In the afternoon, Sara entered the schoolroom. The room was decorated with green leaves for her birthday. Miss Minchin wore her best silk dress and led Sara by the hand. A man followed them with a big box. This box held the Last Doll.
A maid carried a second box. Becky followed them with a third box. Becky wore a clean apron and a new cap. Sara felt very shy. The big girls stared at her. The little girls moved excitedly in their seats.
"Silence!" Miss Minchin said. She told the servants to put the boxes on the table. Becky was very excited to see the presents. She smiled at Lottie. Miss Minchin saw this and became angry.
"Becky!" Miss Minchin shouted. "Do not look at the students. Put your box down and leave." Becky was frightened. She started to walk toward the door.
"Wait," Sara said suddenly. "Can Becky stay? I want her to see my presents. She is a little girl too." Miss Minchin was surprised. She thought servants were not like other children.
"Becky is a scullery maid," Miss Minchin said. "But it is your birthday. She can stay in the corner. Do not go near the other girls, Becky."
Miss Minchin stood in front of the students. "I have a few words to say," she said. Sara felt uncomfortable. Miss Minchin talked about Sara's father and his money.
"Sara is eleven years old today," Miss Minchin said. "She will be an heiress. She will have a lot of money from the diamond mines. She is my best student, and today she is giving you all a birthday party."
Miss Minchin told the girls to say thank you to Sara. "Thank you, Sara!" the girls shouted. Lottie jumped up and down. Sara made a nice curtsy to everyone.
Miss Minchin left the room. All the girls ran to the boxes. Sara opened the biggest box. The Last Doll was very beautiful. She was almost as big as Lottie.
The doll wore a coat with ermine. She had a small opera-glass in her hand. The girls looked at the doll’s trunk. It was full of silk stockings, lace collars, and many dresses.
"Suppose the doll understands us," Sara said. "Suppose she is proud of her clothes." Lavinia laughed at her. She said Sara was always "supposing" things.
"Could you pretend you were a princess if you were a beggar?" Lavinia asked. Sara looked thoughtful. "I think I could," Sara said. "But it would be very hard."
Suddenly, Miss Amelia entered the room. She looked worried. She said a solicitor was there to see Miss Minchin. His name was Mr. Barrow.
The girls went to another room to eat birthday cake. Becky stayed in the schoolroom for a moment. She wanted to look at the doll's clothes. She heard Miss Minchin coming and hid under a table.
Miss Minchin and Mr. Barrow entered the room. Mr. Barrow looked at the expensive doll. He thought the doll was a waste of money. He looked very serious.
"Captain Crewe spent too much money," Mr. Barrow said. Miss Minchin was offended. She said Captain Crewe was very rich because of the diamond mines.
"There are no diamond mines!" Mr. Barrow shouted. "The business failed. Captain Crewe lost all his money. His friend took the money and ran away."
Miss Minchin was shocked. "What do you mean?" she asked. Mr. Barrow told her the terrible news. Captain Crewe was dead. He died of a fever in India.
"He died with no money," Mr. Barrow said. "Sara is now a pauper. She has no family. She has nothing."
Miss Minchin was very angry. She had spent a lot of money on Sara’s birthday. Now, no one could pay the bills. She wanted to put Sara out on the street.
Mr. Barrow told her that was a bad idea. People would think Miss Minchin was cruel. "Keep the child," Mr. Barrow said. "She is clever. You can make her work for you."
Miss Minchin stood alone in the room. She was furious. She heard the children laughing in the next room. She saw Miss Amelia and asked for Sara.
"Does Sara have a black dress?" Miss Minchin asked. Miss Amelia said Sara had an old black dress. But the dress was too small for her.
"Tell her to put it on," Miss Minchin said. "She will not wear silk anymore. Her father is dead. She has no money. She is a beggar now, and I am stuck with her."
Miss Amelia began to cry. She went to find Sara. Miss Minchin walked across the room. She heard a noise under the table. She lifted the tablecloth and found Becky.
Becky was crying. She heard everything. "I am so sorry for poor Miss Sara!" Becky sobbed. Miss Minchin was very angry at Becky.
"Sara will wait on herself now," Miss Minchin said. "Go to the kitchen!" Becky ran away. She sat with her pots and pans and cried for Sara.
Later, Sara came to see Miss Minchin. Miss Amelia had told her that her father was dead. Sara wore the old black dress. It was very short. Her face was very white. She carried her doll, Emily.
"Put that doll down," Miss Minchin said. Sara refused. "No," she said. "My father gave her to me. She is all I have now."
Miss Minchin told Sara the truth. "You have no home and no money," she said. "I will keep you here because I am kind. But you must work."
Sara did not cry. She looked at Miss Minchin with big eyes. "Can I work?" she asked. She wanted to be useful.
"You will teach the younger children French," Miss Minchin said. "You will also work in the kitchen. You will run errands in the rain. You are like Becky now."
Miss Minchin told Sara to say thank you. Sara stood tall. "You are not kind," she said. "And this is not a home." She ran out of the room.
Sara went to her old bedroom. But Miss Amelia stopped her. "This is not your room now," Miss Amelia said. She felt ashamed.
"Where is my room?" Sara asked. Miss Amelia told her to go to the attic. Sara walked up many stairs.
The attic was cold and dirty. It had a small bed and an old chair. Sara sat on a footstool. She put her head on her doll and stayed very quiet.
There was a knock on the door. Becky entered the room. Becky’s face was red from crying. She looked at Sara with love.
"Oh, Becky," Sara said. "I am not a princess anymore. We are the same now. We are just two little girls."
Becky knelt on the floor. She took Sara’s hand. "You are still a princess to me," Becky cried. "Nothing can change that."