A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905) 19 chapters
245 pages
The
all-girls “Seminary” is run by a tall, cold, ugly, formidable woman named Miss
Minchin who reeks of superficiality, gushing over the beautiful, darling little
creature of the wealthy father who will fill her school’s coffers quite well
for the next few years. Quiet Sara studies her new guardian, wondering why this
woman is calling her beautiful. With her short black hair, greenish-grey eyes
and thin figure, Sara doesn’t consider herself attractive at all. The
claustrophobic school is a red brick building squeezed into a long row of other
similar brick row houses. Sara is to be the “Show Pupil” of the school. She
will have the very best bedroom suite which includes a sitting room, a pony at
the livery stable in the neighborhood, her own private carriage, her own
personal maid and every other luxury only the 1% can afford.
With a gay
laugh, (yes that word is used) Captain Crewe prompts Sara to tell Miss Minchin
of the doll she hasn’t found yet. The doll Sara intends to make her intimate
bosom friend and companion during her separation from her beloved father. Sara
has already named her Emily and they will be going out to buy her as soon as
Sara is settled in her new rooms. After many days of shopping and buying all
kinds of frivolous things for Sara including a grand wardrobe and books (her
favorite kind of toy) they finally find Emily, a large doll with golden brown
hair and gray blue eyes that looks as if were waiting for a little girl like
Sara to come along and buy her from her shop window. Emily also gets a
ridiculously grand wardrobe of her own. Store clerks and shop owners speculate
the little girl with the father who spends money like water must be someone
very important-perhaps a foreign princess!
The next
day, Captain Crewe and Sara leave the hotel where they had been staying to take
Sara and Emily to Miss Minchin’s where Sara will take up permanent residence while
Papa will sail away today back to India. They hug and hold each other for a
long time.
Miss
Minchin raps on her desk signaling the start of another school day. She
introduces the new student and all the girls stand and bow while Sara replies
with a perfect curtsey. She is then summoned to the teacher’s desk where Miss
Minchin has already judged Sara to be a very spoiled little girl who is
clueless about French and that she must begin a study of the language at once.
Her new maid is French and Sara wouldn’t be a very good mistress if she was
unable to converse with her lowly servant now would she? Miss Minchin gives
Sara a textbook and orders her back to her seat to be ready to recite when the
French teacher arrives. Cheeks burning, Sara takes her seat which makes Miss
Minchin presume that Sara is not only spoiled and selfish but obstinate about
learning new lessons. When the French master, a middle aged Frenchman, enters
the room and learns this from Miss Minchin, Sara stands up to make a little
speech-entirely in French-ending by holding out the book Madame gave her. She
already knows French; her deceased mother was French so her English Papa made
sure she grew up learning it as her second language. The man nearly cries as he
translates to Miss Minchin (who could never learn the language herself) what
Sara just explained. The girl’s accent is exquisite
and there is really nothing he can teach her. For Sara and Miss Minchin, whose
sour smile of embarrassment does little to hide her frown; this looks like the
beginning of a not-so-beautiful acquaintance.
Sara scores
another point when Lottie, another spoiled, rich child who must be given her
own way by the servants is throwing a tantrum one evening for refusing to wash
and dress for the next meal. Playing her “I’m a motherless child!” card, she is
lying on the sitting room floor kicking her heels and sobbing for that always
caused the adults to relent and she would win another round. Sara asks if she
may try to make Lottie behave. Miss Minchin’s fat, stupid sister Miss Amelia
looks at Sara quite like Ermengarde. Could such a miracle be wrought? Sara
enters the room and sits down on the floor next to Lottie and waits her out.
Lottie tries her line on Sara who merely informs her, “I haven’t got any mama
either. She died and is now in heaven looking down on me. That’s why I always
try to be a good girl because I know she is watching me along with all the
other angels. Perhaps your mother is watching you now.” That sobers Lottie up
quick and she agrees to let Sara be her adopted mother-brush her hair and wash
her face before they all go in and have luncheon.
Sara finds
out the girl’s name, Becky, fourteen years old but looks twelve as she is so
small and skinny and forlorn. An orphan, she lives in the kitchen and
subsequently is the lowest on the pecking order in that hierarchy. Becky is
also stuck with all the chores nobody wants to do, scolded and ordered about by
everyone all day long and never getting a decent meal. Poor Becky. Sara’s mind
quickly makes up a story about her-the perfect ill-used heroine.
