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    A Little Princess
    A Little Princess
    A Little Princess
    Ebook230 pages3 hours

    A Little Princess

    By Frances Hodgson Burnett

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    "A Little Princess" is a 1905 children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is a revised and expanded version of Burnett's 1888 serialised novel entitled "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was published in "St. Nicholas Magazine". According to Burnett, she had been composing a play based on the story when she found out a lot of characters she had missed. The publisher asked her to publish a new, revised story of the novella, producing the novel.


    Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was one of the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by "School Library Journal".
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPaperless
    Release dateJan 31, 2015
    ISBN9786050353464
    Author

    Frances Hodgson Burnett

    Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924), author of The Secret Garden, also in an Aladdin Classics edition, and Little Lord Fauntleroy, enjoyed wider popularity in her own time with both adult and child readers than many other writers.

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    Reviews for A Little Princess

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    • 5/5
      One of my favorite childhood books, about the daughter of a British soldier who was raised in India, but is sent to a British boarding school when her father is sent to war.
    • 4/5
      Ich habe das Buch zufällig bei Projekt Gutenberg gesehen und war leicht besorgt: Einerseits mochte ich zwar Der geheime Garten von der selben Autorin, hasste aber (und das nicht mal leidenschaftlich) den Anime Kleine Prinzessin Sara, den es früher gab. Oder vermutlich gibts ihn immer noch, zum Glück wird er aber nicht mehr gezeigt. Auf jeden Fall war meine Sorge unbegründet: Das Buch A Little Princess war toll.

      Ich konnte es kaum aus der Hand legen. Es war eins dieser Bücher, die einen fühlen lassen, als wäre man gefüllt mit warmer Schokolade während man in einem Haufen Welpen und Zuckerwatte liegt.

      “I liked you to listen to it,” said Sara. “If you tell stories, you like nothing so much as to tell them to peolpe who want to listen. I don’t know why it is. Would you like to hear the rest?”

      Einen Kritikpunkt habe ich: Sara war zu perfekt. Wie der Prototyp einer Mary Sue. Alles was sie tat, alles, was sie sagte, alles war perfekt. In ihrer allererste Unterrichtsstunde verkündet der Lehrer, dass er ihr nichts mehr beibringen könne, weil ihr Französisch vollendet sei. Und so geht es gerade weiter. Also ja. Mir sind Charakter mit einem kleinen Fehler natürlich lieber, auch bei Kinderbüchern. Es wäre zumindest schöner gewesen, wenn es nicht auf jeder Seite 10 mal erwähnt würde, wie toll Sara ist. Nach 5 Seiten dachte ich mir dann doch: Okay, jetzt weiß ichs. Muss man mir nicht mehr sagen.

      Als Sara dann jedoch zur Sklavin wurde ist das viel, viel besser geworden. Und ihr abmühen, sich weiter wie eine Prinzessin zu benehmen, obwohl sie seit 2 Tagen nichts mehr zu essen hatte, lässt sie dann doch viel menschlicher erscheinen.

      Ein echter Pluspunkt ist, dass Sara ein Buch nach dem anderen verschlingt. Wie ein Buchwurm wühlt sie sich durch jedes Buch, das sie in die Finger bekommt. Sie fiebert auf Neuerscheinungen hin. Und sie wäre generell ein Buchblogger, wenn sie heute am Leben wäre.

      Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from losing her temper when she was suddelny disturbed while absorbed in a book. People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temtation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage.

