Latest / Little Lord Fauntleroy / Sara Crewe or, What Happened at Miss Minchin’s Boarding School (version 2) - Frances Hodgson Burnett

Transcript

Sara Crewe or, What Happened at Miss Minchin’s Boarding School (version 2) - Frances Hodgson Burnett · Little Lord Fauntleroy

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Part one of Sarah crue by Francis Hodgson Burnett. This
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. Sarah Crewe or What Happened at Miss
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Minchin's by Francis Hodgson Burnett, read by Dodge Read. In
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: the first place, Miss Minchin lived in London. Her home
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: was a large, dull, tall one in a large dull square,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: where all the houses were alike, and all the sparrows
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: were alike, and where all the door knockers made the
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: same heavy sound, and on still days, and nearly all
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: the days were still seemed to resound through the entire
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: row in which the knock was knocked. On Miss Minchin's door,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: there was a brass plate. On the brass plate, there
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: was inscribed in black letters, Miss Minchin's select Seminary for
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: Young Ladies. Little Sarah Cruon never went in or out
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: of the house without reading that door played and reflecting
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: upon it. By the time she was twelve, she had
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: decided that all her trouble arose because in the first place,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: she was not select, and in the sucin. She was
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: not a young lady. When she was eight years old,
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: she had been brought to Miss Minchin as a pupil
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: and left with her. Her papa had brought her all
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: the way from India. Her Mamma had died when she
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: was a baby, and her papa had kept her with
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: him as long as he could, and then, finding the
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: hot climate was making her very delicate, he had brought
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: her to England and left her with Miss Minchin to
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: be part of the select seminary for young ladies. Sarah,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: who had always been a sharp little child who remembered things,
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: recollected hearing him say that he had not a relative
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: in the world whom he knew of, and so he
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: was obliged to place her at a boarding school, and
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: he had heard Miss Minchin's establishment spoken of very highly.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: The same day he took Sara out and brought her
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: a great many beautiful clothes, clothes so grand and rich
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: that only a very young and inexperienced man would have
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: bought them for a mite of a child who was
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: to be brought up in a boarding school. But the
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: fact was that he was a rash, innocent young man
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: and very sad at the thought of parting with his
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: little girl, who was all he had left to remind
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: him of her beautiful mother, whom he had dearly loved,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: and he wished her to have everything the most fortunate
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: little girl could have. And so when the polite saleswoman
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: in the shop said, here is our very latest thing
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: in hats. The plumes are exactly the same as those
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: we sold to Lady Diana Sinclair yesterday, he immediately bought
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: what was offered to him and paid whatever was asked.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: The consequence was that Sara had a most extraordinary wardrobe.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Her dresses were silk and velvet and India cashmere, Her
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: hats and bonnets were covered with bows and plumes, her
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: small under garments were adorned with the real lace. And
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: she returned in the cab to Miss Minchin's with a
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: doll almost as large as herself, dressed quite as grandly
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: as herself too. Then her papa gave Miss Minchin some
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: money and went away, And for several days Siberud neither
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: touched the doll, nor her breakfast, nor her dinner, nor
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: her tea, and would do nothing but crouch in a
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: small corner by the window and cry. She cried so much, indeed,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: that she made herself ill. She was a queer little
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: child with old fashioned ways and strong feelings, and she
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: had adored her Papa and could not be made to
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: think that India and an interesting bungalow were not better
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: for her than London and Miss Minchin's Select Seminary. The
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: instant she entered the house, she had begun promptly to
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: hate Miss Minchin and to think little of Miss Amelia Minchin,
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: who was smooth and dumpy in the lisps and was
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: evidently afraid of her older sister. Miss Minchin was tall
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: and had large, cold, fishy eyes and large cold hands,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: which seemed fishy too, because they were damp and made
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: chill ran down Sara's back when they touched her, as
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Miss Minchin pushed her hair off her forehead and said,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Amo's beautiful and promising little girl, Captain Crew, she will
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: be a favorite pupil, Quite a favorite pupil. I see.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: For the first year she was a favorite pupil. At
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: least she was indulged a great deal more than was
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: good for her. And when the Select Seminary went walking
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: two by two, she was always decked out in her
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: grandest clothes and led by the hand at the head
