A Genius at the Chalet School Trivia Quiz

Answer: Drowning

Nina is living in Italy when Sir Guy Rutherford, her cousin, comes to fetch her and take her back to his home at Brettingham Park, with a view to her starting school, as she is fifteen. She had been travelling around Europe with her father, Alan, a composer and former musician who was forced to give up music after losing fingers. Alan Rutherford died by drowning while trying to rescue a child from Lake Maggiore, and solicitors had found Sir Guy's details after going through papers. Nina insists on wearing Continental mourning dress, much to Sir Guy's horror, and taking her Bechstein piano with her as it was her father's last gift.

This delays the journey by a few days, although at least Sir Guy gets to hear her play.

Answer: Mary-Lou Trelawney

Nina and Sir Guy get the train to Basle from Berne and share a carriage with a group of Chalet School girls: Hilary Bennet, Vi Lucy, Barbara Chester and Lesley Malcolm. Mary-Lou is not with them as she has been recovering from an accident she had the previous term. Nina gets talking to the girls and they ask her why she hasn't been to school, and when she tells them she wants to be a professional musician, they tell her about former pupils who have gone on to be professional musicians, pianist Margia Stevens and cellist Jacynth Hardy. Lesley suggests Nina ask her family if she can go to the Chalet School.

The girls accompany Nina and Sir Guy on the train from Basle to Paris. Nina exchanges contact details with the girls and wonders if she should ask her guardians to let her go to the Chalet School.

Answer: She must clean it herself and keep the fire going.

Nina's piano is moved into a small sitting room, where it is extremely cold, and Lady Rutherford only allows her two hours' practice. Lady Rutherford locks both the sitting room and the drawing room where Sir Guy's piano is, as a precautionary measure. Nina is miserable and only wants to practice, which upsets her cousins. Nina catches a nasty chill and has to spend a couple of days in bed. Lady Rutherford allows Nina to practice on the Bechstein, on condition that she does a maximum of four hours' practice, keeps the fire going so she doesn't get cold, and cleans the room herself, as Carson the maid has enough work to do already. Nina is more than happy to keep the room clean as long as she gets to practice.

Answer: Science

Nina is placed in Va with the girls she met on the train, as well as Mary-Lou. After settling in, she has a meeting with Miss Dene, who arranges a specialist timetable for her. She is allowed to practice on the piano in the school hall, and may ask permission to use another piano if the hall one is in use. Because she is going to be focusing on music, the staff decide that she can drop science, art and some mathematical subjects, though she is still expected to do arithmetic so she can learn to manage her money.

History, games, geography and literature are all core subjects. Miss Dene also advises Nina to try handcrafts, as learning to sew or knit could come in handy when she is travelling and needs something to do. Nina is also overjoyed to learn that Tristram Denny is the school singing teacher and will be teaching her theory as well, and that Herr von Eberhardt will give her piano lessons at weekends, as she has studied under him before.

Answer: Leapfrog

Nina's class are playing leapfrog, which Nina has never played before, and Hilda Jukes - despite being warned several times - gets carried away and comes down too hard on Nina while jumping over her, causing her to fall over and sprain her wrist. Nina is furious with Hilda as it means she will be unable to practice for a few days, and refuses to forgive her, even when Miss Annersley warns her that she needs to think about the words of the Lord's Prayer. Hilda is told off by Miss Burnett, Miss Annersley, her classmates and Miss Lawrence (for ruining Nina's practice) and makes herself so ill with crying that she has to go to Matron. Mary-Lou asks Joey Maynard for help and Joey explains to Mary-Lou that Nina is a genius, and that she sees things differently to the other girls.

She invites Nina over for tea and has a talk with her, and Nina and Hilda apologise to each other.

Answer: Alix is seriously ill and has been advised to go to Switzerland.

Mary-Lou notices Nina looking upset when she reads the letter from Lady Rutherford and asks if she's had bad news from home. It turns out that Nina is unable to go back to Brettingham Park for the holidays as the Rutherfords have had to travel to Switzerland. Nina's cousin has had a cold which has developed into full-blown pleurisy and pneumonia, exacerbated by her going on a walk in the rain and taking too long to change.

