An exciting thing happened at the school. All the girls talked about it for weeks. Captain Crewe wrote a very interesting letter to Sara. A friend from school visited Captain Crewe in India.
This friend owned a lot of land. He found diamonds on his land. He started to dig diamond mines. He asked Captain Crewe to be his partner.
If the business was successful, Captain Crewe would be very rich. This story was very exciting for the children. Sara told stories about the mines to Ermengarde and Lottie. She described dark tunnels and walls of bright, sparkling stones.
Lavinia was very mean about the story. She told her friend Jessie that diamond mines were not real. "My mother has an expensive diamond ring," Lavinia said. "If there were many diamonds, everyone would be rich."
"Maybe all that money will make Sara silly," Jessie said. Lavinia sniffed. "She is already silly," she said. Jessie asked if Lavinia hated Sara.
Lavinia said she did not hate her. Then Jessie told her a secret. Sara pretended that she was a princess. She said this helped her learn her lessons better.
"She thinks she can be a princess even if she is a beggar," Lavinia said. "Let's call her Your Royal Highness." Lavinia and Jessie laughed at Sara.
The lessons for the day were over. The girls sat near the fire in the schoolroom. Miss Minchin and Miss Amelia were drinking tea in their own room. This was a time for the girls to talk and share secrets.
Sara entered the room with Lottie. Lottie followed her everywhere like a little dog. Lavinia whispered that she did not like Lottie. She thought Lottie was a loud child.
Lottie went to play with the younger children. Sara sat by the window to read a book. The book was about the French Revolution.
Sara read about the Bastille. The book described prisoners in dark rooms. They stayed there for many years. When they left the prison, they had long gray hair.
Suddenly, Lottie made a loud noise. Lottie fell down and hurt her knee. She began to cry very loudly. Lavinia told Lottie to stop crying.
"I am not a cry-baby!" Lottie shouted. Sara put her book down. She ran to Lottie and put her arms around her. She was Lottie's "mamma" at the school.
"You promised to be brave, Lottie," Sara said in a quiet voice. Lottie had no real mother, so Sara comforted her. "I am your mamma now," Sara said. "Come and hear a story about the diamond mines."
Lavinia was very angry. "I want to slap that spoiled child!" she said. Sara stood up. She did not like Lavinia.
"I want to slap you, too," Sara said to Lavinia. "But I will not do it. We are not gutter children. We are old enough to be good."
"Oh, yes, Your Royal Highness," Lavinia said. "You are a princess. The school is very special because you are here." She laughed at Sara.
Sara felt very angry. She wanted to hit Lavinia. But a princess must be calm. Sara stood very still. Then she spoke in a quiet, steady voice.
"It is true," Sara said. "I do pretend I am a princess. I pretend so that I can behave like a good person." Lavinia did not know what to say.
The other girls listened with interest. They liked the idea of a princess. Some girls called her "Princess Sara" because they liked her. Miss Minchin liked the name too. She thought it made her school sound important.
Becky also thought Sara was a princess. Becky and Sara were now secret friends. Sometimes, Becky came to Sara’s room. She put coal on the fire and Sara told her stories.
Sara gave Becky good things to eat. She bought meat pies and sandwiches. "These keep me full," Becky said happily. Becky was not as hungry as before.
Becky told Sara about her room. Becky lived in an attic. There were many rats there.
"Ugh!" Sara said. She was afraid of rats. But Becky said she was used to them. Becky was just happy to have a friend like Sara.
Sara was a natural giver. She had a kind heart. She gave Becky help, comfort, and laughter. Laughter was as good for Becky as the meat pies.
A few weeks before Sara’s eleventh birthday, a letter arrived. Captain Crewe was not feeling well. He was worried about the diamond mines. He did not understand the business papers.
"I am not a businessman," Captain Crewe wrote. "I cannot sleep. I wish my 'little missus' was here to help me." He called Sara his "little missus" as a joke.
Captain Crewe also wrote that he had bought a new doll from Paris for Sara’s birthday. Sara wrote a letter back. She said this would be her "Last Doll."
When Sara’s letter arrived in India, Captain Crewe had a bad headache. Still, he read her letter and laughed. He loved her very much. He wanted to go home and hug her.
The school prepared for a big party. The girls put green leaves on the walls. Sara went to her room on her birthday morning. She found a small package on the table.
The package was a red pincushion. It had the words "Menny hapy returns" made with pins on it. The spelling was not correct.
Then Becky came into the room. She was smiling. "Do you like it, Miss Sara?" Becky asked. Sara realized Becky had made the gift herself.
Becky had used old cloth to make the pincushion and found the pins in the trash. She had worked at night to finish it.
Sara hugged Becky tightly. "I love you, Becky!" she said. She had a happy feeling in her heart. Becky was very happy because the "princess" loved her gift.