Vania and her friends, looking forward to the winter term at Dundonay House in Skye, are all dismayed to learn that Miss Rorison, their beloved headmistress, has had a motoring accident, and that her step-sister, Miss Gowan, is leaving her Hampshire school to take charge at Dundonay for the term. From the start, things start to go wrong. Miss Gowan is old fashioned and cannot forget her more conventional school. She doesn’t understand the free and sensible ways of Dundonay and imposes many restrictions. Vania in particular is still in revolt. Rona Stuart of Allthellagh, a spoilt new girl, is another complication. Altogether things are difficult, and yet there is much the girls enjoy—the dance at the Castle, the trip in Ewan Darroch’s motor-launch, bird-watching and photography. Snow comes later, and at the same time Miss Gowan and other members of staff succumb to ’flu. Finally, there is a wonderful surprise, and Vania and her friends look forward to a happy ending to the term which has begun so badly.
The introduction will be written by Sarah Box, and we shall be including a short story by Mabel, ‘Sylvie in Skye’.
(added to website on 23 January 2026)