A few weeks
later, Sara is entering her bower of luxury which Becky had been sent to tidy
and clean and make up the fire before Sara returned from her dancing lesson.
Looking like a diaphanous Greek goddess in her rose colored frock with real
rose buds in her dark hair, (see the cover picture) Sara enters the room to see
the exhausted scullery maid fast asleep in her arm chair before the fire. She
says nothing until a piece of coal in the fire snaps and Becky starts. She is
horrified in being discovered but Sara talks kindly to her and offers her a
piece of cake from her stash. Becky declares Sara to be like one of them grand
royal princesses she saw once going by (one of Queen Victoria’s daughters no
doubt). Sara likes the idea so much she declares she will start pretending to
be one. She promises Becky if she can be here at a certain time every day in
the evening after doing her chores, she will tell her the entire fairy story
she was spinning that night in the sitting room. Becky looks at Sara in
complete adoration. From now on, it doesn’t matter how much she is abused by
the cook downstairs or made to work so hard, if she might have THAT to look
forward to every day. She leaves with an extra piece of Sara’s cake in her
pocket but her heart is fuller. After she leaves, Sara ponders the true meaning
of service to others-if one is rich, almost a celebrity, then one must act
“noblesse oblige” to those of the lower stations in life.
One
evening, to the dismay of the older girls, Lottie’s tantrum is threatening to
bring in Miss Minchin and Miss Amelia who always take an hour in the next room
for their own private tea time which gives the girls a wonderful hour of free
time of their own when they might do as they please. Sara quickly hushes her
adopted child while Lavinia, holding court in her own corner, remarks she’d
just as soon slap the little brat. Sara becomes almost livid, only the thought
that she is pretending to be a princess stops her from slapping Lavinia herself
who takes this opportunity to bait Sara about her princess game. Sara parries
her with a comment about good behavior as becoming a real princess is more
important than anything else and leaves the room.
Indeed, the
way Sara treats Becky already elevates her to Princess Status in the scullery
maid’s eyes. During one of her visits, Becky humbly informs Sara while sweets
and cake are NICE it is not very filling to an empty stomach. Sara begins
picking up meat pies, beef sandwiches and sausage rolls from shops when she is
out and about in her private carriage and presenting them to Becky in the
evenings when she sent up to do the upstairs rooms. Becky starts to lose her
peaked and sallow color and put on some weight, much to the dismay of the cook.
How dare this lowly servant girl look so satisfied?
On the day
of Sara’s eleventh birthday, Becky is so grateful to her own personal Princess;
she wraps a present for Sara (a homemade pincushion) in brown paper and
includes one of Miss Amelia’s discarded cards. Sara is so delighted in finding
it she throws her arms around Becky and hugs her tight. For Sara, it is easy to
imagine this pincushion is made of the finest red silk stuck with diamond
pins-for friendship is worth more than anything money could buy.
We are not told what time of year it is but the room IS hung with holly. Sara is wearing another of her gorgeous frocks, Miss Minchin is wearing her very best-for-special-occasions black silk dress, even Becky, bringing up the rear, is wearing a clean apron and a new cap. The presents are brought in including one box that contains The Last Doll, Sara’s gift from her Papa who insisted his darling girl have at least one more extravagant toy before she graduates from youth although nothing could ever replace Emily. Sara is granted permission for Becky to be allowed to remain while Miss Minchin tries not to choke on the idea that a scullery maid could actually be a regular, normal person who might enjoy a party.
Miss
Minchin clears her throat and makes a speech while the older girls roll their
eyes. In case nobody noticed, Sara is a very wealthy little girl, soon to be even
MORE wealthy but her true wealth lies in her perfect manners and decorum fit
even for a Princess. She makes them all repeat, in unison, “Thank you Sara,” to
which Sara replies just as she did on her first day with a perfect little
curtsey, graciously thanking them all for coming to her party. Miss Minchin
praises her for her good manners and exits so the children might all enjoy
themselves.
They do just that, exclaiming over
The Last Doll whose wardrobe and accessories exceed even Emily’s and are all so
cunning, even the older girls are impressed. Sara is more pleased with the
boxes of books her father also sent as part of her birthday gifts. In another
room, a grand feast is being laid out. Then there is the promise of diamond
mines in a few years to come.