      Von daher ist es ein echtes, flauschig-warmes, Wohlfühlbuch.
    • 5/5
      That one should never see a film adaptation of a book, without first having read the original, is an idea so unconsciously accepted in my circle of family and friends that it usually admits no debate. But for every rule there are exceptions, and happily for my childhood, Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess was one of them. I had little taste for sentimental fiction as a child (oh, the irony!), and might have remained indifferent to Burnett's work, had I not seen the brilliant Wonderworks television adaptation of the novel. Released in 1987, it is the only decent film version ever made, and prompted me to read the book, followed in quick succession by The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy. Re-read countless times since, they have given me many hours of pleasure, winning a permanent place among my favorite books...The story of a young girl who comes face to face with the cruel, mercenary side of society, A Little Princess has always struck me as a tale of moral courage, simultaneously conventional and subversive. Sara Crewe is the daughter of privilege, despite her temporary poverty and genuine suffering, but she also exhibits a very democratic sensibility, and her behavior is not dictated by monetary concerns. She is as much a friend to poor Becky before the loss of her fortune, as she is afterward; just as she is with Ermengarde. She is, moreover, somewhat disdainful of adult authority, as exemplified by her relationship with Miss Minchin, whose initial "friendliness" she (rightfully) mistrusts. Successful as a portrait of a particular time and place, Burnett's A Little Princess also has qualities that give it a decidedly modern feeling...Addendum: Having just reread this childhood favorite, for our January discussion over at A Thrilling Term at Goodreads: The Girls' School-Story Group, I was struck by the many plot elements that are common in the genre, from the central conceit of a student whose circumstances are greatly reduced, and must work at the school (think Juliet Carrick, in The School at the Chalet, although Madge Bettany is no Miss Minchin), to the idea of one girl who plays "mother" to the younger ones (think L.T. Meade's The Little School-Mothers: A Story for Girls). My new-found familiarity with the genre definitely increased my appreciation of Burnett's classic, which now seemed, not only to be an immensely satisfying story, in its own right, but an interesting example of its genre.
    • 4/5
      A Little Princess was one of my favorite movies growing up but I had never read the book. I enjoyed it but I think I prefer the movie just to see her stories come to life.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoy this book despite it being completely contrary to my usual tastes. This truly is a classic for children (and unlike many classic children's books is actually appropriate for a modern child, unlike Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, Barrie and several others that come to mind).
    • 5/5
      Rags to riches stories are a common enough trope, but A Little Princess turns that narrative on its head. Little Sara Crewe, who has been given everything by her dear papa, is sent to a London board schooling, as was the custom amongst the wealthy in England at the time. There, everyone - children and adults alike - marvel at her beautiful things and declare her "a little princess." Contrary to the stereotype about rich children, Sara is not spoiled and bratty, but rather is considerate and polite. She makes friends with the other children at school, particularly with those who are overlooked by others - slow Ermengarde, tantrum-throwing little Lottie, and scullery maid Becky - instead of aligning herself with the school "mean girls" Lavinia and Jessie. Sara is also clever and imaginative, which sometimes causes others to view her as a bit peculiar, although overall she is well liked. She has a tendency to become solemn and philosophical, and sometimes wonders if she would be so nice if circumstances had been different and she had been born without wealth and privilege. Perhaps, she surmises, she is only kind because when you have everything, there is no reason to be unkind.One day, everything changes for small Sara, and she is given the opportunity to see just what sort of person she is when the tangible goods are taken from her life. On her 11th birthday, news reaches the boarding school that her beloved father has died and due to his unwise business investments, she is now not only orphaned but also penniless. The boarding school headmistress, Miss Minchin, who never really liked Sara as a person but only for her money, is apoplectic with having Sara's care foisted upon her. She responds by taking all of Sara's possessions away from her and forcing her to become a servant at the school.But all is not lost. Sara's cleverness and kindness served her well in the past and continue to do so, even in her reduced circumstances. Those who loved her for these qualities continue to do so and look out for her well-being to the best of their ability. Little Sara is indeed a model for us all with her kindness even in the face of destitution and misuse. Still, at times it becomes a tragedy of error, almost Shakespearean with mistaken identities and just missed opportunities for enlightenment, as Sara and her father's friend/business partner Mr. Carrisford are literally next door from one another but kept apart due to their ignorance of each other's significance. Meanwhile, poor Sara suffers the ill effects of poverty and misuse while Mr. Carrisford is wracked with guilt over not being able to find Sara. The narrative makes this time period seem to past relatively quickly but at the end it is noted more than once that the full time period is two years. This is hard, long time indeed for this poor little girl. In true fairy tale like fashion, Sara's fortunes eventually reverse and turn out for the better while Miss Minchin and the mean girls of the school get the chance to re-evaluate their actions. While this isn't the reality I've known, it's nice to live in this world for a little while, imagining that all good people eventually get their just desserts and those unkind people will eventually be reprimanded. It was perhaps for this reason that this book was a childhood favorite of mine. Re-reading this book as an adult, I did notice that there are some troubling depictions of people of lower classes, non-Anglo ethnic backgrounds, and less than ideal body figures. But these aren't overwhelming and you have to take the book as a product of its time. Ram Dass talking about he was always watching the child as she sleeps, peering in through her window, and knowing her every coming and going, is also a bit creepy to re-read as an adult but his intentions are the best as he does this to learn what she needs. This ends up being of great benefit to Sara during the worse of her troubles. One final note: Although I still own my hard copy of this book from childhood, I opted to re-read the book as an audio version this time. The audio narrator, Justine Eyre, was stupendous and I highly recommend this version for the audiophile.
    • 5/5
      The imagination of Sarah, the princess, is what makes this book so amazing. Even though her life has been completely turned upside down, Sarah uses her imagination and the idea of 'What if she really were a princess' to keep her going through hard times. It's an incredible story with a main character that all girls can look up to. I would recommend this book to any girl, young and old.
    • 5/5
      Probably the most touching book I have ever read, Frances Hodgson Burnett`s best book.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite books when I was young, along with The Secret Garden.
    • 5/5
      ara Crewe is a child gifted with a remarkable imagination, intelligence and a doting father. When her father dies, her intelligence is useful certainly, but it is her imagination that really pulls her through the tough times. She wonders in the beginning of the book whether she is actually nice or not, because she has never experienced a hardship. I really loved that when hardship came, she struggled to maintain her princess demeanor. She got angry and wanted to respond spitefully to ill treatment, but made the conscious decision to rise above. This makes Sara feel like a real girl, not like some absurd Pollyanna.