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: of the genteel procession by Miss Minchin herself. And when
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: the parents of any of the pupils came, she was
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: always dressed and called into the parlor with her doll.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: And she used to hear Miss Minchin say that her
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: father was a distinguished Indian officer and she would be
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: heiress to a great fortune, that her father had inherited
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: a great deal of money Sara had heard before, and
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: also that some day it would be hers, and that
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: he would not remain long in the army, but would
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: come to live in London. And every time a letter
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: came she hoped it would say he was coming and
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: they were to live together again. But about the middle
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: of the third year a letter came bringing very different news.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Because he was not a business man himself, her papa
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: had given his affairs into the hands of a friend
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: he trusted. The friend had deceived and robbed him. All
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: the money was gone. No one knew exactly where, and
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: the shock was so great to the poor, rash young
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: officer that, being attacked by jungle fever shortly afterward, he
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: had no strength to rally and so died leaving Sara
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: with no one to take care of her. Miss Minchin's
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: cold and fishy eyes had never looked so cold and
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: fishy as they did when Sara went into the parlor
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: on being sent for a few days after the letter
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: was received, no one had said anything to the child
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: about mourning, so in her old fashioned way, she had
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: decided to find a black dress for herself, and had
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: picked out a black velvet she had outgrown, and came
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: into the room in it, looking the queerest little figure
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: in the world, and a sad little figure too. The
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: dress was too short and too tight, her face was white,
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: her eyes had dark rings around them, and her doll,
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: wrapped in a piece of old black crape, was held
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: under her arm. She was not a pretty child. She
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: was thin and had a weird, interesting little face, short
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: black hair, and very large green gray eyes, fringed all
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: around with heavy black lashes. I am the ugliest child
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: in the school, she had said once, after staring at
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: herself in the glass for some minutes. But there had
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: been a clever, good natured little French teacher who had
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: said to the music master, is that little crew vetted
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: child also ugly? Beauty? Is thee so large eyes, Zie
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: so LITUSPUTU red face. Wait as she grow up, you
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: shall see this morning. However, in the tight, small black frock,
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: she looked thinner and odder than ever, and her eyes
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: were fixed on Miss Minchin with a queer steadiness, as
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: she slowly advanced into the parlor, clutching her doll. Put
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: your doll down, said miss Minchin. No, said the child.
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: I won't put her down. I want her with me.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: She's all I have. She's stayed with me all the
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: time since my papa died. She had never been an
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: obedient child. She had had her way ever since she
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: was born, and there was about her an air of
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: silent determination under which Miss Minchin had always felt secretly uncomfortable,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: and that lady felt even now that perhaps it would
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: be as well not to insist on her point. So
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: she looked at her as severely as possible. You will
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: have no time for dolls in future, she said. You
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: will have to work and improve yourself and make yourself useful.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: Sarah kept her big, odd eyes fixed on her teacher
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: and said nothing, ever, anything will be different now, Miss
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: Minchin went on, I sent for you to talk to
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: you and make you understand your father is dead. You
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: have no friends, you have no money, you have no home,
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: and no one to take care of you. The little, pale,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: olive face twitched nervously, but the green gray eyes did
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: not move from Miss Minchin's, and still Sarah said nothing.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: What are ye staring at? Demanded Miss Minchin, sharply, are
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: you so stupid? You don't understand what I mean. I
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: tell you that you are quite alone in the world
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: and have no one to do anything for you unless
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: I choose to keep you here. The truth was, Miss
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: Minchin was in her worst mood. To be suddenly deprived
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: of a large sum of money yearly and a show pupil,
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: and to find herself with a little beggar on her
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: hands was more than she could bear with any degree
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: of calmness. Now listen to me, she went on, and
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: remember what I say. If you work hard and prepare
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: to make yourself useful in a few years, I shall
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: let you stay here. You are only a child, but
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: you are a sharp child, and you pick up things
