Beechy of the Harbour School
Beechy Garland is brought to the Harbour School by her aunt, Eileen Garland whom the Head knows well. Beechy is put into the Green dormitory where her aunt and mother also stayed. Her mother, Beatrix Celli, a singer, had died recently after being ill for 3 years, they had been living in Switzerland. Beechy had become a Christian a few weeks before her mother died but wonders how much difference it will make in her new school.
Beechy joins the Fourth Form with Deborah, Mary and Rosalind who are in her dormitory. Another girl in the form called Olive takes an instant dislike to her. Deborah and Olive both want to win the essay prize at the end of the Christmas term. One topic is “The Making of a book” which Beechy came top in, as she had led a life among grown-ups of culture so was able to go deeper than the average schoolgirl.
The School comes down with flu, Beechy catches it and is very unwell. Olive has a bad tooth, as a result both are left in the Sickroom with the Head Girl, Eunice Graham, after the others have recovered. Over half term there is a bad storm, upsetting Beechy as her mother had died during an equally bad storm. Olive teases her about her cowardliness until Beechy retorts that her Mother had died at Christmas. Up to this point, Beechy had only told the girls that her mother had been very ill. Beechy suffers a relapse and has to stay in bed for another fortnight.
The School goes for a walk to the old Dutch House. Mary tells them the story of the house which is supposed to be haunted. Beechy gets a letter from her grandparents who have settled in the same town in Hampshire as Deborah and Rosalind’s families. At the end of term, Beechy has topped the lists in the language subjects, comes third in maths and is second in the essay prize, which Deborah has won.
The girls go for a walk to the old Dutch House again and Mary elaborates on the haunting story. Olive, who has a vivid imagination, is affected by this and that night sleepwalks through the school, waking everyone with her loud moaning. On waking, she tells the Head that the ghost from the Dutch House came to haunt her as a punishment for being beastly to Beechy. Olive apologises to Beechy, who confesses to her that she is a Christian and that things would have been better for both of them if she had have told the girls this. The term ends with a Christmas party and carols.
contributed by Jenni Ambridge, Melbourne - working from a photocopy of a 1955 (1 st edition) hardback.