A Rebel at the Chalet School
Key Facts (Possible Spoilers)
Mademoiselle Lepattre is Headmistress
The School is in Briesau, on the banks of the Tiern See in the Austrian Tyrol
Series Characters Whereabouts:
Jo Bettany is Head Girl
Frieda Mensch is Second Prefect.
Robin Humphries is at the Annexe.
Juliet Carrick is Head of the Annexe.
Grizel Cochrane is Juliet's assistant.
Peggy and Rix Bettany are about three and a half years old and at Die Rosen with Madge and Jem.
David Russell (Madame's son) is 2 years old.
Cornelia Flower, Evadne Lannis and Ilonka Barkocz are in Lower Fifth, while Margia Stevens and Elsie Carr are in Upper Fifth
Biddy O'Ryan is a junior in Le Petit Chalet.
One of Joyce's rags is for them to sing God Save the Queen at the tops of their voices and Joey bursts in on the class thinking there is no-one with them. Miss Norman is finally pushed too far when Joyce suggests they should behave like savages. They all paint their faces and arms and dance around the classroom, talking in grunts and clicks. Miss Norman reports them to Mademoiselle and they are all in silence for a week. Joyce is threatened with expulsion.
Thekla wakens Joyce in the middle of the night and tries to get her to stop being friends with Joey. Cornelia and then Miss Wilson find them in the corridor. Thekla hoped that by getting Joyce into trouble by breaking rules, Joey would be hurt. She doesn't think that if Joyce was in trouble again, she would be expelled and it may mean the death of Mrs Linton. When questioned by Mdlle Lepattre, she's only disappointed that it hasn't worked. Feeling that she is causing the school harm, Mademoiselle expels her.
During the construction of her stall for the Sale, Jo falls off the "roof" of the cottage and lands on Miss Wilson, temporarily winding her and thus effectively suppressing her! The Magic Cave belonging to the Saints is kept a great secret and everyone declares it was a wonderful surprise. The Sale is a great success but near the end, Gillian and Joyce are summoned to the Sonnalpe by Jem.
Mrs Linton has had a shock and has lapsed into a coma. She believes Joyce to be expelled and though the girls tell her it isn't true and the doctors try to rouse her, she remains in the stupor. Finally, Joey talks very sternly to her and tells her that Joyce is okay and not expelled and that she's "never heard such poppycock in my life!" and Mrs Linton begins to come round.
contributed by Julie Robertson, Scotland __ working from a paperback edition