Six to Sixteen: A Story for Girls

In Short

This episodic Victorian coming-of-age novel follows Margery Vandaleur's development from an orphaned military child in India to an intellectually curious young woman in England. Raised first amid regimental society and later alongside her lively, thoughtful friend Eleanor, Margery learns to navigate loss, boarding school absurdities, and domestic responsibilities. Supported by artistic hobbies, nature, and practical family relationships, she grows into a resilient individual. It endures as a vivid, warm examination of female education, domestic life, and the quiet power of intellectual companionship.

The Story

Margery Vandaleur spends her early childhood in India as the daughter of a British military officer and his sweet-tempered wife. Her idyllic early years end abruptly when a devastating cholera epidemic sweeps through the station, taking both of her parents in rapid succession. Orphaned before her sixth birthday, Margery is taken in by her well-meaning but superficial Aunt Theresa and Uncle Major Buller. She joins their household as they manage the chaotic affairs of the regiment, navigate station gossip, and sell off household goods before returning across the ocean to England.

After settling in the seaside garrison town of Riflebury, Margery adjusts to life among the Buller children. Her guardians are affectionate but preoccupied with social standing, dressmaking patterns, and surface formalities. Margery forms a close bond with her cousin Matilda, but as both girls grow older, their lives shift toward formal schooling. Margery enters a strict girls' boarding school run by the rigid Miss Mulberry and the ironic French mistress, Madame. School life is defined by monotonous routine, superficial lessons, and health-sapping discipline. Matilda's health suffers greatly under the harsh regime, but Margery's school days are transformed by her growing friendship with Eleanor Arkwright, a bright, independent-minded girl from the Yorkshire moors who prefers intellectual debate, outdoor pursuits, and art to trivial gossip.

When Matilda is removed due to failing health and Margery leaves school, she accompanies Eleanor to her family’s country home in Yorkshire. There, surrounded by the wild beauty of the moors, Margery thrives in the warm, eccentric, and intellectually invigorating atmosphere of the Arkwright parsonage. Alongside Eleanor and her brothers, Clement and Jack, Margery immerses herself in drawing, nature study, literature, and practical home crafts like dressmaking and community visiting. Under the guidance of Mrs. Arkwright, a practical woman of strong convictions, Margery develops her judgment, learns to question vanity, and masters the art of self-reliance. As she reaches her fifteenth year, stepping into young womanhood with long dresses, a sudden call arrives: her frail, elderly great-grandparents require her care. Recognizing her duty, Margery prepares to leave her beloved moorland home, grounded in the intellect, faith, and character she has built across her girlhood.

How It Unfolds

Tragedy in the cantonment Young Margery experiences the sudden, traumatic loss of her parents to a swift cholera outbreak at an Indian military station, forcing her into the care of her extended family.

A ocean voyage and garrison life After sailing home to England with her fashionable Aunt Theresa, Margery adjusts to life in Riflebury, finding comfort in new clothes, dolls, and small childhood routines.

The trials of Miss Mulberry's school Margery enters boarding school alongside her cousin Matilda, enduring petty social dynamics, rigid lessons, and poor health management under the strict eyes of the mistresses.

An invigorating friendship takes root Margery forms a life-changing bond with Eleanor Arkwright, whose love of outdoor activity, artistic discussions, and independent thought challenges the narrow focus of school life.

Life among the Yorkshire moors Leaving school behind, Margery moves to the Arkwright vicarage, where she blossoms amidst family sketching trips, intellectual debates, and the natural beauty of the northern hills.

A summons to duty On her fifteenth birthday, Margery receives word that her aging, infirm great-grandparents need her assistance, calling her to step maturely into a new chapter of caregiving.

The People

• Margery Vandaleur: The thoughtful, observant narrator who grows from an orphaned, fragile child in India into an independent, grounded young woman skilled in art and self-reflection.
• Eleanor Arkwright: Margery’s brilliant, outdoor-loving companion whose passion for argument, drawing, and natural philosophy energizes everyone around her, driving Margery's intellectual growth.
• Mrs. Theresa Buller: Margery’s aunt, a well-meaning woman obsessed with fashion patterns, social visits, and superficial proprieties, who struggles to address the real educational needs of her children.
• Major Buller: Margery’s uncle, an honest military officer who occasionally bursts out against the shallow, morbid gossip of station society in favor of practical common sense.
• Matilda Buller: Margery’s precocious cousin whose health breaks down under schoolroom pressures and poor medical oversight, serving as a sad contrast to Eleanor's vigor.
• Mrs. Arkwright: Eleanor’s formidable mother, a highly practical, opinionated woman who cultivates independence, industry, and genuine artistic ability in her children.

In Its Own Voice

"He never was afraid of cholera," said Mr. Gordon; "he didn't believe it was infectious; he thought keeping up the men's spirits was everything."

A nervous young officer shares news of his colonel's sudden death in India just hours before falling ill himself.

"I can growl as well as anybody, but I never feel satisfied with bewailing over and over again that black's black. One wants to find out why it's black, and if anything would make it white."

Eleanor explains her restless need to understand the root causes of problems during a schoolroom conversation.

"I had never seen any country like this; and if I had been horrified by the black town, my delight with the noble scenery beyond it was in proportion."

Margery captures her awe upon first seeing the expansive, wild Yorkshire moors.

What It's Really About

The novel is an extended critique of nineteenth-century female education, contrasting superficial social accomplishments with genuine intellectual cultivation. It argues that young women are best served not by rigid finishing schools or obsessive attention to fashion, but by "intellectual hobbies," creative pursuits, and outdoor activity. Underneath the episodic domestic plot lies an exploration of how character is forged through loss, practical work, and meaningful fellowship. The book highlights the difference between performing womanhood for society's approval and developing a resilient, self-directed mind capable of facing life's hardships.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers who appreciate quiet, reflective coming-of-age stories like Little Women or Anne of Green Gables will find much to admire in this obscure Victorian gem. Reading it feels like looking through an intimate, beautifully preserved sketchpad of nineteenth-century domestic life. Its tone is delightfully sensible, enriched by dry wit, keen psychological observations, and evocative descriptions of the northern English landscape.

The book presents a few period hurdles, including occasional passages of local Yorkshire dialect, detailed discussions of long-forgotten Victorian dressmaking trends, and outdated colonial perspectives in its early Indian chapters. However, these historic elements are far outweighed by the novel's warmth and intelligence. What stays with the reader is its gentle defense of curious young women, the refreshing depiction of female camaraderie, and the enduring idea that engaging the mind is one of the greatest buffers against life's uncertainties.

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