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The Little Princess Chapter 19 - Anne · The Frances Hodgson Burnett Library

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  Speaker 1: CHAPTER XIX. ANNE Never had such joy reigned in the
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  Speaker 1: nursery of the large family. Never had they dreamed of
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  Speaker 1: such delights as resulted from an intimate acquaintance with the
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  Speaker 1: little girl who was not a beggar. The mere fact
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  Speaker 1: of her sufferings and adventures made her a priceless possession.
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  Speaker 1: Everybody wanted to be told over and over again the
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  Speaker 1: things which had happened to her. When one was sitting
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  Speaker 1: by a warm fire in a big glowing room it
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  Speaker 1: was quite delightful to hear how cold it could be
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  Speaker 1: in an attic. It must be admitted that the attic
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  Speaker 1: was rather delighted in and that its coldness and bareness
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  Speaker 1: quite sank into insignificance when Melchizedek was remembered and one
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  Speaker 1: heard about the sparrows and things one could see if
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  Speaker 1: one climbed on the table and stuck one's head and
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  Speaker 1: shoulders out of the skylight. Of course, the thing loved
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  Speaker 1: best was the story of the banquet and the dream
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  Speaker 1: which was true. Sarah told it for the first time
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  Speaker 1: the day after she had been found. Several members of
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  Speaker 1: the large family came to take tea with her, and
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  Speaker 1: as they sat or curled up on the hearth-rug, she
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  Speaker 1: told the story in her own way, and the Indian
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  Speaker 1: gentleman listened and watched her. When she had finished, she
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  Speaker 1: looked up at him and put her hand on his knee.
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  Speaker 1: That is my part, she said. Now won't you tell
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  Speaker 1: your part of it, Uncle Tom? He had asked her
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  Speaker 1: to call him always Uncle Tom. I don't know your
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  Speaker 1: part yet, and it must be beautiful. So he told
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  Speaker 1: them how, when he sat alone, ill and dull and irritable,
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  Speaker 1: Ram Dass had tried to distract him by describing the passers-by,
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  Speaker 1: and there was one child who passed oftener than anyone else.
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  Speaker 1: He had begun to be interested in her. partly perhaps
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  Speaker 1: because he was thinking a great deal of a little girl,
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  Speaker 1: and partly because Ram Dass had been able to relate
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  Speaker 1: the incident of his visit to the attic in chase
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  Speaker 1: of the monkey. He had described its cheerless look and
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  Speaker 1: the bearing of the child, who seemed as if she
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  Speaker 1: was not of the class of those who were treated
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  Speaker 1: as drudges and servants. Bit by bit Ram Dass had
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  Speaker 1: made discoveries concerning the wretchedness of her life. He had
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  Speaker 1: found out how easy a matter it was to climb
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  Speaker 1: across the few yards of roof to the skylight, and
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  Speaker 1: this fact had been the beginning of all that followed. Sahib,
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  Speaker 1: he had said one day, I could cross the slates
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  Speaker 1: and make the child of fire when she's out on
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  Speaker 1: some errand. When she returned, wet and cold, to find
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  Speaker 1: it blazing, she would think a magician had done it.
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  Speaker 1: The idea had been so fanciful, that Mr. Carrisford's sad
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  Speaker 1: face had lighted with a smile, and Ram Dass had
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  Speaker 1: been so filled with rapture that he had enlarged upon it,
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  Speaker 1: and explained to his master how simple it would be
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  Speaker 1: to accomplish numbers of other things. He had shown a
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  Speaker 1: childlike pleasure and invention, and the preparations for the carrying
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  Speaker 1: out of the plan had filled many a day with interest,
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  Speaker 1: which would otherwise have dragged wearily. On the night of
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  Speaker 1: the frustrated banquet Ram Dass had kept watch, all his
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  Speaker 1: packages being in readiness in the attic which was his own,
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  Speaker 1: and the person who was to help him had waited
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  Speaker 1: with him, as interested as himself in the odd adventure.
