It was a dark winter day in London. The fog (thick, grey air that is hard to see through) was very heavy. The street lamps were on. The shop windows were bright with light. A little girl sat in a cab (a carriage pulled by a horse) with her father. The cab moved slowly through the big streets.
The girl’s name was Sara Crewe. She sat with her feet under her. She leaned against her father, Captain Crewe. Sara Crewe looked out of the window at the people. She had big, thoughtful eyes.
Sara Crewe was only seven years old. But her face looked much older. She was always dreaming and thinking. She thought about many things. She felt like she lived for a long, long time.
Sara Crewe remembered her journey from India. She came to London on a big ship with Captain Crewe. She remembered the hot sun. She remembered the children on the ship. She remembered the women who tried to make her laugh.
Sara Crewe thought it was strange. One day, she was in the hot sun of India. Then, she was in the middle of the ocean. Now, she was in a dark, cold street in London. This puzzled Sara Crewe. She moved closer to Captain Crewe.
"Papa," Sara Crewe said in a quiet voice. "Papa."
"What is it, darling?" Captain Crewe asked. He held Sara Crewe close. "What are you thinking about?"
"Is this the place?" Sara Crewe whispered. "Is it, Papa?"
"Yes, little Sara. It is the place," Captain Crewe said. Sara Crewe knew her father was sad.
Sara Crewe knew about "the place" for a long time. Her mother died when Sara Crewe was born. Sara Crewe only had her father. Captain Crewe was young and rich. He loved Sara Crewe very much.
They always played together. Sara Crewe knew they were rich. In India, they lived in a big bungalow (a large house with only one floor). Many servants worked there. They called Sara Crewe "Missee Sahib." This was a special name for a young lady.
Sara Crewe had many toys and pets. She had an ayah (a woman from India who looks after children). The ayah loved Sara Crewe very much. Sara Crewe knew that rich people had these things.
But Sara Crewe was worried about "the place." The weather in India was bad for children. Parents usually sent their children to school in England. Sara Crewe knew she must go too. She was sad because Captain Crewe could not stay with her.
"Can you stay at school with me, Papa?" Sara Crewe asked him before. "I can help you with your lessons."
"You will not stay for a long time, little Sara," Captain Crewe said. "You will go to a nice house with other girls. You will play together. I will send you many books."
Sara Crewe liked that idea. She wanted to take care of her father’s house one day. She wanted to read his books. She liked books more than anything else. She also liked to tell stories to herself.
"Well, Papa," Sara Crewe said quietly. "If we are here, we must be brave."
Captain Crewe laughed and kissed her. He was not brave. He was very sad. Sara Crewe was his best friend. He would be very lonely in India without her. He held Sara Crewe tightly as the cab stopped.
The house was big and brown. It looked like all the other houses in the street. There was a sign on the door. It said: MISS MINCHIN. SCHOOL FOR YOUNG LADIES.
"We are here, Sara," Captain Crewe said. He tried to sound happy. He helped Sara Crewe out of the cab. They walked up the steps and rang the bell.
Sara Crewe thought the house was like Miss Minchin. It was clean, but it was ugly. The chairs were very hard. Everything in the house was hard and shiny.
Sara Crewe sat in a hard chair. She looked around the room. "I do not like it, Papa," Sara Crewe said. "But soldiers are brave. They go into battle even if they do not like it."
Captain Crewe laughed. He loved Sara Crewe’s serious talk. "What will I do without you?" he asked. "No one else is as serious as you."
"Why do you laugh at serious things?" Sara Crewe asked.
"Because you are funny when you say them," Captain Crewe said. Then he stopped laughing. He hugged Sara Crewe. He almost cried.
Then Miss Minchin entered the room. She was like her house. She was tall and ugly. She had cold, fishy eyes. She had a cold, fishy smile. But the smile became big when she saw Captain Crewe.
Miss Minchin knew Captain Crewe was a rich soldier. She knew he wanted to spend money on Sara Crewe.
"I am happy to have Sara Crewe here," Miss Minchin said. She touched Sara Crewe’s hand. "I heard she is a very clever child."
Sara Crewe looked at Miss Minchin. She thought Miss Minchin was not being honest. "Why does she say I am beautiful?" Sara Crewe thought. "I am not beautiful."
Sara Crewe had short black hair and green eyes. She was very thin. She thought she was ugly. But Sara Crewe was not ugly. She was tall for her age and very pretty in a strange way. She had big eyes and long eyelashes.
Sara Crewe stood near Captain Crewe. She listened to the adults talk. Sara Crewe was a parlor boarder (a student who pays more and gets special treatment). She would have her own bedroom and a sitting room. She would have a pony and a carriage.
"Sara Crewe reads too much," Captain Crewe said. "She gobbles up books like a wolf. She wants books for grown-up people. Please make her play more."
"Papa," Sara Crewe said. "I do not want too many dolls. Dolls should be my friends. Emily will be my friend."
"Who is Emily?" Miss Minchin asked.
"Emily is a doll," Sara Crewe said. "Papa is going to buy her for me. She will be my friend when Papa leaves."
"What a sweet child!" Miss Minchin said.
Sara Crewe stayed at a hotel with Captain Crewe for a few days. They went to many shops. They bought many clothes. They bought velvet dresses and fur coats. They bought silk stockings and gloves. The workers in the shops talked about Sara Crewe. They thought she was a princess (the daughter of a king).
Finally, they looked for Emily. They went to many shops. Sara Crewe wanted a doll that looked like she could listen.
"Most dolls do not hear anything," Sara Crewe said.
Then they saw a doll in a small shop. Sara Crewe pointed at her. "Oh, Papa! There is Emily!"
Sara Crewe loved the doll immediately. The doll had blue eyes and golden hair. She looked very intelligent. They bought Emily and bought her many clothes too.
Captain Crewe was happy to shop with Sara Crewe. But he was also very sad. He was going to leave his daughter.
One night, Captain Crewe looked at Sara Crewe while she slept. Sara Crewe held Emily in her arms. Both of them had long eyelashes. Both looked very peaceful.
"I will miss you so much, little Sara," Captain Crewe said to himself.
The next day, Captain Crewe took Sara Crewe to the school. He was going to sail to India the next morning. He told Miss Minchin to give Sara Crewe everything she wanted.
Then Captain Crewe and Sara Crewe went to her sitting room. They said goodbye. Sara Crewe sat on his knee.
"Are you learning my face?" Captain Crewe asked.
"No," Sara Crewe said. "I know you by heart. You are inside my heart." They hugged each other for a long time.
Captain Crewe left in a cab. Sara Crewe sat on the floor. She watched the cab from the window. Emily sat next to her.
Miss Minchin sent her sister, Miss Amelia, to see Sara Crewe. But the door was locked.
"I want to be alone, please," Sara Crewe said from inside.
Miss Amelia was a kind woman, but she was afraid of Miss Minchin. She went back downstairs. "Sara Crewe locked her door," Miss Amelia said. "She is very quiet."
"That is good," Miss Minchin said. "She is a spoiled child. But she has very expensive clothes. She has coats made of ermine (expensive white fur). She has very fine lace."
"The clothes are too much for a child," Miss Minchin said. "But she will look good at the front of the line on Sundays. We must treat her like a little princess."
Upstairs, Sara Crewe and Emily sat on the floor. They looked at the street. Captain Crewe was gone.