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

like Berta," said Dick. „It ought to be a completely different name. We"ll cal her a good plain boy"s name like Jim or Tom or John."
    „No," said Berta. „I don"t like any of them. Let me have my second name, please."
    „What"s that? Another girl"s name?" asked Julian.
    „Yes. But it"s used for a boy too, only then it"s spelt differently," said Berta. „It"s Lesley. It"s a nice name, I think."
    „Lesley. Yes - it rather suits you," said Julian. „It suits you better than Berta. We"ll call you Lesley - and people wil think it"s Leslie spelt l-i-e at the end, and not l-e-y. Al right.
    Everything"s settled."
    „Not quite," said his aunt. „I just want to say that you mustn"t let Berta - I mean Lesley - out of your sight at al . And you must report at once any mysterious happening or any stranger you see. The local police here know that we have Lesley with us, and why - and anything can be reported to them at once. They also are keeping a good look-out, of course."
    „This almost sounds as if we"re in the middle of an adventure!" said Dick, looking pleased.
    „I hope not," said his aunt. „I don"t imagine that anyone wil ever guess Berta - I mean Lesley - is anything more than she wil appear to be - a boy friend of yours and Julian"s, come to stay for a while. Dear me, it"s going to be dificult to refer to HER and HIM al the time!"
    „It certainly is," said Julian, standing up. „If you"l give me some money, Aunt Fanny, I"l go and do a little shopping for Lesley. What size do you think HE needs?"
    Everyone laughed. „HE wears size three shoes," said Joan, smiling. „I noticed that this morning."
    „And HE wil have to get used to doing his coat buttons up on the right-hand side instead of on the left," said Anne, joining in the fun.
    „SHE wil soon get used to that?" said George. „Won"t SHE, Timmy?"
    „Don"t spoil it al now, George," said Julian. „A slip of the tongue, saying SHE instead of HE, might lead to danger for her - I mean Lesley."
    „Yes, I know," said George. „It"s just that she"ll never look like a boy, and..."
    „I don"t want to look like a boy," said Berta. „I think you look..."
    „Here we go again!" said Julian. „Stop it, Lesley, stop it, George. George, you"d better come out and help me to get the things for Lesley. Come on. And take that scowl off your face. You look like a sulky girl!"
    That made George alter her face at once. She couldn"t help grinning at the artful Julian.
    „I"m coming," she said, „Good-bye, Berta. When we come back, you"l be Leslie, haircut and all!"
    She and Julian went off. Anne fetched her aunt"s sharpest scissors and draped a big towel round Berta"s shoulders. Berta looked as if she was going to cry.
    „Cheer up," said Dick. „You"re going to look angelic with short hair! Begin, Aunt Fanny.
    Let"s see what she"s like with shorn locks."
    „Sit quite stil ," said Aunt Fanny and began. Clip-clip-clip! The wavy golden hair fell to the floor in big strands and Berta began to weep in earnest. „My hair! I can"t bear this. Oh, my hair!"
    Soon most of it was on the floor, and Aunt Fanny began to clip what was left as best she could, to make it look as boyish as possible. She made a very good job of it indeed. Dick and Anne watched with the greatest interest.

    „There! It"s done!" said Aunt Fanny at last. „Stop crying, Lesley - and let"s have a look at you!"

Chapter Eight
A TRANSFORMATION

    Berta stood in the middle of the floor, blinking her tears away. Anne gave a gasp.
    „You know - it"s very odd - but she does look rather like a boy - a very, very good-looking boy!"
    „An angelic boy," said Dick. „A choirboy or something. She looks smashing! Who would have thought it?"
    Aunt Fanny was very struck with Berta"s appearance too. „It"s certainly very odd," she said. „But there"s no doubt about it - when she"s - I mean he"s - dressed in boy"s clothes, he"ll make a fine boy. Better than George, actual y, because her hair"s really too curly for a