Today Sara is truly a princess. As
the girls discuss this, Lavinia asks Sara if she has ever tried pretending she
was a homeless, penniless, orphan with nothing of value that would make anyone
call her a princess. Sara’s brow furrows as she considers this new twist on her
favorite game of pretend. After losing all of one’s riches, it would be very
hard, requiring every bit of imagination one could muster to keep up the
fantasy-if one had nothing. Perhaps it COULD be done…
It is then,
at that very moment, the party is interrupted. Sara and her guests must all
leave the room, the feast is ready anyhow. Sara’s father’s solicitor just
arrived with some important news and he and Miss Minchin need to use this room
to have their meeting. Unbeknownst to all, as the girls are filing out, Becky
hides under the table just as the adults enter. The solicitor frowns at all
this “mad extravagance” the expense of it all by a young man who was never very
good at managing his own finances. Such a waste!
Miss
Minchin demands an explanation for his comment and is informed Captain Crewe is
DEAD. Not only that, he left quite a few unpaid debts. The diamond mines were a
bust, this entire party was paid for by Miss Minchin’s credit card, Sara has
been left with the bill and since she is a minor, having no other living
relatives, her care and feeding and responsibility now falls to Miss Minchin
who is NOT pleased to learn this. She had been counting on the advances from
Sara’s father only to find out the money is all gone. The cold-hearted woman
calls her sister into the room and Miss Amelia is given the unhappy task of
informing Princess Sara that she is no more.
Hearing a
loud, sobbing sniff from under the table, Miss Minchin scolds a miserable Becky
who crawls out begging she be elevated to Lady’s Maid for the poor dethroned
Princess. Miss Minchin refuses-what nonsense! And Becky cries all the way back
to the kitchen to huddle among her pots and pans, mourning the lost dream.
Sara goes quite white with shock,
learning the news and instead of going into hysterics can only turn and flee
the room. Miss Amelia is quite astonished at her reaction and when Sara is
summoned to Miss Minchin, she is actually relieved to find all evidence of the
party removed from the room and that all the presents, including The Last Doll
are being returned. She doesn’t want it anyway. Her Papa is DEAD! She will go
change into her oldest, shabbiest black dress, move out of her suite of rooms,
live in the attic and work as a kitchen maid with Becky and be teacher’s aide
to the younger girls in their lessons until her debt to Miss Minchin has been
repaid. Sara sighs with relief learning she is not to be turned out and is
being given the opportunity to work. She insists, however, on being allowed to
keep Emily, the only connection she has left with her father. Miss Minchin
would rather Sara showed some humility by thanking her.
Chapter 8 In the Attic
If she
lived to be one hundred years old, Sara would never forget that first night in
her cold, drafty attic room with the scurrying of the rats and mice keeping her
from any kind of sleep-if the hard mattress didn’t. During the day, she was
kept so busy doing chores and running errands and paying bills for the school, her
old life seemed a dream. Her world had now shrunk so much only Becky, at first,
was her only link to human kindness and friendship. Sara went about her new
life almost in a daze so that when she finally happened upon Ermengarde one day
in the hallway it was quite a shock for she had completely forgotten her. Several
weeks pass before Ermengarde seeks out Sara late one night to try and rekindle
the friendship. Sara is completely surprised finding her old schoolmate waiting
for her in the attic room. She admits she is glad to see her. Ermengarde
accuses Sara of deliberately avoiding her while Sara had assumed since Miss Minchin
had forbidden her to associate with the other students that Ermengarde thought
herself above her and didn’t want to be friends anymore anyway. The
misunderstanding is cleared up and Ermengarde promises to sneak up as often as
she can. Darn that Miss Minchin, keeping them apart like this. But the wheels
of Sara’s imagination are beginning to spin again and she tells Ermengarde she
can almost imagine herself like the Count of Monte Cristo in the Château d’If
or those poor souls in the Bastille. Becky can be the prisoner in the next
cell. Sara has just invented a new game for herself. Ermengarde just looks at
Sara in rapture and awe.
Christmastime
is here and one cold afternoon, Sara is just passing the Large Family’s
townhome when one of the children, an adorable six year old boy who was just
taught a charity lesson and moved to tears by it, is inspired to thrust his Christmas
Jar sixpence (a great deal of money in his eyes) to the first poor, ragged,
beggar girl he sees so she can buy a Christmas feast for herself. Sara is quite
dismayed at first, insisting she has no right to take such a humble gift but
seeing the child is in earnest, she accepts with humble thanks. The other children,
already piled into the waiting carriage, to be whisked off to the Pantomime, wonder
about that strange little girl their well-meaning brother singled out-she did
not speak like a beggar but was dressed like one. From then on they also keep track of Sara’s comings and goings from the nearby school where she obviously
lives and works as a servant and wonder about her.
