The Attic Term Summary

Warning: this chapter-by-chapter summary is a "spoiler". Don't read on unless you want to know what happens when!

Chapters

Private and Personal
A Word with Patrick
Family Dinner-Time
Up in Sara Crewe
Telephone Call
Patrick Uprooted
Ginty's Clanger
Shopping Saturday
Second Telephone Call
Repercussions
Casual Conversations
One Verse, Set to Music
Spilled Coffee
Consequential
Rain on the Just
Daks Goes Home

Summary

Summary text copyright Kate Dixon, 1999.

Chapter 1: Private and Personal

It is the end of the summer holidays. Ginty is regretting that she and Patrick will have to return to their separate schools after spending the holidays together. Patrick is dreading taking his O-level exams this term and tells Ginty how he hates the 'trendy' Catholic school he attends, where he, a traditionalist, is an outsider. He also tells her about Claudie; the Merricks' French au pair who treats him like a child. Ginty tells Patrick she loves him, but he isn't sure enough to say it back.

Chapter 2: A Word with Patrick

After going cub-hunting, Ginty and Nicola are both invited to the Merricks' house for a late breakfast. Ginty is furious when Mrs. Marlow rings up to summon her home to finish packing for school. Nicola stays to tell Patrick privately about the entries found in the farm's Tudor logbooks about the execution of Patrick's ancestor for Catholicism. Patrick and Nicola discuss Patrick's school and the Catholic faith, the kind of conversation they had when they were still best friends. Mr. Merrick has to drive Nicola home because she is late for lunch.

Chapter 3: Family Dinner-Time

Ginty is furious that she has missed out on a morning with Patrick and that he appears to have enjoyed talking to Nicola instead. Lawrie is peeved that Nicola borrowed her pony to hunt on without asking first. Ann, Ginty, Lawrie and Nicola go to the dentist together, Ginty still cross with Nicola and with their mother.

Chapter 4: Up in Sara Crewe

The Marlows arrive at Kingscote School. The new school secretary, Mrs. Lambert, establishes herself as a fussy character. Nicola takes Daks the dog to meet his owner Esther, who tells her that she will be able to have Daks herself in the holidays soon as her mother is having a baby and they are moving house. Ann has been made a prefect. Ginty, Nicola and Lawrie are in the attic dormitory, known as "Sara Crewe". Nicola meets her friend Miranda on the roof, and they chat. Miranda is upset that her au pair has packed a dress instead of slacks to wear in the evenings. The expensive cream silk dress does not suit Miranda at all but when Nicola tries it on, it does suit her. Most of Upper IVA's parents are making them carry on wearing the school uniform dress in the evenings, and they yearn for more exciting clothes.

Chapter 5: Telephone Call

Nicola finds Ginty distraught in their bedroom. Ginty has just heard that her best friend Monica has been injured in a car crash and won't be at school this term. Being Ginty, she panics, and asks Nicola to make an illicit telephone call to check that Monica is not dying, because she doesn't have the courage to phone herself. Nicola phones from the school office, since Mrs. Lambert is not around, and she is not caught doing so. Ginty still jealously wants to know what Patrick and Nicola talked about that day.

Chapter 6: Patrick Uprooted

Patrick and his parents arrive at their London house, the Marlows' former home. Patrick doesn't think it feels like home. He unpacks, avoids Claudie's cheerful chatter, and thinks about Ginty.

Chapter 7: Ginty's Clanger

Tim Keith arrives late after being stranded on holiday by a pilots' strike. Upper IVA tell her about their new form mistress, Miss Latimer. They also tell her that instead of a Christmas Play this year there is to be a carol concert and they have to choose three carols to perform. They want Tim to produce their contribution, and she decides to be original. Ginty asks Mrs. Lambert if she can withdraw extra pocket money for Ann's birthday present. Ginty is horrified when Mrs. Lambert takes offence at a light remark she makes about people who have no children.

