The next morning, Sara walked into the schoolroom. All the students looked at her with big eyes. Every girl knew about Sara, from Lavinia Herbert, who was thirteen years old and felt very grown up, to Lottie Legh, who was only four years old and was the baby of the school.
The students knew that Sara was Miss Minchin’s favorite student. Some girls had already seen Sara’s French maid, Mariette. The evening before, Lavinia had seen Mariette opening a big box of clothes for Sara.
"The box was full of petticoats with lace," Lavinia whispered to her friend Jessie. "My mother says children should wear simple clothes. Sara’s clothes are too grand. It is silly for a child."
"She has silk stockings on!" Jessie whispered. "And her feet are so small. I never saw such small feet."
"That is because of her shoes," Lavinia said in a mean way. "A good shoemaker can make any feet look small. I do not think she is pretty. Her eyes are a strange color."
"She is not like other pretty people," Jessie said. "But you want to look at her. She has very long eyelashes. Her eyes are almost green."
Sara sat quietly in her seat. She was near Miss Minchin’s desk. Sara was not shy when the girls looked at her. She looked back at them quietly. She wondered if they liked Miss Minchin. She wondered if they had a father like Captain Crewe.
Earlier that morning, before coming to the schoolroom, Sara had talked to her doll, Emily. "Papa is on the sea now, Emily," she had said. "We must be very good friends." Sara liked to pretend that Emily was real. She pretended that Emily could hear and understand her.
Mariette had helped Sara get dressed. Sara wore a dark blue dress and a blue ribbon in her hair. Then Sara gave a book to Emily. Emily sat in her own small chair.
"You can read this while I am away," Sara said to the doll. Mariette looked at her. Sara spoke to Mariette. "I believe dolls have a secret," Sara said. "Perhaps Emily can read and talk. But dolls only do it when people leave the room. If we stay, they just sit and stare."
"She is a strange child!" Mariette thought. But Mariette liked Sara. Sara had very good manners. She always said "if you please" and "thank you" to Mariette. Mariette told the other servants that Sara was like a princess.
In the schoolroom, Miss Minchin tapped on her desk. "Young ladies," Miss Minchin said. "This is your new friend, Sara. She came from India. You must be kind to her." The girls bowed to Sara. Sara made a curtsy.
"Sara," Miss Minchin said. "Come here." Miss Minchin took a book from her desk. Sara walked to her. "Your father hired a French maid for you. I think he wants you to learn French."
Sara felt a little strange. "I think he hired her because he thought I would like her, Miss Minchin," Sara said.
"You are a spoiled little girl," Miss Minchin said with a mean smile. "You think everything happens because you like it. I think your father wants you to learn French."
Sara wanted to be polite. She did not want to be rude to Miss Minchin. But Sara already knew French. Her mother had been French, and her father had spoken it to her since she was a baby. Sara had heard French her whole life.
"I never really learned French, but—" Sara started to say. Miss Minchin did not speak French. She did not want people to know this.
"That is enough," Miss Minchin said. "If you do not know it, you must begin now. The French teacher will arrive soon. Look at this book until he comes."
Sara’s face felt warm. She went back to her seat and opened the book. It was a very easy book. It said that "le pere" means "the father." Sara did not want to smile because that would be rude.
"You look angry, Sara," Miss Minchin said. "I am sorry you do not like French."
"I like it very much," Sara said. "But—"
"Do not say 'but' to me," Miss Minchin said. "Look at your book."
A few minutes later, the French teacher arrived. His name was Monsieur Dufarge. He was a kind, middle-aged man. He looked at Sara.
"Is this a new student?" Monsieur Dufarge asked Miss Minchin.
"Yes," Miss Minchin said. "Her father wants her to learn French. But she does not want to study."
"I am sorry," Monsieur Dufarge said to Sara. "French is a very beautiful language."
Sara stood up. She looked at Monsieur Dufarge with her big eyes. She spoke to him in perfect French. She explained that she did not learn French from books. She said her father always spoke it to her. She said she already knew the words in the book.
Miss Minchin was very surprised. She stared at Sara. Monsieur Dufarge began to smile. He was very happy to hear his own language in London.
"Ah, Madame," Monsieur Dufarge said to Miss Minchin. "I cannot teach her much. She is French! Her accent is perfect."
Miss Minchin was very embarrassed. She looked at Sara. "You should have told me that you know French!" Miss Minchin said.
"I tried to tell you," Sara said.
Miss Minchin saw the other girls laughing. Lavinia and Jessie were laughing behind their books. Miss Minchin was very angry.
"Silence!" Miss Minchin said. She hit her desk again. From that moment, Miss Minchin did not like Sara.