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  Speaker 1: Ram Dass had been lying flat upon the slates, looking
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  Speaker 1: in at the skylight, when the banquet had come to
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  Speaker 1: its disastrous conclusion. He had been sure of the profoundness
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  Speaker 1: of Sarah's wearied sleep, and then with a dark lantern
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  Speaker 1: he had crept into the room while his companion remained
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  Speaker 1: outside and handed the things to him. When Sarah had
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  Speaker 1: stirred ever so faintly, Ram Dass had closed the lantern
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  Speaker 1: slide and lain flat upon the floor. These and many
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  Speaker 1: other exciting things the children found out by asking a
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  Speaker 1: thousand questions. I am so glad, Sarah said. I am
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  Speaker 1: so glad it was you who, my friend. There never
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  Speaker 1: were such friends as these two became. Somehow they seemed
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  Speaker 1: to suit each other in a wonderful way. The Indian
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  Speaker 1: gentleman had never had a companion he liked quite as
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  Speaker 1: much as he liked Sarah. In a month's time he was,
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  Speaker 1: as Mr. Carmichael had prophesied he would be, a new man.
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  Speaker 1: He was always amused and interested, and he began to
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  Speaker 1: find an actual pleasure in the possession of the wealth
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  Speaker 1: he had imagined that he loathed the burden of. There
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  Speaker 1: were so many charming things to plan for Sarah. There
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  Speaker 1: was a little joke between them that he was a magician,
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  Speaker 1: and it was one of his pleasures to invent things
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  Speaker 1: to surprise her. She found beautiful new flowers growing in
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  Speaker 1: her room, whimsical little gifts tucked under pillows, and once,
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  Speaker 1: as they sat together in the evening, they heard the
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  Speaker 1: scratch of a heavy paw on the door, and when
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  Speaker 1: Sarah went to find out what it was, there stood
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  Speaker 1: a great dog, a splendid Russian boar-hound, with a grand
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  Speaker 1: silver and gold collar bearing an inscription,' I am Boris,'
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  Speaker 1: it read.' I serve the Princess Sarah.' There was nothing
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  Speaker 1: the Indian gentlemen loved more than the recollection of the
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  Speaker 1: little princess in rags and tatters. The afternoons in which
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  Speaker 1: the large family, or Ermengarde and Lottie, gathered to rejoice
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  Speaker 1: together were very delightful. But the hours when Sarah and
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  Speaker 1: the Indian gentlemen sat alone, and read or talked, had
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  Speaker 1: a special charm of their own. During their passing many
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  Speaker 1: interesting things occurred. One evening Mr. Carrisford, looking up from
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  Speaker 1: his book, noticed that his companion had not stirred for
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  Speaker 1: some time, but sat gazing into the fire.' What are
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  Speaker 1: you supposing, Sarah?' he asked. Sarah looked up, with a
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  Speaker 1: bright color on her cheek.' I was supposing,' she said.'
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  Speaker 1: I was remembering that hungry day, and a child I saw.''
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  Speaker 1: But there were a great many hungry days,' said the
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  Speaker 1: Indian gentleman, with rather a sad tone in his voice.
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  Speaker 1: Which hungry day was it? I forgot you didn't know,
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  Speaker 1: said Sarah. It was the day the dream came true.
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  Speaker 1: Then she told him the story of the bun shop
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  Speaker 1: and the fourpence she picked up out of the sloppy
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  Speaker 1: mud and the child who was hungrier than herself. She
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  Speaker 1: told it quite simply and in as few words as possible,
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  Speaker 1: but somehow the Indian gentleman found it necessary to shade
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  Speaker 1: his eyes with his hand and look down at the carpet.
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  Speaker 1: And I was supposing a kind of plan, she said
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  Speaker 1: when she had finished. I was thinking I should like
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  Speaker 1: to do something. What was it? said Mr. Carrisford in
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  Speaker 1: a low tone. You may do anything you like to do, Princess.