      I am always happy to find another book lover, and such is Sara Crewe. One of the most trying moments of the book for her in her battle to keep her temper is when her reading is interrupted: "Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from losing her temper when she was suddenly disturbed while absorbed in a book. People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment." Delightful.

      There was one element of the story that is a bit...odd...from a modern perspective. That is that the Indian servant, Ram Dass, watches Sara while she is inside and even comes into the room while she is sleeping. His intentions are entirely noble and he is doing good. Still...it's hard not to be at least a wee bit creeped out by that these days.

      Although a children's book, this classic loses nothing when read by an older audience. I highly recommend this to anyone who believes in magic! Also, if you haven't seen it, definitely check out the 1995 film version, because it manages to capture the magic of the book and even improve upon the story (in my opinion)!
    • 4/5
      Such a cute little book of Sara Crewe, whose father, stationed in India, sends her to boarding school in England. When she starts there she has lots of income which satisfies the insecure, jealous matron of the school. However, when things go downhill for Sara's father and his fortune, Sara's daily life takes a landslide downward. However, she is a very mature child and tries to act like she thinks a princess would act, with a fortune or without. And therein lays the story of her reaction to her situation and her encouragement of others. There is also an ongoing search for a mystery child which culminates at the end of the book. I enjoyed this children's book very much, and think it would be a wonderful book to read along with a child and discuss how he/she might react in a similar situation. I highly recommend this book :)
    • 3/5
      This was a different sort of story than most of what I read and the age of text makes for some interesting differences in social norms and socially acceptable terminology, but the plot left me satisfied. At least those who were cruel didn't get what they wanted and those who were kind recieved what they deserved and far more. Sarah was an interesting main character despite the over-the-top extravagance that she had bestowed upon herself. I don't know. The book was satisfying and for its time it was quite good, but it seems to have lost something in the past century or so.
    • 3/5
      Do I really need to review this? You can tell perfectly well from the title whether it's something you're interested in reading or not.Anyway, there's absolutely no character arc and relatively little in the way of a plot but the novel will draw you along through it by sheer force of charm anyway. You cannot hope to beat Sara Crewe in princess-off. She is simply the best there is.
    • 4/5
      This is the book that epitomizes the magic of reading for me. When I think back to childhood days curled up and reading for hours, very few characters drew me in as completely and utterly as Sara Crewe.
    • 2/5
      Why did I read this? I'm not a girl. I'm not eight years old. I'm not living in the turn of the century. Well, I decided to read a little young adult fiction aimed at females, just to see what it was like. I'd just read "Jungle Book" and "Just So Stories", so I wanted to see how the other half lives. It apparently lives in a great deal of warm and fluffy feelings. Burnett must have been a genius to stretch this story out as long as she did. Talk about your Mary Sues. The "little princess" in question is a precocious girl from a colorful background traveling in mysterious India, who's dropped off at a girl's school. Everyone loves her, except for the trunchbull Miss Minchin. She spends half the time being the Jesus-figure for her obnoxious spoiled classmates, and the other half being a poor ragamuffin once her fortune's lost and she's relegated to scullery-maid (what is a scullery? And are they so dirty they need maids?). Then she uses her *imagination* (sparklies!) to rise above her poverty and remain a "princess".Anyway, I got an interesting glimpse of female characters during this time, and what they were into. Good thing we got out of that era.
    • 5/5
      Sara Crewe lives in India with her father, but is moved to a boarding school in England when he is convinced it will be best for her. She is very rich and is treated very well until her father dies after losing all of his money. She is banished to the attic and forced to work as a servant. She is treated horribly and is close to starving and freezing all the time, but she remains kind, thoughtful, and graceful. She catches the attention of a rich neighbor who she discovers is her father's business partner. He takes her in and she takes the other servant girl with her.I adore Frances Hodgson Burnett books, and A Little Princess in particular. I think Sara Crewe is a wonderful role model for children. She is unwavering in her belief in right and wrong and will not be bullied by anyone. She is open and honest and cares deeply about everyone, including the mice who infest the attic. I will never forget the part where she buys some bread and gives it to a starving girl outside, even though she is malnourished herself, which inspires the baker to hire that girl. I think the lesson, about doing what is right no matter what and caring about others, is a beautiful one. I also think the old-fashioned writing, though difficult, would be perfect for expanding kids' vocabulary and sentence structure, and fits right in the the Common Core Standards.
