By Honour Bound: A School Story for Girls

"By Honour Bound: A School Story for Girls" by Bessie Marchant is an early 20th-century tale centered around Dorothy Sedgewick's adventures at Compton Schools. As Dorothy steps into her new life, she faces friendships, rivalries, and an environment where she becomes an unwitting witness to a crime shortly after arriving in London. The book explores themes of honor, self-discovery, and ambition as Dorothy adjusts to school life, makes friends, and deals with competition, especially for a scholarship known as the Lamb Bursary. Amidst it all, she grapples with the antagonism of her classmate Rhoda Fleming, whose own secrets and insecurities add layers to Dorothy's challenges and moral decisions.