As she used
to pass out pennies herself to poor children she would meet on the street, Sara
can’t bring herself to spend the gift. Instead she bores a hole in the sixpence
and wears it under the black frock that is much too small for her.
But life
gets worse for Sara as more weeks pass and she is made to work harder than ever
and Miss Minchin really has it in for her, scolding her daily for any number of
reasons. Then it’s down to the kitchens where the vulgar cook takes malicious
pleasure sending Sara out into the cold, wet weather on various errands all day
long, often not bothering to make any lists so Sara has to make many repeat trips
for the forgotten items. Her shoes still have holes in them and she has no coat
or warm clothing.
At the end
of one such day, Sara’s resolve finally breaks. With aching, tired feet from
walking what feels like a thousand miles today, a chilled body from the rainy,
damp weather and an empty stomach (for no one bothered to save her any scraps
from dinner) she enters her cold, dark room with only Emily there to hear about
her terrible, awful, no good, very bad day. Sara is feeling so depressed she
announces to Emily that she will die presently-but Emily is nothing but a lifeless
DOLL! Sara knocks Emily off her chair and bursts into tears. Sara who never
cried!
A few days
later, Sara cheers up when she sees the empty row house next door to the school
has been let at last, to a rich gentleman from India. Sara recognizes the
furniture and other valuable, rare, foreign objects being carried in. Her father
kept many similar items in their own bungalow back in the day. She smiles at
Becky’s suggestion they send over a “missionary tract” for the new neighbor who
obviously worships idols. She explains their new neighbor is not a heathen-many
rich English folks enjoy collecting these things. The Large Family assists the man,
looking very sickly and yellow and wrapped in blankets being carried in by a
native servant wearing a turban into the house. The entire school and staff are
aware their new next-door neighbor is a wealthy bachelor with no family but the
reasons for him to be taking the residence next door are a mystery to all. Sara
immediately christens him “The Indian Gentleman,” and begins thinking up a
story for him.
Sara stands
still in her room for a while pondering this interaction and the rush of
memories it brought from her former life-the days when she was treated like a
princess.
Later Miss
Minchin, once again, is chewing Sara out for some nitpicky issue and in front
of the entire schoolroom after she has finished tutoring the younger girls in
their lesson. Knowing this drives the woman completely crazy, Sara just stands
there and takes it. She smiles inside as a new thought comes to her: if she
really was a royal, with the power
to enforce corporal punishment, Miss Minchin wouldn’t dare speak to her like
this. Noticing her obstinate little smile, Miss Minchin demands Sara reveal what
she is thinking-how DARE she think! Sara tells her and the other girls titter.
The Princess Sara is back! Appalled, Miss Minchin screams at her to go to her
room. With a polite little bow, Sara apologizes for laughing if it was rude and
obeys. Sara has won another round and the other girls whisper among themselves
if Sara might turn out to be some kind of royal after all.
The loving,
affectionate children of the Large Family enjoy visiting this man, whose real
name is Tom Carrisford which is how he learns about their encounter with the-little-girl-who-is-not-a-beggar.
Ram Dass also tells him of his own meeting with another poor girl (nobody makes
the connection) which gives the man an idea: here he sits in luxury with no one
to share it with and is bored stiff while convalescing from his illness. He
should play fairy Godfather, buy lots of nice furniture and clothes and food
for such poor girls as the ones he was told about. Perhaps it would make up for
the terrible misfortune of Ralph Crewe’s tragic death and the fact the diamond
mines DID produce and somewhere out there in the world is a little orphan girl
heir to a fortune which rightly belongs to HER, not him. He and Crewe were so
caught up in their diamond mine speculations (and how many Africans paid the
price, I’d like to know!) he never ONCE caught the name of the daughter of his
childhood friend from school. All he could remember was that she’d been sent
off to a boarding school somewhere and then Crewe died, (the idiot never left a
will) and it was too late. He moans about this to the father of the Large
Family, whose real name is Carmichael, who does his best to comfort him. As his
solicitor and friend, he will start a search right away; follow every lead they
have, until the little Crewe girl is found. So far they have one lead-a little
unnamed orphan girl in Russia whose name and circumstances are very similar.