    • 5/5
      I must have read this book at least half a dozen times as a child. It had my childhood self imagining vividly the happenings, and cheering for Sarah to overcome what tragedies had befallen her. A perfect book for a imaginative young girl,one just past American Girl book reading age.
    • 4/5
      Pretty sickly sweet kind of children's book. I'm sure that Sara was just that perfect, right? But all children can have a goal and I suppose it is a good goal. Very similar to the film with Shirley Temple, except for the ending. Since I'd already seen the film, I pretty much knew what was coming up. Cute read.
    • 5/5
      Sara Crewe is a very rich little girl.But her father dead,she was poor.I was impressed with Sara's kindness and humility.
    • 4/5
      My mother gave me my copy of this book when I was in third grade. I can remember carrying the book with me everywhere, reading it over and over. I think the story still stands up as classic "girl's" literature. (Side note: The image of London both in this story and in all of Dickens' novels was so vivid in my mind that when I finally got to London as an adult, I was almost shocked that there weren't horse drawn carriages and gaslights on all the streets.)
    • 4/5
      a very special book, one which i felt sad about when it ended.
    • 4/5
      When faced with adversity, a little rich girl (Sarah Crewe), manifests the noblest characteristics of a princess. Happy ending.
    • 5/5
      I read this book every year. It's about Sarah, doted upon by her father, who gets sent to England to boarding school. While there, her father invests all his fortune in diamond mines, contracts a fever and dies thinking everything is lost. Sarah then becomes an poor orphan until her father's friend finds her and returns her fortune.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. Frances Hodgson Burnett has writen a heartwarming story of a young girl. Losing her father. And being placed in a school for little girls. It is here where she learns the truth about some people and their hard ways. She learns to act like a little princess. She learns about caring for others and others learn to care about her.
    • 5/5
      A riches to rags to riches story, this great children's classic is about a privileged girl who is able to hold on to hope through imagination despite terrible circumstances. Beautifully written, charming story set in Victorian England.
    • 4/5
      Thoughts: This story is a good story about love and loss. I liked this book because it shows a way to cope with the loss of a loved one and how even though the girl lost everything she was still able to be kind to others. This book has great values that children should learn when growing up. I enjoyed this book very much I thought that is shows how resiliant children are. When I was reading this book it was like a was there in the school experiencing everything with Sarah. Summary: A young girl who grew up in India and moves to France to go to school while her father goes to war. To keep herself intertained she makes up stories to tell the other girls at the school. One day a message comes that her father has been killed in the war. She has nowhere else to go, so the owner of the school makes her a house maid. She has to clean the other girls rooms and take wood to there fireplaces. Eventually some of the girls start to speak to her again and she tells them more stories of India.Classroom Extensions:1) I would have this book on my self so that my students could read it on their own time. After the student read the book I would have him/her do a story map. 2) I would have my student write out what the main idea of the story, and how their thinking changed through the book.
    • 5/5
      While I love this story, there is a reference to "magic" and "the magician" which needs explaining. It is not true magic, but the man who gives the girls presents during the night while they sleep which they wake up and think it is magic.
    • 4/5
      Lovely classic.
    • 5/5
      My mother recommended this to me; I read this when I was eight or nine, and multiple times since. There's something so satisfying about the contrasts of Sara Crewe privileged, and Sara Crewe underprivileged. Also a tribute to the power of imagination and storytelling in overcoming adversity. And, of course, a tribute to kindness.
    • 5/5
      I love love love this story! Such a beautiful tale of a young girl! Of course, the fatherdaughter relationship made me sob in parts, but I loved it! So beautiful, pretty and innocent! A little slow at times, but still amazing!

