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Gloria Dene’s arrival at Miss Melford’s school introduces Bernarda Torres, a Spanish music teacher who performs to support her ruined family. When Bernarda leaves teaching to become the concert singer La Narda, a fire sparks on her dress during a performance. Count Mirloff leaps forward to smother the flames with his fur coat, saving her and eventually winning her hand.
I. → III. The Rain of Fire.
Years after comforting little Irene Petrovsky at school, Gloria Dene falls on hard times and resides near a county gaol. A veiled neighbor taking secret residence at Magdala Terrace reveals herself as Irene’s sister, Nadine. Before vanishing into the night, Nadine shares the tragic fate of the little Russian snow flower who perished among Siberian exile camps.
V.—IRENE: THE SNOW FLOWER. → II. The Passing of Nadine.
Bedridden Cora learns how her step-brother, Sir Tone Wolsten, rescued her mother from a bitter, undisciplined childhood after her father's death. Arriving at Goldmead Park as an unruly teenager, the young girl met Tone’s steady firmness rather than indulgence. His refusal to tolerate her discourtesy forced a profound shift, unlocking her capacity for affection and music.
UNCLE TONE. → THE MISSING LETTER.
Aubrey and Katie unearth a fifty-year-old letter inside a dusty volume, directing them to a mahogany box of golden guineas under the floorboards to resolve their family’s financial crisis. Meanwhile, young Dick earns the adoration of Captain Treves’s children by nursing them through severe illness. His steadfast presence provides comfort when adult authority fails.
I. ON TWO SIDES OF THE CABINET. → II. UNCLE JACOB'S GIFT.
An old Indian cabinet reveals a hidden uncut diamond left by Uncle Jacob, saving a struggling household from selling their home and publishing the father's manuscript. In a seaside town, fourteen-year-old Claude Molyneux questions his companion Bee regarding her friendship with Tim Crooke. Bee defends Tim's character, holding firm against social snobbery.
CHAPTER II. → CHAPTER III.
Colonel Molyneux discovers that his beloved Miles survived captivity in South Africa, reuniting guardian and soldier after months of mourning. On the Isle of Man, dark-eyed Deborah Shimmin faces criminal charges over fresh seagull eggs mysteriously appearing in her bedchamber. Her sweetheart Andrew and local observers unite to solve the puzzle before the constable enforces the island's conservation laws.
PART I. → PART II.
Sir Ralph Trevern hid heirlooms and Spanish jewels on his Devonshire estate during the English Civil War, leaving only a cryptic rhyme about water and ferns to his descendants. Generations later, poor orphan Mary Trevern loves her cousin Dick, but financial burdens prevent their marriage. The lingering legend of the hidden treasure remains their sole hope for restoration.
THE TREVERN TREASURE. → A RUSSIAN STORY. BY ROBERT GUILLEMARD.
In Siberian exile, young Wassili is dragged away by military conscripts, leaving Daria to waste away and die rather than submit to an arranged marriage with wealthy Aphanassi. Far across the Mediterranean, artist Marjorie May arrives at the Moroccan port of Mogador, determined to explore ancient arcades and sketch local street life independently despite warnings.
PLUCK, PERIL & ADVENTURE. MARJORIE MAY: A WILFUL YOUNG WOMAN.
Patty rides her horse Black Bess to town after spotting suspicious ruffians gathered near a village inn. Returning with police officers and local gentlemen, she secures her home against an imminent break-in. At midnight, when an answering whistle signals the intruders' entry through the library window, the hidden defenders spring their trap and apprehend the gang.
I. → II.
Survivors of the May Queen drift in an open boat under blistering heat, enduring starvation and agonizing thirst. As fresh water vanishes, delirium drives one sailor overboard to a shark, while another turns violent with a knife against the first mate. The remaining passengers maintain courage through hymns and mutual care until an American schooner rescues them.
III.
Left alone in a wilderness cabin, a settler’s wife hides inside a heavy spring-lidded storage chest when a hungry jaguar leaps through the open gable. Though the beast licks and fractures her trapped fingers while pacing atop the box, she endures the night in utter silence until morning brings safety. Her ordeal proves that cold resolve overcomes raw terror.
A NIGHT OF HORROR. → IN THE WORLD OF FAERY.
Tiny Wattie and Mattie fetch pure water from a fairy spring to sustain a noble knight battling the traitor Colin. By scaling the crumbling fortress to retrieve an enchanted silver sword, Wattie turns the tide of battle and grows into a tall champion. In another village tale, a fairy's gentle presence banished a widow's vicious black dog.
II. The Kingfisher. → IV. Dame Dorothy's Dog.
Young Randal spends untroubled childhood days wandering through streams and woods near the village of Langaffer. Meanwhile, lonely Dame Dorothy receives a white turtle-dove from a forest fairy to replace her lost black hound. The gentle bird wins the affection of neighbors and school children, transforming a once-feared cottage into a center of quiet warmth.
V. The Little Locksmith.
English heiress Mary Wilkinson marries Sir Alick Glenlivet, using her merchant inheritance to clear the heavy debts on his ancestral Scottish estate. Though her gentleness wins over his proud, suspicious mother, political unrest in 1715 threatens their peace. Sir Alick's mother goads him into joining the risky Jacobite rising, setting romantic devotion against family duty.
A WIFE'S STRATAGEM. → THE STORY OF WINNIFRED COUNTESS OF…
Discover Victorian tales of courage, domestic loyalty, and high adventure designed to inspire and entertain young readers.