Sara walked past the house next door. She saw Ram Dass closing the windows. She looked into the warm room for a moment. She thought about how long it was since she sat in a nice room.
Inside the room, the Indian gentleman sat by a bright fire. He looked very lonely and sad. He was thinking about the lost girl. He hoped his friend Mr. Carmichael could find her in Moscow.
When Sara entered her own house, she met Miss Minchin. Miss Minchin was angry. She asked Sara why she was out for so long. Sara said the streets were very muddy and her shoes were bad. Miss Minchin told Sara to stop making excuses.
Sara went to the kitchen to see the cook. The cook was in a very bad mood. The cook did not give Sara any tea or dinner. She told Sara to find some hard bread in the pantry. But there was no bread left, so Sara started the long walk up the stairs with nothing.
The stairs were very steep. Sara was very tired and felt weak. When she reached the attic, she saw a light under her door. She was happy because she knew Ermengarde was there. Ermengarde was sitting on the bed with her feet up. She was afraid of Melchisedec the rat.
Ermengarde said, "I am glad you are here, Sara. The rat was looking at me." Sara sat down on her old footstool. She looked at Melchisedec. She told the rat she had no crumbs for him today. The rat looked sad and went back into his hole.
Ermengarde had a pile of new books. Her father sent them to her. Ermengarde was sad because she did not like to read difficult books. Sara looked at the books. One was about the French Revolution. Sara loved stories about history.
Sara said, "I will read these books for you. Then I will tell you the stories. I will make you remember everything." Ermengarde was very happy. She said she would give Sara anything for her help. Sara only wanted to read the books.
Sara put on dry slippers. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. She sat on the bed and told Ermengarde stories about the French Revolution. She told stories about kings and queens. Ermengarde listened with wide eyes.
Then Sara heard a sound on the roof. It sounded like something moving softly. But then they heard a louder sound on the stairs. It was the angry voice of Miss Minchin. Sara quickly blew out the candle.
Miss Minchin was scolding Becky on the stairs. Miss Minchin said Becky stole a meat pie from the kitchen. Becky was crying. She said she did not take the pie. The cook actually gave the pie to a policeman, but she blamed Becky.
Miss Minchin hit Becky and told her to go to her room. Sara was very angry in the dark. She knew Becky was honest. Sara started to cry. It was the first time she cried like that.
Ermengarde was surprised. She asked Sara if she was hungry. Sara said, "Yes, I am very hungry. And Becky is even hungrier than I am." Ermengarde felt very sorry. She had not realized how hungry Sara was.
Suddenly, Ermengarde had a great idea. Her aunt sent her a hamper that afternoon. The basket was full of cake, meat pies, fruit, and jam tarts. Ermengarde said she would go and get it.
Sara was very excited. She said, "Let us pretend we are having a party!" They knocked on the wall to tell Becky. Becky came into the room. She was very happy when she heard about the food.
Ermengarde went to get the basket. While she was gone, Sara and Becky set the table. They used Ermengarde’s red shawl as a tablecloth. Sara found some old white handkerchiefs in her trunk. She used them as plates.
Sara used her imagination. She said the attic was now a banquet hall. She used a soap dish and a wreath to make the table look beautiful.
Ermengarde came back with the basket. They put the cakes and pies on the table. It looked like a real party. Sara pretended she was a princess. She told Becky and Ermengarde to sit down and eat.
Just as they started to eat, the door opened. It was Miss Minchin. She was very angry. Lavinia had told her about the secret party. Miss Minchin slapped Becky on the side of the head again. She told Becky she must leave the house in the morning.
Miss Minchin told Ermengarde to go to bed. She told Sara she would have no food tomorrow. Sara looked at Miss Minchin. Sara said, "I wonder what my papa would say if he saw me now." This made Miss Minchin even more angry. She shook Sara and left the room.
The party was over. The room was dark and cold again. Sara was alone. She sat on her bed and felt very weak. She closed her eyes and tried to dream. She imagined a warm fire and a soft bed. Then she fell into a deep sleep.
Later that night, Sara woke up. She felt very warm. She thought she was still dreaming. She felt a soft blanket on her body. It was an eider-down quilt.
She opened her eyes and gave a little cry. There was a bright fire in the room! There was a soft rug on the floor. There was a table with hot food and a hot teapot. At the foot of her bed was a beautiful dressing-gown and new slippers.
Sara stood up. She held her hands near the fire. It was hot. She touched the food. It was real. She was not dreaming. This was real magic! She found a book on the table. Inside the book, it said: "To the little girl in the attic. From a friend."
Sara started to cry with joy. She knew she had a friend. She took her candle and went to Becky’s room. She told Becky to wake up. Becky was confused. She followed Sara into the attic.
Becky saw the fire and the food. Her eyes were very wide. Sara laughed and hugged her. She said, "The Magic came, Becky! The Magic is real!" They sat down in the warm room and felt happy for the first time in a long time.