Chapter 8: Shopping Saturday

It is Nicola and Miranda's turn to join a shopping party into town. Nicola has to buy birthday presents for Ann from herself and Ginty. She buys some music and finds the book of "Sara Crewe". In search of fun evening wear, they find a hippie-type shop called Changear and buy some very cheap but colourful clothes for themselves and their friends. The youth in charge asks them to deliver a package but Miranda refuses, telling Nicola she suspected it might contain drugs. Nicola is sceptical. The clothes are a big hit with Upper IVA. Upper IVB tell their day girls to investigate where the clothes came from.

Chapter 9: Second Telephone Call

Ginty is thrown out of the netball team because she has allowed her game to fall apart, missing Monica's company. She feels adrift and refuses to join in with the activities of her other friends, knowing she would be the odd one out. Ann tries to cheer her up but Ginty rebuffs her. Mrs. Lambert catches Ginty taking an illicit short cut through the hall and scolds her. Resenting Mrs. Lambert's manner, Ginty defies her. Later, she finds the office empty and rings Patrick on impulse. She doesn't tell him that phoning is forbidden, and he assumes it is OK. She tells him her troubles and feels better. Patrick asks her to ring him again.

Chapter 10: Repercussions

Ginty's form mistress, Miss Ferguson, makes her apologise to Mrs. Lambert for rudeness. Tim has chosen three poems for Upper IVA's carol contribution. Two they will sing, and one Lawrie will recite, Kipling's "Eddi's Service". Miss Keith is furious when she finds out Upper IVB have been getting their day girls to exchange their own clothes at Changear. She asks to see the girls who discovered the shop. Miranda and Nicola own up and lose pocket money and their form offices. Nicola and Lawrie write to ask their mother for permission to keep their new clothes, the others decide to give them back. A few days later, Ginty rings Patrick again and he tells her his O-levels have been delayed in starting. He is depressed and it is not a satisfactory conversation. Mrs. Marlow writes a tart letter to the twins but allows them to keep the clothes.

Chapter 11: Casual Conversations

Ann is upset that Nicola and Lawrie have got into trouble. Miranda tells Nicola she has been to see Miss Keith and has told her about the package and her drugs suspicions. Nicola is still sceptical but Miss Keith thought it was sensible of Miranda to mention it. Upper IVA rehearse their poems/carols but to Tim's exasperation Lawrie says she isn't ready to recite her poem yet. Ginty's friends have given up trying to get her to join in activities. She rings Patrick again. After the phone call, Patrick talks to Claudie who flirts gently with him and asks him about Ginty. She tells him she is planning to invite her boyfriend to sleep over while Patrick's parents are away for the weekend. Patrick is embarrassed and explains to her that he thinks it's a sin if you don't really care for the person. Claudie says it is just a bit of fun and even suggests she could enlighten Patrick. Patrick tells his father how much he hates his school. He tells his father that he does not want to stay there for A-levels but Mr. Merrick insists that he must.

Chapter 12: One Verse, Set to Music

Tim and Miranda are left at school over half term and decide to compose a tune for the introduction and end to their carols. Miranda tells Tim about Judaism. They finish their tune, and plot to make Nicola sing it solo although she had refused to sing any solos. She capitulates, because she can't resist the rarely-combined forces of Tim and Miranda.

Chapter 13: Spilled Coffee

Again Ginty rings Patrick, whose delayed exams are about to start. He asks her not to phone him during the exam period. Ginty is devastated, but doesn't ring, until she can't resist it two nights before the exams end. Patrick is delighted to hear from her and they chat. Suddenly Ginty notices with amazement that the papers for the Maths O-level Patrick is sitting tomorrow are spread out on the secretary's desk. She tells Patrick, and pretends to dictate a question to him, but he isn't sure if she is serious and he hangs up, just as Mrs. Lambert comes in and catches Ginty. Miss Ferguson arrives and Mrs. Lambert tells her she has found Ginty dictating the O-level paper to a friend. Ginty denies it. Mrs. Lambert confesses that she had taken out the papers and spilled coffee on them when they should have been locked up. As Miss Keith is away for the night, Miss Ferguson decides the papers should be locked up again, Ginty must be sent to isolation in the San. so she can't talk to any of the candidates, and Miss Ferguson will speak to Miss Keith the next day. Then Patrick, worried, rings back and speaks to Miss Ferguson, who discovers the story of Ginty's phone calls and warns Patrick that his school will have to be told about the exam paper irregularity. Ginty spends a sleepless night thinking she will be expelled and wondering what she could do with her life. She has a very unpleasant interview with Miss Keith, who finds out the whole story and warns her she could be expelled if she commits any other offences. Ginty also tells Miss Keith about the phone call Nicola made for her. Ginty is relieved but very shaken and gets a Conduct Mark, a rare disgrace.

