Fifth Formers of St. Clare's - Plot Summary

Plot Summary

Miss Cornwallis is mistress of the fifth form. Hilary Wentworth is a calm and dignified head-girl. Being in the fifth form means quite a lot of changes - for example, the girls have got studies of their own now, instead of common rooms and dormitories, the first- and second-formers have got to work for them.

Two girls use their new power badly - Angela Favorleigh takes advantage of her prettiness and charm and turns the younger girls into willing slaves and so does Mirabel, who is games captain. Some room is made for the second-form - Antoinette, Claudine's little sister, has come to St. Clare's, too, and she proves to be as irrepressible as Claudine.

There are three new girls in the fifth form and all of them are unpopular - Anne-Marie, who fancies herself a poet, Felicity Ray, a musical genius, and Alma, a fat girl who suffers from what nowadays would be called an eating disorder. Felicity's parents are very ambitious and, in spite of Miss Theobald's warnings, push their daughter too hard - she is to take a very difficult musical exam and works herself too hard. She starts sleepwalking and the end of the doctor tells Miss Theobald that the girl is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Little Antoinette plays tricks on Angela when she sends for her by putting shoe polish cream in their toast and polishes her shoes with her best face cream.

One part of the book describes fat Alma stealing food from a store cupboard that Antoinette keeps midnight feast food in. Alison discoveres the cupboard open one day and reports to Claudine (Who owns the cupboard) about it, and Claudine then keeps the key to the cupboard safe. Alma is angry, and plays tricks on Alison. Anne-Marie is suspected by Alison because Alison worships a new teacher, Miss Willcox - and once more, she has to realize that the mistress is not as wonderful as she thinks. Miss Willcox dislikes Anne-Marie (even though Anne-Marie fancies her too and is later on jealous of Alison) and tells her that she cannot write poetry. Anne-Marie isn't jealous of Alison any more, (even though Alison still thinks that Anne-Marie plays tricks on her) takes revenge and traps Miss Willcox - she copies a poem written by Matthew Arnold and when Miss Willcox makes fun of her and the poem, Anne-Marie tells the mistress who wrote the poem.

One night is especially exciting, and Mam'zelle is the main character. Anne-Marie is satisfied with her trick on Miss Willcox, but needs to prove to the girls that she is a genius. She knows that Felicity sleepwalks, and tries this out too, by pretending. Felicity also really sleepwalks that night, and the second form hold the midnight feast with the first form. Jane Teal, who is feeling very unwell because of the desire to be in Mirabel's and Angela's good books (and being unsuccessful with Mirabel because Mirabel thinks that Jane rang the fire bell in the middle of her meeting to stop it when it was actually Antoinette, will confess later)tries to run away home, and Alma hopes to get some food from the cupboard if it is left open. Alma also sent an anonymous letter to Mirabel saying that the second form were feasting that night, and will not be playing well against the other lacrosse team in the match the next day. As sports captain, Mirabel visits the dormy of the second form to see if they really were feasting. It is a very exciting night, and solves a few mysteries.

Pat and Isabel are minor characters in this book, but at the end they are made head-girls because Hilary will leave St. Clare's and go to India to live with her parents. Alison, Anne-Marie, Angela, and Mirabel all redeem themself at the end of the book.