
In the quiet, moonlit halls of Hazlitt Chase, a prestigious all‑girls school, the students are preparing a grand tableaux for their beloved headmistress, Mrs. Hazlitt. When the charismatic Cara urges her friend Nora to step into the role of Helen of Troy, Nora—head girl and a model of poise—refuses, insisting she cannot embody a figure she deems morally flawed. Her quiet defiance sparks a playful yet tense debate among the girls, revealing the delicate balance between conformity and personal conviction within the close‑knit community.
Through witty dialogue and vivid portraiture of school life, the novel explores how youthful ambition, friendship, and the weight of tradition intersect. As Nora navigates the expectations of her peers and the exacting standards of a headmistress who strives to shape both mind and spirit, listeners are drawn into a world where every choice is a performance, and the courage to be oneself can be as dramatic as any stage role.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (466K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
Release date
2013-07-08
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1854–1914
Best known for lively girls’ school stories and a huge range of popular fiction, this Irish-born writer helped shape late Victorian and Edwardian reading for young audiences. She was remarkably prolific, writing adventure tales, mysteries, historical fiction, and stories that reached far beyond the schoolroom.
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