Meanwhile, back in [Nesbitshire], nothing has changed. The parson still lives at the Rectory, whose boards are still trodden by our old pals of the Edwardian Repertory Players, the cook, the house parlour-maid, the kitchen maid and the nannie. Mummy, being an embarrassment to the plot, is shipped off to foreign parts with the obligatory dose of tuberculosis, clearing the way for the arrival of the mysterious new governess. Is she a fraud or isn't she? If so, is she a nice fraud or a nasty one? Read on and find out what happens to those five lovable juveniles the Maitlands. In Meet the Maitlands … Noel Streatfeild pulls out all the period stops; grandfathers take the waters at Baden Baden, cooks decamp and ladies make 'Accordian [sic]-pleated dresses'. All in all, preposterous and antiquated, but mysteriously readable and affecting from first page to last. (pp. 23-4)

Benny...