"Though she be but little, she is fierce."

The above quote from Act 3, Scene 2 of  Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", could well apply to Belinda Fell, a rough tough little girl of seven, whom we first meet on the pages of Rumer Godden's "Miss Happiness & Miss Flower".

Nona Fell, an English child who lived in Coimbatore, is brought back to England on her mother's death to live with her cousins, the youngest of whom is  Belinda, who is not happy with Nona's coming. However because of Nona's accommodating nature, the cousins manage to live together.

In the sequel, "Little Plum", they get aloof snooty neigbours called Tiffany-Jones. However after an unpleasant accident, Miss Tiffany-Jones invites Nona to tea to meet her young niece, pointedly ignoring Belinda, who is dressed in a crooked beret, a dress with wrong buttons, a trailing muffler, wrinkled socks & muddy shoes. On Nona's asking whether Belinda can come too, Miss Tiffany-Jones rudely refuses, saying Belinda is too rough. Belinda's face goes scarlet as if she had been slapped & Nona also colours as she refuses saying she doesn't go out to tea without Belinda.

However, it is discovered at the end of the novel that the snootiness was due to Miss Tiffany-Jones, the spinster sister, who was keeping house for her brother, as his wife was in hospital. After the return of the friendly Mrs.Tiffany-Jones from the hospital, the domineering sister was driven to the railway station (in a Rolls Royce!) & the neighbours settled down cosily!