On that first morning, Sara Crewe sat next to Miss Minchin. Every girl in the schoolroom looked at her. Sara Crewe noticed one girl. This girl was about seven years old. She had light blue eyes and was a bit fat.
The girl’s hair was in a tight pigtail (a braid of hair that hangs down the back). She had a ribbon on the hair. The girl was biting the ribbon. She stared at Sara Crewe. This girl did not look very clever.
Ermengarde St. John was very surprised. She heard Sara Crewe speak French to Monsieur Dufarge. Ermengarde St. John cried for weeks to learn simple French words. Now, she saw a girl who knew all the words. She was very amazed.
Ermengarde St. John stared so hard that Miss Minchin saw her. Miss Minchin was very angry that morning. She looked at Ermengarde St. John. "Miss St. John!" Miss Minchin said loudly. "Sit up! Take the ribbon out of your mouth!"
Ermengarde St. John jumped. Her face became very red. Lavinia Herbert and Jessie laughed at her. Ermengarde St. John looked like she wanted to cry. Sara Crewe felt very sorry for her.
Sara Crewe always wanted to help people in trouble. Captain Crewe used to talk about this. He said Sara Crewe was like a soldier. She wanted to fight for people who were sad. Sara Crewe looked at Ermengarde St. John often that morning.
Ermengarde St. John was not good at lessons. Her French was very bad. Monsieur Dufarge smiled when she spoke. Lavinia Herbert and Jessie laughed again. Sara Crewe did not laugh. She felt angry at the other girls.
"It is not funny," Sara Crewe thought. "They should not laugh." Sara Crewe looked at the poor, unhappy girl.
Lessons finished. The girls talked in groups. Sara Crewe looked for Ermengarde St. John. She found the girl sitting alone near a window. Sara Crewe walked to her.
"What is your name?" Sara Crewe asked. Sara Crewe was very friendly. Everyone liked her. But Ermengarde St. John was very surprised. Sara Crewe was famous in the school already. She had a pony and a maid (a person who is paid to help someone).
"My name is Ermengarde St. John," the girl answered.
"My name is Sara Crewe," Sara Crewe said. "Your name is very pretty. It sounds like a name from a book."
"Do you like it?" Ermengarde St. John asked. "I like your name too."
Ermengarde St. John had a very clever father. He spoke many languages. He had thousands of books. He wanted Ermengarde St. John to be clever too. But Ermengarde St. John was not clever. She forgot her lessons very fast.
Ermengarde St. John was the dunce (the person who is slowest to learn in a class) of the school. Her father told Miss Minchin to make her learn. Because of this, Ermengarde St. John was often in trouble. She was very sad.
Ermengarde St. John looked at Sara Crewe with respect. "You can speak French, can't you?" she asked.
Sara Crewe sat on the window-seat. She pulled her feet up. "I know it because I heard it all my life," Sara Crewe said. "You could speak it too if you heard it."
"No, I could not," Ermengarde St. John said. She shook her head. "The words are too strange. You are very clever, Sara Crewe."
Sara Crewe looked out the window. She saw some birds in the rain. She did not know if she was clever.
"Would you like to see Emily?" Sara Crewe asked.
"Who is Emily?" Ermengarde St. John asked.
"Come to my room," Sara Crewe said. She took Ermengarde St. John’s hand. They walked upstairs together.
"Is it true you have your own playroom?" Ermengarde St. John whispered.
"Yes," Sara Crewe said. "I like to tell stories to myself. I do not want people to listen to me."
"You make up stories!" Ermengarde St. John said. She was very surprised. "Can you do that and speak French too?"
Sara Crewe smiled. "Anyone can make up stories," she said. "Have you never tried?"
They walked quietly to the door. "We must be very quiet," Sara Crewe whispered. "Maybe we can catch her." Ermengarde St. John did not understand, but she felt excited.
Sara Crewe opened the door quickly. The room was warm and quiet. There was a fire in the grate (the metal frame that holds wood in a fireplace). Emily the doll sat in a chair. She had a book.
"She moved back to her seat quickly," Sara Crewe explained. "Dolls are very fast."
Ermengarde St. John stared at the doll. "Can she walk?" she asked.
"I pretend she can," Sara Crewe said. "That makes it feel true. Have you never pretended things?"
"No," Ermengarde St. John said. "Never. Tell me about it."
"Let us sit down," Sara Crewe said. "I will tell you. It is beautiful to pretend things." Sara Crewe introduced Ermengarde St. John to Emily. Ermengarde St. John held the beautiful doll.
Sara Crewe sat on the rug. She told Ermengarde St. John about her ship journey. She told her about India. She told her about the magic of dolls. Ermengarde St. John listened with a big smile.
Suddenly, Sara Crewe stopped talking. Her face changed. She looked very sad. Her eyes were not bright anymore. She took a deep breath. She did not want to cry.
"Do you have a pain?" Ermengarde St. John asked.
"Yes," Sara Crewe said. "But not in my body. Do you love your father very much?"
Ermengarde St. John felt shy. She did not see her father very often. He was always reading books in his library.
"I love my father more than anything," Sara Crewe said. "That is my pain. He went away." Sara Crewe put her head on her knees. She sat very still.
Ermengarde St. John thought Sara Crewe was going to cry. But Sara Crewe did not cry.
"I promised Papa I would be brave," Sara Crewe said. "Soldiers are brave. My father is a soldier. He does not cry. I will not cry."
Ermengarde St. John looked at her. She liked Sara Crewe very much now. Sara Crewe was very wonderful.
Sara Crewe smiled again. "If I talk about pretending, I feel better," she said.
"Lavinia Herbert and Jessie are best friends," Ermengarde St. John said. "Can we be best friends? I am stupid, but I like you."
"Yes. We will be friends," Sara Crewe said. She felt happy. "And I have an idea. I can help you with your French lessons."