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  Speaker 1: I was wondering, rather hesitated Sarah. You know, you say
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  Speaker 1: I have so much money. I was wondering if I
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  Speaker 1: could go see the bun woman and tell her that if,
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  Speaker 1: when hungry children... particularly on those dreadful days, come and
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  Speaker 1: sit on the steps or look in at the window.
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  Speaker 1: She would just call them in and give them something
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  Speaker 1: to eat. She might send the bills to me. Could
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  Speaker 1: I do that?'' You shall do it to-morrow morning,' said
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  Speaker 1: the Indian gentleman.' Thank you,' said Sarah.' You see, I
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  Speaker 1: know what it is to be hungry, and it is
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  Speaker 1: very hard when one cannot even pretend it away.'' Yes, yes,
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  Speaker 1: my dear,' said the Indian gentleman.' Yes, yes, it must be.
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  Speaker 1: Try to forget it. Come and sit on this footstool
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  Speaker 1: near my knee, and only remember you are a princess. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: said Sarah, smiling, and I can give buns and bread
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  Speaker 1: to the populace. And she went and sat on the stool,
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  Speaker 1: and the Indian gentleman— he used to like her to call
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  Speaker 1: him that too sometimes— drew her small dark head down on
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  Speaker 1: his knee and stroked her hair. The next morning Miss Minchin,
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  Speaker 1: in looking out of her window, saw the things she
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  Speaker 1: perhaps least enjoyed seeing. The Indian gentleman's carriage, with its
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  Speaker 1: tall horses, drew up before the door of the next house,
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  Speaker 1: and its owner and a little figure, warm with soft
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  Speaker 1: rich furs, descended the steps to get into it. The
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  Speaker 1: little figure was a familiar one, and reminded Miss Minchin
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  Speaker 1: of days in the past. It was followed by another
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  Speaker 1: as familiar, the sight of which she found very irritating.
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  Speaker 1: It was Becky. who, in the character of delighted attendant,
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  Speaker 1: always accompanied her young mistress to her carriage, carrying wraps
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  Speaker 1: and belongings. Already Becky had a pink, round face. A
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  Speaker 1: little later the carriage drew up before the door of
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  Speaker 1: the baker's shop, and its occupants got out, oddly enough,
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  Speaker 1: just as the bun-woman was putting a tray of smoking-hot
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  Speaker 1: buns into the window. When Sarah entered the shop, the
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  Speaker 1: woman turned and looked at her, and, leaving the buns,
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  Speaker 1: came and stood behind the counter. For a moment she
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  Speaker 1: looked at Sarah very hard indeed, and then her good-natured
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  Speaker 1: face lighted up.' I' m sure that I remember you, miss,'
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  Speaker 1: she said.' And yet—'' Yes,' said Sarah.' Once you gave
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  Speaker 1: me six buns for fourpence, and—'' And you gave five
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  Speaker 1: of them to a beggar child.' The woman broke in
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  Speaker 1: on her.' I' ve always remembered it. I couldn't make it
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  Speaker 1: out at first.' She turned round to the Indian gentleman
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  Speaker 1: and spoke her next words to him. I beg your pardon, sir,
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  Speaker 1: but there's not many young people that notices a hungry
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  Speaker 1: face in that way, and have thought of it many
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  Speaker 1: a time. Excuse the liberty, miss, to Sarah, but you
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  Speaker 1: look rosier and, well, better than you did that, that.
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  Speaker 1: I am better, thank you, said Sarah, and I am
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  Speaker 1: much happier, and I have come to ask you to
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  Speaker 1: do something for me. Me, miss? exclaimed the bun-woman, smiling cheerfully. Why,
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  Speaker 1: bless you. Yes, miss, what can I do? And then Sarah,
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  Speaker 1: leaning on the counter, made her little proposal concerning the
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  Speaker 1: dreadful days and the hungry waifs and the buns. The
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  Speaker 1: woman watched her and listened with an astonished face.' Why,
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  Speaker 1: bless me!' she said again when she had heard it all.'
