A Little Princess

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

About the story: Sara Crewe goes to a school in London. Her father dies. She becomes very poor. Later, a kind helper saves her.

1. Sara

It was a dark winter day. Thick yellow fog filled the London streets. The lamps were lit. Shop windows glowed like night time.

A little girl rode in a cab. Her father sat with her. The cab moved slowly through busy streets.

She curled her feet under her. She leaned on her father. He held her close. She looked out the window. She watched people go by. Her big eyes looked thoughtful. She looked wise, like an older child.

She was only seven years old. But she always thought deep thoughts. She dreamed of many things. She felt like she had lived a long time.

Right now, she thought about her trip. She came from Bombay with her father, Captain Crewe. She thought about the big ship. She thought about the sailors. She thought about children playing on the hot deck.

She thought it was strange. First she was in India, in hot sun. Then she was on the ocean. Now she was in dark streets in the middle of the day.

She moved closer to her father.

"Papa," she whispered softly, "papa."

"What is it, darling?" Captain Crewe said. He held her closer. "What is Sara thinking about?"

"Is this the place?" Sara whispered. She cuddled closer. "Is it, papa?"

"Yes, little Sara. We are here at last." He felt sad saying it. Even though she was only seven, Sara knew.

Her father had told her about "the place" for a long time. That is what she called it. Her mother died when Sara was born. So Sara never knew her. Her father was young, handsome, and rich. He was her only family. They loved each other very much.

She knew he was rich. She heard people say so. She also heard she would be rich one day too. She did not know exactly what "rich" meant. She had lived in a beautiful house in India. Many servants took care of her. They called her "Missee Sahib." She had toys and pets. She had a nurse who loved her very much.

Only one thing worried her. It was "the place" she must go to one day.

Children could get sick in India's hot weather. So they were sent away. Usually they went to England, to school. She had seen other children leave. She knew she must go too. Sometimes her father's stories about the trip excited her. But she felt sad that he could not stay with her.

"Couldn't you come to that place too, papa?" she asked when she was five. "Couldn't you go to school too? I could help you with your lessons."

"You won't stay long, little Sara," he always said. "You will go to a nice house. Many little girls will be there. You will play together. I will send you lots of books. You will grow up fast. Soon you will be smart enough to come home and take care of papa."

She liked that idea. She wanted to keep house for her father. She wanted to ride with him. She wanted to sit with him at dinner. She wanted to talk with him and read his books. That is what she wanted most. If she had to go away to school first, she would go.

She did not care much for other little girls. But she loved books. She could always be happy with books. She loved making up stories too. She told them to herself. Sometimes she told them to her father. He liked her stories very much.

"Well, papa," she said softly, "if we are here, we must make the best of it."

He laughed and kissed her. She talked in a grown-up way sometimes. He was not happy about leaving her. But he kept that a secret. Sara was his best friend. He knew he would feel very lonely without her. He held her close as the cab stopped.

They had arrived at a big, plain brick house. It looked just like all the other houses on the street. But a brass sign on the door said:

MISS MINCHIN
Select School for Young Ladies

"Here we are, Sara," said Captain Crewe. He tried to sound happy. He lifted her out of the cab. They walked up the steps. They rang the bell.

Sara later thought the house was just like Miss Minchin. It looked proper, but everything was ugly. Even the chairs felt hard and cold. In the hall, everything was shiny and hard. The clock in the corner looked strict, like a stern face.

They sat in the drawing room. It had a square carpet. The chairs were square too. A heavy marble clock sat on the marble fireplace.

Sara sat in a stiff wooden chair. She looked around quickly.

"I don't like it, papa," she said. "But I guess even brave soldiers don't like going into battle."

Captain Crewe laughed loudly. He was young and full of fun. He loved Sara's funny, wise words.

"Oh, little Sara," he said. "What will I do without you to say wise things to me? No one else is as serious as you."

"But why do serious things make you laugh?" Sara asked.

"Because you say them in such a funny way," he laughed. Then he hugged her tightly and kissed her. He almost looked like he might cry.

Just then, Miss Minchin walked in. She was tall and plain, like her house. She had cold, fish-like eyes. She smiled a big, cold smile when she saw Sara and her father.

She had heard good things about Captain Crewe. She heard he was rich. She heard he would spend a lot of money on his daughter.

"It will be an honor to care for such a lovely, smart child, Captain Crewe," she said. She patted Sara's hand. "Lady Meredith told me she is very clever. A smart child is a treasure in my school."

Sara stood quietly. She looked at Miss Minchin's face. She had funny thoughts, as always.

"Why does she say I am beautiful?" she thought. "I am not beautiful at all. Isobel, my friend's daughter, is beautiful. She has curls and pink cheeks and golden hair. I have short black hair and green eyes. I am thin. I am not pretty at all. She is telling a lie."

But Sara was wrong. She was not ugly. She did not look like Isobel. But she had her own special charm. She was tall and slim for her age. Her face was interesting. Her hair was thick and black, curling only at the ends. Her eyes were green-gray, big, with long lashes. She did not like her own eye color. But many people thought she was lovely. Still, Sara believed she was plain. Miss Minchin's kind words did not make her feel proud.

"I would be lying if I said she was beautiful," Sara thought. "I know I would be lying. I think we are both plain, in our own way. Why did she say that?"

Later, Sara learned why. Miss Minchin said the same nice words to every parent who brought a child to her school.

Sara stood near her father. She listened to him talk with Miss Minchin. Lady Meredith's two girls had gone to this school. Captain Crewe trusted her advice. So he chose this school for Sara too.

Sara would be a special student, called a "parlor boarder." She would get extra nice things. She would have her own pretty bedroom and sitting room. She would have a pony and a carriage. She would have a maid to take care of her, like her nurse in India did.

"I am not worried about her lessons," Captain Crewe said with a laugh. He held Sara's hand. "The problem will be stopping her from learning too much! Her nose is always in a book. She doesn't just read books, Miss Minchin — she gobbles them up like a hungry little wolf! She always wants new books. Big, grown-up books. French, German, English. History, real-life stories, poems, everything! Please make her rest from books sometimes. Make her ride her pony. Make her play with dolls more."

"Papa," said Sara, "if I got a new doll every few days, I would have too many to love properly. Dolls should be close friends. Emily will be my close friend."

Captain Crewe looked at Miss Minchin. Miss Minchin looked at him.

"Who is Emily?" she asked.

"Tell her, Sara," said Captain Crewe, smiling.

Sara's green-gray eyes looked serious and soft.

"She is a doll I don't have yet," she said. "Papa is going to buy her for me. We will go find her together. I already named her Emily. She is going to be...