Little does
anyone know, on the other side of the wall sits the Princess Sara, moaning to
Melchisedec how hard it was to be a princess today. Lavinia sneered at her muddy
dress when they passed in the hallway, the cold and wet threatened to chill her
to the bone, not a single kind word from anyone today. She lays her head down
on her arms and while she doesn’t cry, she misses her papa.
One cold,
foggy, damp, drizzly day Sara is trying to avoid the mud and puddles while out
running errands and imagining as hard as she can of good warm clothes and a
whole umbrella. Keeping her head down, she spots some money in the street.
Hardly daring to believe her luck she picks it up-a fourpenny piece! And right
in front of her, in the bright window of a bakery are hot buns being set out by
a fat, plump woman to tempt the passerby. Sara is about to enter when she
nearly stumbles over a small girl even more pathetic than herself. Clothed in
nothing but rags and no shoes just red, frostbitten feet also covered in rags,
the beggar child lifts her dirty face and scoots a bit so Sara can pass by. After
learning this heartbreaking sight has had absolutely nothing to eat for over 24
hours, Sara enters the bakery, buys as much bread as the pleasant baker woman
will give her, exits to dump all the rolls in the girl’s lap (keeping just one
for herself) and walks away quickly for this starving creature is “one of the
populace” and a true Princess would never let any of her subjects go hungry-if
she had the means to feed them.
This act of
pure charity and kindness is not lost on the owner of the shop who is just as
amazed as the recipient. After coming out and inquiring of the loitering
transient on her step, the kind woman invites the child inside to warm up.
Meanwhile, Sara passes the Large Family’s home where the children are calling
goodbyes to their dear father who is off to Moscow to search for the little
lost daughter of their Indian Gentleman’s friend who died and left her a
fortune. Too bad that little-girl-who-is-not-a-beggar who lives at the school
and is just passing by couldn’t be the child everyone is looking for.
As the two
girls sit and talk they suddenly hear the terrible sound of Miss Minchin’s
voice in the stairwell, giving poor Becky the scolding of her life. Becky
pleads she wasn’t the one who took the meat pie from Miss Minchin’s special
stash in the pantry-honest! But the cruel, coldhearted woman boxes Becky’s ears
and sends her weeping the rest of the way up to her own little hovel of an
attic room. Sara and Ermengarde are frozen in place. Miss Minchin has never, in
all Sara’s time living here, come this far up the stairwell but you never know.
It was
actually the cook who took the pie tonight, as she’s done many times before, to
give to her boyfriend, a policeman, and since Becky isn’t a tattletale, she
took the blame but the two girls can hear her crying and muttering how she
could’ve ea’en it, she’s that hug’ry.
Never realizing such a thing as
starvation actually exists in the same world she lives in, noticing and
commenting on Sara’s peaked and hollow face, Ermengarde remembers she has food-a
hamper full of wonderful things to eat sent over from a favorite aunt-she will
go fetch it right now. Then her two friends won’t be so hungry!
Sara summons Becky and both make haste
to transform the bare room to make it ready for what promises to be a great
party. The red shawl Ermengarde left behind becomes a fine damask tablecloth.
Sara calls on the Magic to tell her what else she can pretend. She sees the old
trunk in the corner filled with rubbish and other useless things from her old
life. Tonight, however, they are not useless: white handkerchiefs become richly
embroidered napkins made by Spanish nuns, fake flowers from an old hat make a
fine centerpiece along with her own washstand mug (an elegant flagon) and soap
dish filled with red jewels (twisted up tissue paper).
Becky gawks at the sight. Ain’t it
GRAND! The single candlestick will provide light for the royal table.
Ermengarde staggers in under the weight of her hamper just as Sara realizes the
old paper stuffed in the trunk could be lit in the grate and provide, at least
for a few minutes, a fire to further brighten the dreary room now transformed
into a grand banquet hall where the Princess Sara welcomes her two fellow
nobles and waves her hand towards the ceiling. What ho, minstrels! Strike up a
song…
They had just
picked up their pieces of cake to begin eating when all freeze hearing the
angry footsteps of someone coming up the stairs. They have been found out as
Miss Minchin bursts into the room. Lavinia saw Ermengarde sneak in and out and
tattled to Miss Minchin who sweeps all the food back into the hamper and
dismisses them. Becky is sacked, Sara shall have NOTHING to eat tomorrow and
Ermengarde’s father will certainly hear about this! Seeing a queer look on
Sara’s face the woman turns pale as Sara quietly suggests what HER father would
say about this and where she is tonight. Furious, Miss Minchin flies at Sara
and shakes her violently before grabbing Ermengarde’s books and pushing a
sobbing Ermengarde out the door leaving Sara standing quite alone. This party
is most definitely over.