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: almost without being taught. You speak French very well, and
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: in a year or so you can begin to help
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: with the younger pupils by the time you are fifteen,
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: you ought to be able to do that much. At
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: least I can speak French better than you now, said Sara.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: I always spoke it with my Papa in India, which
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: was not at all polite, but was painfully true, because
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: Miss Minchin could not speak French at all, and indeed
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: was not in the least a clever person. But she
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: was a hard grasping business woman, and after the first
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: shock of disappointment, had seen that, at very little expense
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: to herself, she might prepare this clever, determined child to
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: be very useful to her and save her the necess
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: city of paying large salaries to teachers of languages. Don't
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: be impudent, or you will be punished, she said. You
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: will have to improve your manners if you expect to
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: earn your bread. You are not a parlor boarder. Now
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: remember that if you don't please me and I send
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: you away, you have no home but the street. You
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: can go now, Sarah turned away. Stay commanded, Miss Minchin,
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: don't you intend to thank me? Sarah turned towards her.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: The nervous twitch was to be seen again in her face,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: and she seemed to be trying to control it. What for,
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: she said, for my kindness to you, replied Miss Minchin,
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: for my kindness in giving you a home. Sarah went
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: two or three steps nearer to her. Her thin little
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: chest was heaving up and down, and she spoke in
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: a strange, unchildlike voice. You are not kind, she said,
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: you're not kind, and she turned again and went out
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: of the room, leaving Miss Minchin staring after her, strange,
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: small figure in stony anger. The child walked up the staircase,
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: holding tightly to her doll. She meant to go to
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: her bedroom, but at the door she was met by
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: miss Amelia Minchin. You're not to go in there, she said,
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: that's not your room. Now, where is my room? Asked Sara.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: You're to sleep in the attic next to the cook.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Sara walked on. She mounted two flights more and reached
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: the door of the attic room, opened it and went in,
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: shutting it behind her. She stood against it and looked
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: about her. The room was slanting roofed and whitewashed. There
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: was a rusty grate in an iron bedstead, and some
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: odd articles of furniture set up from better rooms below,
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: where they had been used until they were considered to
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: be worn out. Under the skylight in the roof, which
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: showed nothing but an oblong piece of dull gray sky,
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: there was a battered, old red footstool. Sarah went to
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: it and sat down. She was a queer child, as
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: I have said before, and quite unlike other children, she
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: seldom cried. She did not cry now. She laid her
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: doll emily across her knees and put her face down
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: upon her, into her arms around her, and sat there,
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: her little black head rested on the black crape, not
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: saying one word, not making one sound.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: End of Part one, Part two of Sarah Crewe or
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: what Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School by Frances Hodgchins Burnett.
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. All LibriVox
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox. This reading by Faith R.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: Sarah Crewe by Francis Hodgson's Burnett, Part two from the
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: day her life changed entirely. Sometimes she used to feel
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: as if it must be another life altogether, the life
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: of some other child. She was a little drudge and outcast.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: She was given her lessons at odd times, and expected
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: to learn without being taught. She was sent on errands
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: by Miss Minchin, miss Amelia, and the cook. Nobody took
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: any notice of her except when they ordered her about.
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: She was often kept busy all day and then sent
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: into the deserted schoolroom with a pile of books to
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: learn lessons or practice at night. She had never been
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: intimate with the other pupils, and soon she became so
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: shabby that, taking her queer clothes together with her queer
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: little ways, they began to look upon her as a
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: being of another world than their own. The fact was that,
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: as a rule Miss Minchin's pupil were rather dull, matter
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: of fact, young people accustomed to being rich and comfortable,
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: and Sara, with her elfish cleverness, her desolate life, and
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: her odd habit of fixing her eyes upon them and
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: staring them out of countenance, was too much for them.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: She always looks as if she was finding you out,
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: said one girl, who was slyly and given to making mischief.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: I am, said Sara promptly, when she heard of it.