    Book preview

    A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett

    eyes.

    Chapter 2: A French Lesson

    When Sara entered the schoolroom the next morning everybody looked at her with wide, interested eyes. By that time every pupil-- from Lavinia Herbert, who was nearly thirteen and felt quite grown up, to Lottie Legh, who was only just four and the baby of the school-- had heard a great deal about her. They knew very certainly that she was Miss Minchin's show pupil and was considered a credit to the establishment. One or two of them had even caught a glimpse of her French maid, Mariette, who had arrived the evening before. Lavinia had managed to pass Sara's room when the door was open, and had seen Mariette opening a box which had arrived late from some shop.

    It was full of petticoats with lace frills on them--frills and frills, she whispered to her friend Jessie as she bent over her geography. I saw her shaking them out. I heard Miss Minchin say to Miss Amelia that her clothes were so grand that they were ridiculous for a child. My mamma says that children should be dressed simply. She has got one of those petticoats on now. I saw it when she sat down.

    She has silk stockings on! whispered Jessie, bending over her geography also. And what little feet! I never saw such little feet.

    Oh, sniffed Lavinia, spitefully, that is the way her slippers are made. My mamma says that even big feet can be made to look small if you have a clever shoemaker. I don't think she is pretty at all. Her eyes are such a queer color.

    She isn't pretty as other pretty people are, said Jessie, stealing a glance across the room; but she makes you want to look at her again. She has tremendously long eyelashes, but her eyes are almost green.

    Sara was sitting quietly in her seat, waiting to be told what to do. She had been placed near Miss Minchin's desk. She was not abashed at all by the many pairs of eyes watching her. She was interested and looked back quietly at the children who looked at her. She wondered what they were thinking of, and if they liked Miss Minchin, and if they cared for their lessons, and if any of them had a papa at all like her own. She had had a long talk with Emily about her papa that morning.

    He is on the sea now, Emily, she had said. We must be very great friends to each other and tell each other things. Emily, look at me. You have the nicest eyes I ever saw--but I wish you could speak.

    She was a child full of imaginings and whimsical thoughts, and one of her fancies was that there would be a great deal of comfort in even pretending that Emily was alive and really heard and understood. After Mariette had dressed her in her dark-blue schoolroom frock and tied her hair with a dark-blue ribbon, she went to Emily, who sat in a chair of her own, and gave her a book.

