Girls of the Forest

Ten sisters enjoy the freedom of England's New Forest while their father, Mr. Dale, gives much of his attention to Virgil. Their home is an Elizabethan mansion full of unexpected corners, worn furnishings and neglected rooms. The prospect of Aunt Sophia's arrival throws the girls into a council of resistance: they fear that her conventional ways will upset the household they love. L. T. Meade builds this children's novel around the lively exchanges between daughters, father and aunt.

Later, family affection becomes entangled with Pauline's troubled conscience. As her sisters prepare birthday presents, she worries about a lie she has told and an appointment at the wicket-gate. Her aunt's concern and firm ideas about education bring questions of honesty, independence and responsibility into everyday domestic scenes. Readers interested in older stories of girlhood will find sibling loyalties, adult expectations and the anxiety of concealing a mistake.