Chapter 14: Consequential

Upper IVA's carol rehearsal is disrupted when Nicola is summoned by Miss Keith. Tim is delighted to get rid of the too-loud Berenice from the choir by making her the conductor. At supper time they realise Nicola has still not returned. She eventually arrives in the common room and tells her friends that Ginty is in trouble for phoning a friend (they assume it is Monica and Nicola doesn't enlighten them). Miss Keith has clobbered Nicola for the phone call to Monica's mother and has been through Nicola's record and given her a Conduct Mark too, for "general indiscipline", which Upper IVA think is very unfair. Nicola find out from Miss Keith that the Changear youth was caught handing over drugs a few days after Miranda spoke to Miss Keith. Nicola privately warns Ginty that, during her interview with Miss Keith, Mr. Merrick had telephoned. Ginty tells Nicola about the O-level paper.

Chapter 15: Rain on the Just

Patrick arrives home the following afternoon, soaked. When his parents get home he tells his father he wasn't allowed to sit his Maths O-level and has been suspended from school. He tells his father the whole story. Mr. Merrick starts making phone calls and Mrs. Merrick makes Patrick go with her and Claudie to a concert at the Albert Hall. Patrick dislikes classical music as it makes him cry. During the concert it occurs to him that "If it had been Nick, he wouldn't have needed to ring off: he'd have known she was teasing." Afterwards, at dinner, Mrs. Merrick's comments make it clear that she dislikes Ginty. When they get home Mr. Merrick tells them that Patrick's school has agreed to let him sit both today's exams tomorrow morning, although it's not sure if his papers will count. Patrick's school had had an alarmist phone call from Kingscote and assumed the worst. Mr. Merrick tells Patrick he thinks Ginty will never have the character to amount to much because she has always relied on her beauty and charm. On the following Saturday, Patrick's school write to tell Mr. Merrick that they do not want Patrick to return next term, ostensibly because of his Traditionalist Catholic stance. Mr. Merrick is furious, but Patrick is delighted, and in his euphoria kisses Claudie, which he finds unexpectedly enjoyable.

Chapter 16: Daks Goes Home

Ginty is shattered that Patrick has been expelled. She receives an angry letter from her mother, who is disgusted that she got Nicola into trouble with Miss Keith. Ginty also has an invitation to spend Christmas with Monica, and decides to go as a way of avoiding her mother and Patrick in the holidays. At the final carol practice Lawrie recites her poem brilliantly. Nicola tells Esther that she didn't enjoy the experience of standing up in Assembly with Ginty to get a Conduct Mark, and would rather not sing solo at the carol concert. Esther, painfully shy but desperate for Nicola's approval, offers to sing instead. Nicola is impressed that Esther would dare, and accepts gratefully. But at the moment of truth, Esther can't force herself to sing solo and Nicola sings after all. During the last day of term, Nicola tries to find a moment to tell Esther that she doesn't mind, but Esther is avoiding her in shame. Miss Latimer congratulates her class on their original contribution to the carol service, although Miss Keith was not so keen. Nicola finds out Esther has gone home and taken Daks with her, and wonders if this will be the end of their friendship. She meets Miranda on the roof for their end of term rendez-vous, and Miranda presents her with the cream silk dress which had started all the clothes trouble. "Happy Christmas!"

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