    You can read that while I am downstairs, she said; and, seeing Mariette looking at her curiously, she spoke to her with a serious little face.

    What I believe about dolls, she said, is that they can do things they will not let us know about. Perhaps, really, Emily can read and talk and walk, but she will only do it when people are out of the room. That is her secret. You see, if people knew that dolls could do things, they would make them work. So, perhaps, they have promised each other to keep it a secret. If you stay in the room, Emily will just sit there and stare; but if you go out, she will begin to read, perhaps, or go and look out of the window. Then if she heard either of us coming, she would just run back and jump into her chair and pretend she had been there all the time.

    Comme elle est drole! Mariette said to herself, and when she went downstairs she told the head housemaid about it. But she had already begun to like this odd little girl who had such an intelligent small face and such perfect manners. She had taken care of children before who were not so polite. Sara was a very fine little person, and had a gentle, appreciative way of saying, If you please, Mariette, Thank you, Mariette, which was very charming. Mariette told the head housemaid that she thanked her as if she was thanking a lady.

    Elle a l'air d'une princesse, cette petite, she said. Indeed, she was very much pleased with her new little mistress and liked her place greatly.

    After Sara had sat in her seat in the schoolroom for a few minutes, being looked at by the pupils, Miss Minchin rapped in a dignified manner upon her desk.

    Young ladies, she said, I wish to introduce you to your new companion. All the little girls rose in their places, and Sara rose also. I shall expect you all to be very agreeable to Miss Crewe; she has just come to us from a great distance--in fact, from India. As soon as lessons are over you must make each other's acquaintance.

    The pupils bowed ceremoniously, and Sara made a little curtsy, and then they sat down and looked at each other again.

    Sara, said Miss Minchin in her schoolroom manner, come here to me.

    She had taken a book from the desk and was turning over its leaves. Sara went to her politely.

    As your papa has engaged a French maid for you, she began, I conclude that he wishes you to make a special study of the French language.

    Sara felt a little awkward.

    I think he engaged her, she said, because he--he thought I would like her, Miss Minchin.

    I am afraid, said Miss Minchin, with a slightly sour smile, that you have been a very spoiled little girl and always imagine that things are done because you like them. My impression is that your papa wished you to learn French.

    If Sara had been older or less punctilious about being quite polite to people, she could have explained herself in a very few words. But, as it was, she felt a flush rising on her cheeks. Miss Minchin was a very severe and imposing person, and she seemed so absolutely sure that Sara knew nothing whatever of French that she felt as if it would be almost rude to correct her. The truth was that Sara could not remember the time when she had not seemed to know French. Her father had often spoken it to her when she had been a baby. Her mother had been a French woman, and Captain Crewe had loved her language, so it happened that Sara had always heard and been familiar with it.

    I--I have never really learned French, but--but-- she began, trying shyly to make herself clear.

    One of Miss Minchin's chief secret annoyances was that she did not speak French herself, and was desirous of concealing the irritating fact. She, therefore, had no intention of discussing the matter and laying herself open to innocent questioning by a new little pupil.

    That is enough, she said with polite tartness. If you have not learned, you must begin at once. The French master, Monsieur Dufarge, will be here in a few minutes. Take this book and look at it until he arrives.

    Sara's cheeks felt warm. She went back to her seat and opened the book. She looked at the first page with a grave face. She knew it would be rude to smile, and she was very determined not to be rude. But it was very odd to find herself expected to study a page which told her that le pere meant the father, and la mere meant the mother.

    Miss Minchin glanced toward her scrutinizingly.

    You look rather cross, Sara, she said. I am sorry you do not like the idea of learning French.

    I am very fond of it, answered Sara, thinking she would try again; but--

    You must not say `but' when you are told to do things, said Miss Minchin. Look at your book again.

    And Sara did so, and did not smile, even when she found that le fils meant the son, and le frere meant the brother.

    When Monsieur Dufarge comes, she thought, I can make him understand.

    Monsieur Dufarge arrived very shortly afterward. He was a very nice, intelligent, middle-aged Frenchman, and he looked interested when his eyes fell upon Sara trying politely to seem absorbed in her little book of phrases.