The doctor has recommended going to Switzerland because of the climate. Mary-Lou suggests that Nina informs her family about the Sanatorium, as they might be able to help Alix, and the possibility of staying on the Platz instead of having to go to Grindelwald.

The Rutherfords' journey across Europe is slow, as they have to break it up for Alix's sake. Joey offers to put them up at Freudesheim for a couple of weeks.

Answer: Winnie Silksworth

The school are divided up into year groups for the half-term trips. Nina's form go to Vevey on Lake Geneva (or Lac Léman) and on the Monday, they take a boat into Geneva. A fat woman with young sons becomes interested in the party and Miss Wilmot grabs one of the boys when he tries to climb up the rails.

The woman recognises her, Miss Annersley, Miss Dene and Mlle de Lachennais, and asks what they're all doing in Switzerland. She reveals that she is Winnie Silksworth, a former St Scholastika's pupil who was a prefect when Miss Wilmot was a junior, and she is now Winifred Embury and lives in Montreux with her family.

Her sister Irene is matron of the same hospital where Alix Rutherford was a patient. Nina later meets Winifred and her husband Martin, and discovers that Martin is her mother's cousin and a keen musician to boot.

The Emburys offer to let Nina live with them and invite her over for Easter, and Nina is delighted as she has found someone who understands her.

Answer: A Song of Sherwood

Betsy calls Francie, Connie and Emerence out for repeatedly speaking English on French days, after Len Maynard reports them. All three girls answer back rudely and Betsy threatens to try 'something else', as fines clearly don't work. Connie worries that this means a Head's Report, which would mean missing the Sale, and she and Emerence apologise, but Francie refuses. Betsy punishes Connie and Emerence by having them only speak French at the Sale, and be constantly accompanied by a prefect, much to Margot's annoyance as she won't be able to hang out with Emerence if she has a prefect with her. Betsy gives Francie Alfred Noyes' 'A Song of Sherwood' to learn as punishment, and Nina walks in on her while she is trying to learn it. Nina reads the poem aloud and enthusiastically talks about the sound and rhythm of the poem, and it helps Francie to learn. Betsy makes her repeat a few verses and she apologises. (Incidentally, Nina's right - it is a very 'musicful' poem.)

Answer: A song written by Nina

Joey gives birth to Cecily, her ninth child, named after Robin Humphries (whose real name is Cecilia Marya) and Nina is one of the first people to meet her. Joey has allowed Nina to come and practice on her piano during her free time and Beth Chester, the Maynards' home help, listens to Nina play and wonders why she is having trouble with a supposedly simple tune. Nina is actually writing a composition, 'Welcome for Cecily', and plays it to Joey and Jack.

She also composes another tune to words by Robert Herrick and leaves the score on the form room floor, and Mary-Lou submits it to the 'Chaletian' without Nina knowing.

At the form's request, Nina plays the song and Verity Carey sings it. Nina figures that Mary-Lou sent the composition in. Mary-Lou explains that she copied it down as the original was covered in dust and worries that Nina will be angry, but Nina is grateful to Mary-Lou for sending it in for her.

Answer: The price of the house

Miss Wilson teases Miss Annersley about the surprise St Mildred's have for the Old English Fair (Elinor Pennell came up with the Sale theme) and Jack Maynard and Dr Graves help to set up Tom's latest contribution, a doll's' house with working electric lights, a family of dolls and intricate details such as red shingles and coal made from black beads. Tom sends a letter to the school explaining how the competition involves guessing how much the house will make, and asks Con Maynard not to enter as she has already won two dolls' houses! Princess Elisaveta, who has brought her children with her, opens the Sale and Frieda von Ahlen wins the house.

The Rutherfords come to the Sale to see Nina and watch her perform in the concert; other attractions include a short play written by Joey and a tilting at the ring contest with rollerskates instead of horses! Elisaveta is so impressed with the house that she plans to ask Tom to make one like it for her own children.