Sara Crewe had a special power. This power helped Sara Crewe get many followers. She was the best student at the school. Lavinia Herbert and other girls were very jealous of Sara Crewe. But they also liked to listen to her. Sara Crewe had the power to tell wonderful stories.
Everyone at the school loved stories. Groups of girls always followed Sara Crewe. They asked her to tell them a story in a quiet whisper. Sara Crewe loved to tell stories. She sat in the middle of a circle of children.
When Sara Crewe told stories, her green eyes became big and bright. Her face became red with excitement. She moved her hands and her body. She did not know she was acting. She lived inside her own stories.
Sara Crewe saw the kings and queens in her mind. She lived with the beautiful ladies in her adventures. Sometimes Sara Crewe was out of breath at the end. She laughed at herself. Her heart beat very fast.
"When I tell a story, it feels real," Sara Crewe said. "The story feels more real than you are. It feels more real than this schoolroom. I feel like I am the people in the story."
Sara Crewe lived at the school for two years. One cold, foggy afternoon, she arrived at the school. She got out of her carriage (a type of car pulled by horses). She wore warm, expensive clothes made of velvet and fur.
Sara Crewe saw a dirty little girl on the steps. The girl had a messy face. She looked at Sara Crewe with big eyes. Sara Crewe smiled at the girl. It was natural for Sara Crewe to smile at people.
The dirty girl was afraid. She did not want Miss Minchin to see her. She ran away into the kitchen very fast. Sara Crewe almost laughed because the girl moved so quickly. The girl looked very sad and lonely.
That evening, Sara Crewe told a story in the schoolroom. A group of girls sat around Sara Crewe. The same dirty girl entered the room. She carried a heavy coal box (a metal box for carrying fuel for the fire).
The girl knelt on the floor near the fire. She was cleaner now, but she still looked frightened. She was afraid to look at the children. She put coal on the fire very quietly. She did not want to make a noise.
Sara Crewe saw that the girl was listening. The girl worked very slowly. She wanted to hear the story. Sara Crewe began to speak more clearly for the girl.
"The Mermaids swam in the green water," Sara Crewe said. "They had a net made of pearls. The Princess sat on a white rock and watched them." It was a story about a princess and a prince under the sea.
The little girl swept the floor near the fire. She liked the story very much. She forgot her work and her surroundings. She sat on the floor and listened to Sara Crewe. The story was like magic to her.
Suddenly, the brush fell from the girl's hand. Lavinia Herbert looked at the girl. "That girl is listening to the story!" Lavinia Herbert said loudly.
The girl was a culprit (a person who does something wrong). She grabbed her brush and her coal box. She ran out of the room like a scared rabbit. She was very fast.
Sara Crewe felt angry. "I knew she was listening," Sara Crewe said. "Why is that a problem?" Lavinia Herbert moved her head in a mean way.
"My mother says we should not talk to servants," Lavinia Herbert said. Sara Crewe looked at her. "My mother would not mind," Sara Crewe said. "Stories belong to everyone."
"Your mother is dead," Lavinia Herbert said. "How can she know anything?" Sara Crewe spoke in a very serious voice. "Do you think she does not know things?" Sara Crewe asked.
Little Lottie spoke too. "Sara Crewe's mother knows everything," Lottie said. "She is in a place with flowers and light. Sara Crewe tells me about it every night."
Lavinia Herbert was angry. She said Sara Crewe told lies about heaven. Sara Crewe told Lavinia Herbert to be kinder to people. Then Sara Crewe and Lottie walked out of the room.
That night, Sara Crewe talked to Mariette. Mariette was Sara Crewe’s maid (a woman who works in a house). Sara Crewe asked about the girl who made the fires. Mariette knew about her.
Mariette said the girl was a scullery maid (a servant who does the hardest kitchen work). The girl worked very hard every day. She cleaned boots and floors. She moved heavy coal up and down the stairs.
The girl was fourteen years old. But she was very small and looked twelve. Her name was Becky. Everyone shouted at Becky all day. Becky was always very afraid.
After Mariette left, Sara Crewe thought about Becky. Sara Crewe thought Becky looked very hungry. Sara Crewe wanted to see Becky again. She wanted to talk to her, but Becky was always in a hurry.