    Is this a new pupil for me, madame? he said to Miss Minchin. I hope that is my good fortune.

    Her papa--Captain Crewe--is very anxious that she should begin the language. But I am afraid she has a childish prejudice against it. She does not seem to wish to learn, said Miss Minchin.

    I am sorry of that, mademoiselle, he said kindly to Sara. Perhaps, when we begin to study together, I may show you that it is a charming tongue.

    Little Sara rose in her seat. She was beginning to feel rather desperate, as if she were almost in disgrace. She looked up into Monsieur Dufarge's face with her big, green-gray eyes, and they were quite innocently appealing. She knew that he would understand as soon as she spoke. She began to explain quite simply in pretty and fluent French. Madame had not understood. She had not learned French exactly--not out of books--but her papa and other people had always spoken it to her, and she had read it and written it as she had read and written English. Her papa loved it, and she loved it because he did. Her dear mamma, who had died when she was born, had been French. She would be glad to learn anything monsieur would teach her, but what she had tried to explain to madame was that she already knew the words in this book-- and she held out the little book of phrases.

    When she began to speak Miss Minchin started quite violently and sat staring at her over her eyeglasses, almost indignantly, until she had finished. Monsieur Dufarge began to smile, and his smile was one of great pleasure. To hear this pretty childish voice speaking his own language so simply and charmingly made him feel almost as if he were in his native land--which in dark, foggy days in London sometimes seemed worlds away. When she had finished, he took the phrase book from her, with a look almost affectionate. But he spoke to Miss Minchin.

    Ah, madame, he said, there is not much I can teach her. She has not LEARNED French; she is French. Her accent is exquisite.

    You ought to have told me, exclaimed Miss Minchin, much mortified, turning to Sara.

    I--I tried, said Sara. I--I suppose I did not begin right.

    Miss Minchin knew she had tried, and that it had not been her fault that she was not allowed to explain. And when she saw that the pupils had been listening and that Lavinia and Jessie were giggling behind their French grammars, she felt infuriated.

    Silence, young ladies! she said severely, rapping upon the desk. Silence at once!

    And she began from that minute to feel rather a grudge against her show pupil.

    Chapter 3: Ermengarde

    On that first morning, when Sara sat at Miss Minchin's side, aware that the whole schoolroom was devoting itself to observing her, she had noticed very soon one little girl, about her own age, who looked at her very hard with a pair of light, rather dull, blue eyes. She was a fat child who did not look as if she were in the least clever, but she had a good-naturedly pouting mouth. Her flaxen hair was braided in a tight pigtail, tied with a ribbon, and she had pulled this pigtail around her neck, and was biting the end of the ribbon, resting her elbows on the desk, as she stared wonderingly at the new pupil. When Monsieur Dufarge began to speak to Sara, she looked a little frightened; and when Sara stepped forward and, looking at him with the innocent, appealing eyes, answered him, without any warning, in French, the fat little girl gave a startled jump, and grew quite red in her awed amazement. Having wept hopeless tears for weeks in her efforts to remember that la mere meant the mother, and le pere, the father,-- when one spoke sensible English--it was almost too much for her suddenly to find herself listening to a child her own age who seemed not only quite familiar with these words, but apparently knew any number of others, and could mix them up with verbs as if they were mere trifles.

    She stared so hard and bit the ribbon on her pigtail so fast that she attracted the attention of Miss Minchin, who, feeling extremely cross at the moment, immediately pounced upon her.

    Miss St. John! she exclaimed severely. What do you mean by such conduct? Remove your elbows! Take your ribbon out of your mouth! Sit up at once!

    Upon which Miss St. John gave another jump, and when Lavinia and Jessie tittered she became redder than ever--so red, indeed, that she almost looked as if tears were coming into her poor, dull, childish eyes; and Sara saw her and was so sorry for her that she began rather to like her and want to be her friend. It was a way of hers always to want to spring into any fray in which someone was made uncomfortable or unhappy.

    If Sara had been a boy and lived a few centuries ago, her father used to say, she would have gone about the country with her sword drawn, rescuing and defending everyone in distress. She always wants to fight when she sees people in trouble.