Sara picks
up Emily and sits for several minutes with her head down on her knees, not
crying, just suffering in silence as Ram Dass, who SAW THE WHOLE THING from
outside the skylight waits patiently until Sara finally climbs into bed and
falls asleep imagining warm rooms and hot food. Until she awakens to find her
dream has come true! She pinches herself to make sure she is not still dreaming
but no, it IS real. A warm, heavy eiderdown is covering her, there is a silk
dressing gown and slippers that fit her perfectly, there are books with a note
tucked into the top one addressed, “To the little girl in the attic, From a
friend” a hot roaring fire crackles in the grate with a teakettle full of tea and
there on a little table upon a rug, placed close by the fire, is the small hot
supper she was imagining just before she fell asleep. Sara’s joy is full. She
wakes Becky and bids her come. Come and see
the Magic!
Of course
everyone downstairs is aware of last night’s drama-Sara, Becky and Ermengarde
are in terrible trouble and under strict punishments. Lavinia boasts to her
best friend how she felt it was her duty
to report Ermengarde to Miss Minchin. Sharing food with servants is not only
wrong but downright vulgar! Nobody is
getting turned out today for everyone knows the stingy headmistress would never
find another doormat like Becky who works for peanuts while Sara will one day
advance to classroom teacher herself alongside her boss, except she will be
paid nothing. Besides, where would she go?
To the
amazement of all, Sara is not broken. Instead she goes about her classroom
duties and kitchen chores that entire day with a bit of spring in her step and
color in her cheeks! Miss Minchin soberly reminds her she is being punished and
is to have no food today, so kindly show a little humility. Sara responds
politely, turns and can hardly keep from bursting out laughing. The other girls
can hardly believe her audacity. The girl must be superhuman.
At the end
of that first day, Sara enters her room expecting all the magic to have
disappeared, perhaps it was only lent to her and she is grateful for the gift
but to her wonder the Magic came AGAIN and the room has been completely made
over into a most comfortable and inviting residence: the walls covered with material,
decorated with fans, there are cushions and rugs on the floor, another cheery
fire blazes in the grate with another meal-for two this time-set out on the low
table. Feeling like she is truly living in a fairy tale, Sara summons Becky again
whose jaw nearly hits the floor at the new wonders. Sara has a new thick
mattress on her bed with new sheets and big soft pillows. It was discovered
that Sara’s old mattress had been moved to Becky’s (who doesn’t deserve any new
things) so the lowly servant girl too might enjoy more unheard-of comfort. As
the days pass, every night Sara enters her room to find more new things have
been left by The Magic: draperies and pictures now completely cover the walls,
ingenious folding furniture, a hanging bookcase for all her new books, the
mantle above the fire stocked with curiosities. The hot little meal on the
table replaces itself every night. During the day, whenever Sara is being
scolded by cook or given another lecture by Miss Minchin, she is nearly
bursting with her romantic secret-if they only knew! Sara and Becky begin to
lose their starved appearances leaving the adults and the older girls in the
schoolroom wondering why Sara hasn’t spiraled down into depression or at least
some kind of female hysteria.
Then one
day, several parcels arrive all addressed “To the Little Girl in the Right-hand
Attic” all contain new, expensive clothes and accessories including a beautiful
coat. Miss Minchin sputters a bit. This secret admirer must be very rich and
would perhaps seek vengeance if it was discovered Sara’s superiors refused her
the gifts. Therefore, Sara might as well go change, come downstairs and join
the other girls in learning lessons and be respectable again-no more servant
girl activities for her.
The other
girls gasp when The Princess Sara enters the classroom wearing a fine dress,
her shabby black locks now tied back with a ribbon and takes her old seat. That
night, Sara writes a thank you note-using the paper and pens left by her
mysterious “Friend” signed The Little Girl in the Attic. When she comes back up
that evening the note is gone so Sara knows it found its way to her benefactor.