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  Speaker 1: It' ll be a pleasure to me to do it. I
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  Speaker 1: am a working woman myself and cannot afford to do
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  Speaker 1: much on my own account, and there are sites of
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  Speaker 1: trouble on every side. But if you'll excuse me, I'm
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  Speaker 1: bound to say I've given away many a bit of
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  Speaker 1: bread since that wet afternoon, just along a thinking of you,
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  Speaker 1: and how wet and cold you was, and how hungry
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  Speaker 1: you looked, and yet you gave away your hot buns
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  Speaker 1: as if you was a princess.' The Indian gentleman smiled
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  Speaker 1: involuntarily at this, and Sarah smiled a little too, remembering
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  Speaker 1: what she had said to herself when she put the
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  Speaker 1: buns down on the ravenous child's ragged lap. She looked
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  Speaker 1: so hungry, she said. She was even hungrier than I was.
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  Speaker 1: She was starving, said the woman. Many's the time she's
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  Speaker 1: told me of it since, how she sat there in
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  Speaker 1: the wet and felt as if a wolf was a-tearin'
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  Speaker 1: at her poor young insides. Oh! Have you seen her
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  Speaker 1: since then? exclaimed Sarah. Do you know where she is? Yes,
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  Speaker 1: I do, answered the woman, smiling more good-naturedly than ever. Why,
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  Speaker 1: she's in that there back room, miss, and has been
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  Speaker 1: for a month, and a decent, well-meaning girl she's going
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  Speaker 1: to turn out, and such a help to me in
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  Speaker 1: the shop and in the kitchen as you'd scarce believe,
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  Speaker 1: knowing how she's lived. She stepped to the door of
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  Speaker 1: the little back parlour and spoke. and the next minute
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  Speaker 1: a girl came out and followed her behind the counter.
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  Speaker 1: And actually it was the beggar child, clean and neatly clothed,
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  Speaker 1: and looking as if she had not been hungry for
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  Speaker 1: a long time. She looked shy, but she had a
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  Speaker 1: nice face, now that she was no longer a savage,
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  Speaker 1: and the wild look had gone from her eyes. She
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  Speaker 1: knew Sarah in an instant, and stood and looked at
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  Speaker 1: her as if she could never look enough.' You see,'
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  Speaker 1: said the woman, I told her to come when she
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  Speaker 1: was hungry, and when she'd come, I'd give her odd
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  Speaker 1: jobs to do. And I found she was willing, and
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  Speaker 1: somehow I got to like her. And the end of
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  Speaker 1: it was, I've given her a place and a home,
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  Speaker 1: and she helps me, and behaves well, and is as
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  Speaker 1: thankful as a girl can be. Her name's Anne. She
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  Speaker 1: has no other.' The children stood and looked at each
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  Speaker 1: other for a few minutes, and then Sarah took her
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  Speaker 1: hand out of her muff and held it out across
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  Speaker 1: the counter. and Anne took it, and they looked straight
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  Speaker 1: into each other's eyes.' I am so glad,' Sarah said.'
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  Speaker 1: And I have just thought of something. Perhaps Mrs. Brown
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  Speaker 1: will let you be the one to give the buns
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  Speaker 1: and bread to the children. Perhaps you would like to
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  Speaker 1: do it, because you know what it is to be hungry, too.'' Yes, miss,'
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  Speaker 1: said the girl. And somehow Sarah felt as if she
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  Speaker 1: understood her, though she said so little. and only stood
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  Speaker 1: still and looked and looked after her as she went
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  Speaker 1: out of the shop with the Indian gentlemen, and they
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  Speaker 1: got into the carriage and drove away. End of chapter
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  Speaker 1: 19 End of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
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  Speaker 1: Recorded by Elizabeth Klett and dedicated to my daughter