    So she took rather a fancy to fat, slow, little Miss St. John, and kept glancing toward her through the morning. She saw that lessons were no easy matter to her, and that there was no danger of her ever being spoiled by being treated as a show pupil. Her French lesson was a pathetic thing. Her pronunciation made even Monsieur Dufarge smile in spite of himself, and Lavinia and Jessie and the more fortunate girls either giggled or looked at her in wondering disdain. But Sara did not laugh. She tried to look as if she did not hear when Miss St. John called le bon pain, lee bong pang. She had a fine, hot little temper of her own, and it made her feel rather savage when she heard the titters and saw the poor, stupid, distressed child's face.

    It isn't funny, really, she said between her teeth, as she bent over her book. They ought not to laugh.

    When lessons were over and the pupils gathered together in groups to talk, Sara looked for Miss St. John, and finding her bundled rather disconsolately in a window-seat, she walked over to her and spoke. She only said the kind of thing little girls always say to each other by way of beginning an acquaintance, but there was something friendly about Sara, and people always felt it.

    What is your name? she said.

    To explain Miss St. John's amazement one must recall that a new pupil is, for a short time, a somewhat uncertain thing; and of this new pupil the entire school had talked the night before until it fell asleep quite exhausted by excitement and contradictory stories. A new pupil with a carriage and a pony and a maid, and a voyage from India to discuss, was not an ordinary acquaintance.

    My name's Ermengarde St. John, she answered.

    Mine is Sara Crewe, said Sara. Yours is very pretty. It sounds like a story book.

    Do you like it? fluttered Ermengarde. I--I like yours.

    Miss St. John's chief trouble in life was that she had a clever father. Sometimes this seemed to her a dreadful calamity. If you have a father who knows everything, who speaks seven or eight languages, and has thousands of volumes which he has apparently learned by heart, he frequently expects you to be familiar with the contents of your lesson books at least; and it is not improbable that he will feel you ought to be able to remember a few incidents of history and to write a French exercise. Ermengarde was a severe trial to Mr. St. John. He could not understand how a child of his could be a notably and unmistakably dull creature who never shone in anything.

    Good heavens! he had said more than once, as he stared at her, there are times when I think she is as stupid as her Aunt Eliza!

    If her Aunt Eliza had been slow to learn and quick to forget a thing entirely when she had learned it, Ermengarde was strikingly like her. She was the monumental dunce of the school, and it could not be denied.

    She must be made to learn, her father said to Miss Minchin.

    Consequently Ermengarde spent the greater part of her life in disgrace or in tears. She learned things and forgot them; or, if she remembered them, she did not understand them. So it was natural that, having made Sara's acquaintance, she should sit and stare at her with profound admiration.

    You can speak French, can't you? she said respectfully.

    Sara got on to the window-seat, which was a big, deep one, and, tucking up her feet, sat with her hands clasped round her knees.

    I can speak it because I have heard it all my life, she answered. You could speak it if you had always heard it.

    Oh, no, I couldn't, said Ermengarde. I never could speak it!

    Why? inquired Sara, curiously.

    Ermengarde shook her head so that the pigtail wobbled.

    You heard me just now, she said. I'm always like that. I can't say the words. They're so queer.

    She paused a moment, and then added with a touch of awe in her voice, You are clever, aren't you?

    Sara looked out of the window into the dingy square, where the sparrows were hopping and twittering on the wet, iron railings and the sooty branches of the trees. She reflected a few moments. She had heard it said very often that she was clever, and she wondered if she was--and if she was, how it had happened.

    I don't know, she said. I can't tell. Then, seeing a mournful look on the round, chubby face, she gave a little laugh and changed the subject.

    Would you like to see Emily? she inquired.

    Who is Emily? Ermengarde asked, just as Miss Minchin had done.

    Come up to my room and see, said Sara, holding out her hand.

    They jumped down from the window-seat together, and went upstairs.

    Is it true, Ermengarde whispered, as they went through the hall- -is it true that you have a playroom all to yourself?

    Yes, Sara answered. "Papa asked Miss Minchin to let

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