A few weeks later, it was another foggy afternoon. Sara Crewe entered her own sitting room. She saw something very sad. Becky was in Sara Crewe's favorite chair.
Becky had dirt on her nose and her apron. She was fast asleep because she was very tired. She worked all day in the big house. Sara Crewe's room was the last room on Becky's list.
Sara Crewe’s room was very beautiful. It had books, pictures, and a soft sofa. Other pupils had very simple rooms. But Sara Crewe had many nice things from India.
Becky liked to come to this room. It was warm and quiet. She wanted to sit in the soft chair for a few minutes. She thought about the lucky girl who lived there.
Today, the chair felt so good. Becky was very warm because of the fire. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. She looked like a tired, small servant.
Sara Crewe looked very different from Becky. Sara Crewe came from a dancing lesson. She wore a beautiful pink dress. She had flowers in her black hair.
Sara Crewe danced into the room like a pink butterfly. Then she saw Becky in her chair. "Oh!" Sara Crewe said softly. "That poor girl!"
Sara Crewe was not angry. She was happy to see Becky there. Sara Crewe wanted to talk to her. She stood near the chair and waited for Becky to wake up.
Sara Crewe sat on the table. She worried about Becky. If Miss Minchin found Becky there, Miss Minchin would be very angry. Becky was so tired.
A piece of hot coal fell on the floor. The noise woke Becky up. Becky saw Sara Crewe sitting near her. Becky was very afraid and surprised.
Becky jumped up quickly. She tried to fix her cap. She thought she was in big trouble. She thought Miss Minchin would make her leave the school.
"Oh, miss!" Becky cried. "Please forgive me! I am so sorry!" Sara Crewe jumped down from the table. She went close to Becky.
"Do not be afraid," Sara Crewe said. "It is okay." Becky said she was only very tired. She said she did not want to be rude to Sara Crewe.
Sara Crewe laughed in a friendly way. She put her hand on Becky's shoulder. "You were tired," Sara Crewe said. "You could not help it. You are not awake yet."
Becky looked at Sara Crewe. No one ever spoke to Becky in a nice way. People usually shouted at her. Sara Crewe's hand felt very soft and kind.
"Are you not angry, miss?" Becky asked. "Will you tell Miss Minchin?" Sara Crewe said she would not tell. She felt very sorry for Becky.
Sara Crewe put her hand on Becky's face. "We are the same," Sara Crewe said. "We are both just little girls. It is only an accident that I am not you."
Becky did not understand. To Becky, an accident (a bad event where someone is hurt) was a very bad thing. She thought about people falling off ladders. She did not understand Sara Crewe's idea.
Sara Crewe realized Becky did not understand. "Is your work finished?" Sara Crewe asked. "Can you stay here for a few minutes?" Becky was very surprised.
Sara Crewe checked the hall. No one was there. Sara Crewe opened a cupboard. She gave Becky a big piece of cake. Becky was very hungry and ate it fast.
Becky looked at Sara Crewe's pink dress. "Is that your best dress?" Becky asked in a whisper. Sara Crewe said it was a dancing dress. Becky loved it.
Becky told Sara Crewe a story. One time, Becky saw a real princess in the street. The princess wore pink clothes and flowers. Becky thought Sara Crewe looked like that princess.
"I want to be a princess," Sara Crewe said. "I will start to pretend now." Becky looked at Sara Crewe with love. She still did not understand Sara Crewe's thoughts.
Sara Crewe asked Becky if she liked the story about the Mermaids. Becky said yes. She loved the part about the babies with stars in their hair. She wanted to hear more.
"I will tell you the story every day," Sara Crewe promised. Becky was very happy. She said she did not mind her hard work now. She had a story to think about.
Becky went downstairs. She felt different now. She was warm and she was not hungry. Sara Crewe's kindness made Becky feel better. Becky had cake in her pocket.
Sara Crewe sat on her table again. She thought about being a princess. A princess can give largess (money or gifts given to poor people). Sara Crewe wanted to give things too.
Sara Crewe was not a real princess. But she could do kind things for people. This was her own type of largess. Sara Crewe felt happy because she helped Becky.