First published in 1929, this is the tale of Miss Ursula Brett, known to her friends as Noodles, who gets sent back to her seaside school by her miserly uncle after apparently encouraging improper advances from the persistent and slimy Mr Fitzgibbon. But her vivacious beauty and kind-heartedness lead her into further trouble and she runs away to join the seafront Pierrot players. Luckily, her brother (with his best friend 'Snubs'), her aunt Mrs Millet, and her uncle's neighbours Sylvia Shirley and Mrs Shirley, are all in Newcliff-on-Sea for the bank holiday weekend.