First published in French in 1920, this hardback edition utilises a mid-1970s translation and includes not only the new illustrations commissioned for the English version, but also those of the fabled Louis Malteste, which graced the original French edition.
Miss tells the story of a young lady of quality, sent by her stepmother to a strict boarding school in Flanders, which is run by a passionate female flagellant. Lucette relates her recollections of boarding school discipline, and the intimate details of her own chastisement under the strict régime.
On leaving the school, she returns home to find that the same disciplinary methods await her at the hand of her stepmother.
After her marriage and the untimely death of her husband, she agrees to take care of her young niece, who experiences the same punitive environment, along with one of the maids.