She and Becky are relaxing in the comfortable room, Sara reading aloud from one
of her books when they hear a scratching sound from the skylight. It’s the
monkey! Sara recognizes him from the Lascar’s attic next door, he must’ve
escaped again. She will keep her visitor here tonight (it has been snowing all
day so the monkey is chilled and not very active) and return him to the Indian
Gentleman’s house next door tomorrow.
Alas, the
little girl in Moscow was NOT Ralph Crewe’s orphaned daughter which means they
must begin the search all over again-but where to start? They’ve already
searched all the female boarding schools in Paris and other rich areas in
Europe. Carmichael suggests they begin searching where he always felt they
should’ve started in the first place-right here in London! As if waking from a
dream, Carrisford recalls there is a school for rich girls right next door…
Just then
Sara comes knocking and is shown into the study by Ram Dass. In her arms she
carries the silly Oriental monkey who clings to her, chattering, quite content
with his new owner. Sara simply shrugs. The monkey most likely took a fancy to
her because she was born in India and knows all about these kinds of pets.
Carrisford nearly falls out of his chair. Carmichael coaxes the entire story
from her-Sara’s dear Papa lost all his money investing in diamond mines, died,
and Sara went from being a respectable parlor boarder to a street urchin and
kitchen slave. Her father’s name was Ralph Crewe.
By this point, Carrisford is having
hysterics as he gasps It is the child!
Carmichael then explains they have been looking for Sara for almost two years.
At last she is found.
They are
supposing someone ought to go inform Miss Minchin of these extraordinary
changes to her charity pupil when the Proprietress of the Young Ladies’ Seminary
herself is shown into the room demanding the wicked little nobody return with
her at once! She had needed Sara for something and learning the child had snuck
out and gone next door marched right over to investigate. She deeply regrets
this impudence; Sara is always forgetting her place.
But before Miss Minchin can drag
her out, Carrisford solemnly informs her Sara is not going anywhere. Carmichael
takes over, explaining all the legalities of Carrisford being Sara’s “in loco
parentis” in other words, he is now the one the law recognizes as Sara’s legal
guardian and foster parent. The diamond mines WERE real and they did return on
their investment with Carrisford as sole executor. Whoever has the gold makes
the rules, you know, and it would appear Sara has just won the jackpot. Never
mind there is absolutely nothing in writing, LIKE A WILL, that could stand up
in court in order to make any of this possible but this is a children’s story
after all...
Realizing
her unkindness just lost her a fortune, Miss Minchin attempts an awkward appeal
to Sara to see if she might now want to return and be parlor boarder again so
she might share in her newfound riches but Sara is no fool. She has a real home
here and while she always tried NOT to be a Princess-especially when she was so
cold and hungry and lonely living under this selfish, stingy, worldly woman’s
roof, well, Miss Maria Minchin can just go straight to…
And that’s how the Princess Sara
came to live next door and that night, after the entire household heard of
Sara’s restoration to Princess Status, poor Becky went upstairs to see what the
attic room was like without her beloved mistress only to find a smiling Ram
Dass informing Becky she is also to go live next door as the Missee Sahib’s
personal attendant first thing tomorrow. Ermengarde and Lottie are also to come
and visit whenever they wish, Sara sent her best friends a note informing them
of her new living arrangements. Ermengarde read it aloud to the other girls and
is now the envy of all.
You would think this story is over, but there is still one (unnecessary) loose end to be tied up and that is how the little street urchin Sara met in Chapter 13 outside the bakery and gifted with rolls ended up getting the micro-loan she needed to escape poverty. Sara learns this as she and her new foster father are riding in a fine carriage one day and pass the same bakery which Sara recognizes at once and asks if they might stop. She has been thinking, she would like to use her new fortune to set up a sort of “soup kitchen” for all the poor, down-on-their-luck, little street urchins like the one she met that day. She would like to talk to the owner of that bakery and arrange for bread to be given to any and all waifs (as she herself once was) who enter and ask. Just send the bill in care of The Princess Sara.
To her surprise, when they enter the
shop, the same child she met is now an apprentice baker to the plump woman. She
is clean, well dressed, looking much better fed and respectable. She even has a
name-Anne. The two girls clasp hands and Sara announces Anne will be the one
who will scatter this largess to the populace. Anne bobs a courtesy and says,
“Yes, miss.” Sara and Carrisford then get back in their carriage and drive
away-never looking back.
THE END
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