeans wil do."
    They were ready just as the gong rang for breakfast. A delicious smel of frying bacon and tomatoes came up the stairs, and Berta sniffed in delight.
    „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 wil 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 real y? 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"l see what he says."
    He opened the letter and read it to himself. Then he looked up. „It"s al 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 til 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