Five Have Plenty of Fun by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online

important work the master does," she said. „Well, Miss Berta"s father does the same kind of work in America, and he and the master are working on a great new scheme together."
    „Oh yes, Mam," said Joan, very much interested.
    „Berta"s father has been warned by the police that it is possible Berta may be kidnapped and held to ransom, not for money, but for the scientific secrets that he knows," went on Aunt Fanny. „So she has been sent to us to be kept safe for three weeks. By that time the scheme wil be finished and made public. Berta is going to the same school as Miss Anne and Miss George, and it is a good idea to let them know one another first."
    Joan nodded. „I understand that, Mam," she said. „I think we can keep Miss Berta safe, don"t you?"
    „Yes," said Aunt Fanny. „But her father has now put up some further ideas that he wants us to follow. He says it would be best to disguise her as a boy..."
    „Jolly good idea," interrupted Dick.
    „And to give her another name - a boy"s name," said Aunt Fanny. „He wants her to have her hair cut short and..."
    „Oh please not that!" begged Berta, shaking back her fair, wavy hair. „I"d hate it. Girls with short hair like boys look so sil y, they..."
    Anne nudged her and frowned. Berta stopped hurriedly, remembering that George had curly hair cut as short as any boy.
    „I think we"l have to do what your father says," said Aunt Fanny. „This is very important, Berta. You see, if anyone should come here looking for you, thinking of kidnapping, they would never recognize you if you were looking exactly like a boy."
    „But my hair," said Berta, almost in tears. „How could Pops say I"m to have my hair off? He always said it was wunnerful!"
    Nobody liked to point out that there was a D in wonderful just then! Berta was really so very upset about her hair.
    „Your hair wil grow quickly enough," said Aunt Fanny.
    „Her head"s a good shape," said Julian, looking at it consideringly. „She should look nice with short hair."
    Berta cheered up. If Julian thought that, then it wouldn"t be so bad.
    „But what about clothes?" she said, remembering this point with a look of horror. „Girls look frightful in boys" clothes. Pops always said so til now."
    „You won"t look any worse than George does," said Dick. „She"s got on a boy"s jersey, boy"s jeans and boy"s shoes this very minute!"
    „I think she looks awful," said Berta, obstinately, and George scowled.
    „Well, I think you"d look horrible," she said. „You wouldn"t even look like a boy, you"d look little-girlish, sil y little sissy-boy. I think it"s a fat-headed idea to put you into boys" clothes!"
    „Aha! Our George wants to be the only one!" said Dick, slyly, and quickly got out of the way of a punch from the furious George.
    „Well," said Julian, „I"l go out and buy some things for Berta this morning, so that"s settled.
    What about her hair? Shall I cut it short?"
    Aunt Fanny was amused at Julian"s high-handed way of dealing with Berta and her troubles, and even more amused to see that Berta did not even argue with Julian.
    „You can certainly go shopping for Berta if you like," she said. „But I"d rather you didn"t cut her hair. You"d make her look a scarecrow!"
    „I don"t mind if Julian cuts it," said Berta, surprisingly meek al at once.
    „I shall cut it for you myself," said Aunt Fanny. „Now - what about a boy"s name? We can"t cal you Berta any more, that"s certain."
    „I"d rather not have a boy"s name," said Berta. „It"s sil y for a girl to be cal ed by a boy"s name, like George."
    „If you mean to be rude to me, I"l ..." began George, but got no farther. Julian and Dick had burst into laughter.
    „Oh George - you and Berta wil be the death of us!" said Julian. „Here are you doing all you can to pretend to be a boy - and here is Berta doing al she can to get out of it? For goodness" sake, let"s settle the matter without any more bickering. We"ll cal Berta Robert."
    „No - that"s too