It was a dark winter day in London. The fog was very heavy. The street lamps were on. The shop windows were bright with light. A little girl sat in a cab 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 looked out of the window at the people. She had big, thoughtful eyes.
Sara 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 had lived for a long, long time.
Sara 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 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. She moved closer to Captain Crewe.
"Papa," Sara said in a quiet voice. "Papa."
"What is it, darling?" Captain Crewe asked. He held Sara close. "What are you thinking about?"
"Is this the place?" Sara whispered. "Is it, Papa?"
"Yes, little Sara. It is the place," Captain Crewe said. Sara knew her father was sad.
Sara had known about "the place" for a long time. Her mother died when she was born, so Sara only had her father. Captain Crewe was young and rich, and he loved her very much.
They always played together. Sara knew they were rich. In India, they lived in a big bungalow. Many servants worked there. They called Sara "Missee Sahib." This was a special name for a young lady.
Sara had many toys and pets. She had an ayah. The ayah loved Sara very much. Sara knew that rich people had these things.
But Sara was worried about "the place." The weather in India was bad for children. Parents usually sent their children to school in England. Sara 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 had asked him before. "I can help you with your lessons."
"I cannot stay with you, little Sara, because I must go back to my work," Captain Crewe said. "But you will not stay for a long time." "You will go to a nice house with other girls. You will play together. I will send you many books."
Sara 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 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 was his best friend. He would be very lonely in India without her. He held Sara 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 out of the cab. They walked up the steps and rang the bell.
Sara looked around the house. It was clean, but it was ugly. The chairs were very hard. Everything in the house was hard and shiny.
Sara sat in a hard chair. She looked around the room. "I do not like it, Papa," Sara said. "But soldiers are brave. They go into battle even if they do not like it."
Captain Crewe laughed. He loved Sara’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 asked.
"Because you are funny when you say them," Captain Crewe said. Then he stopped laughing. He hugged Sara. 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.
"I am happy to have little Sara here," Miss Minchin said. She touched Sara’s hand. "What a clever and beautiful child she is!"
Sara looked at Miss Minchin. She thought Miss Minchin was not being honest. "Why does she say I am beautiful?" Sara thought. "I am not beautiful."
Sara had short black hair and green eyes. She was very thin. She thought she was ugly. But Sara was not ugly. She was tall for her age and very pretty in a strange way. She had big eyes and long eyelashes.
Sara stood near Captain Crewe. She listened to the adults talk. Sara was a parlor boarder. She would have her own bedroom and a sitting room. She would have a pony and a carriage.
"Sara 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 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 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 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. They thought she was a princess.
Finally, they looked for Emily. They went to many shops. Sara wanted a doll that looked like she could listen.
"Most dolls do not hear anything," Sara said.
Then they saw a doll in a small shop. Sara pointed at her. "Oh, Papa! There is Emily!"
Sara 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. But he was also very sad. He was going to leave his daughter.
One night, Captain Crewe looked at Sara while she slept. Sara 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 to the school. He was going to sail to India the next morning. He told Miss Minchin to give Sara everything she wanted.
Then Captain Crewe and Sara went to her sitting room. They said goodbye. Sara sat on his knee.
"Are you learning me by heart, little Sara?" Captain Crewe asked.
"No," Sara 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 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. But the door was locked.
"I want to be alone, please," Sara said from inside.
Miss Amelia was a kind woman, but she was afraid of Miss Minchin. She went back downstairs. "Sara 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. She has very fine lace. The clothes are too much for a child, but she will look good at the front of the line on Sundays. We must treat her like a little princess."
Upstairs, Sara and Emily sat on the floor. They looked at the street. Captain Crewe was gone.