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: That's what I look at them for. I like to
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: know about people. I think them over. Afterward, she never
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: made any mischief herself or interfered with any one. She
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: talked very little, did as she was told, and thought
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: a great deal. Nobody knew, and in fact, nobody cared
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: whether she was happy or unhappy, unless perhaps it was Emily,
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: who lived in the attic and slept on the iron
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: bedstead at night. Sara thought Emily understood her feelings, though
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: she was only wax and had a habit of staring herself.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: Sara used to talk to her at night. You are
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: the only friend I have in the world, she would
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: say to her. Why don't you say something? Why don't
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: you speak sometimes? I'm sure if you could you, if
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: you would try, it ought to make you try to know.
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: You are the only thing I have. If I were you,
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: I should try. Why don't you try? It really was
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: a very strange feeling she had about Emily. It arose
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: from her being so desolate. She did not like to
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: own to herself that her only friend, her only companion,
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: could feel and hear nothing. She wanted to believe, or
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: to pretend to believe, that Emily understood and sympathized with her,
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: that she heard her, even though she did not speak
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: in answer. She used to put her in the chair
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: sometimes and sit opposite to her on the old red
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: footstool and stare at her and think and pretend about
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: her until her own eyes would grow large with something
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: which was almost like fear, particularly at night when the
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: garret was so still, when the only sound that was
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: to be heard was the occasional squeak and scurry of
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: rats in the wainscoat. There were rat holes in the garret,
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: and Sara detested rats and was always glad Emily was
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: with her when she heard their hateful squeak and rush
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: and scratching. One of her pretends was that Emily was
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: a kind of good witch and could protect her, poor
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: little Sarah. Everything was pretend with her. She had a
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: strong imagination. There was almost more imagination than there was Sara,
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: and her whole forlorn, uncared for child life was made
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: up of imaginings. She imagined and pretended things until she
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: almost believed them, and she would scarcely have been surprised
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: at any remarkable thing that could have happened. So she
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: insisted to herself that Emily understood all about her troubles
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: and really was her friend. As to Anne answering, she
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: used to say. I don't answer very often. I never
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: answer when I can help it. When people are insulting you,
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: there is nothing so good for them as not to
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: say a word, just to look at them and think.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: Miss Minchin turns pale with rage when I do it.
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: Miss Amelia looks frightened. So do the girls. They know
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: you are stronger than they are, because you are strong
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: enough to hold in your rage, and they are not,
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: and they say stupid things they wish they hadn't said afterward.
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: There's nothing so strong as rage except what makes you
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: hold it in. That's stronger. It's a good thing not
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: to answer your enemies. I scarcely ever do. Perhaps Emily
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: is more like me than I am like myself. Perhaps
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: she would rather not answer her friends, even she keeps
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: it all in her heart. But though she tried to
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: satisfy herself with these arguments, Sara did not find it
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: easy when, after a long, hard day in which she
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: had been sent here and there, sometimes on long errands,
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: through wind and cold and rain, and when she came
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: in wet and hungry, had been sent out again because
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: nobody chose to remember that she was only a child,
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: and that her thin little legs might be tired, and
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: her small body clad in its forlorn, too small finery,
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: all too short and all too tight, might be chilled.
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: When she had been given only harsh words and cold,
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: slightly looking for thanks, when the cook had been vulgar
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: and insolent and mismentioned, had been in her worst moods,
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: and when she had seen the girls sneering at her
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: amongst themselves making fun of her poor outgrown clothes, then
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: Sarah did not find Emily quite at all that sore, proud,
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: desolate little heart needed. As the doll sat in her
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: old chair and stared. One of these nights, when she
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: came up to the garret, cold, hungry, tired, and with
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: a tempest raging in her small breath, Emily's stare seemed
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: so vacant, her sawdust legs and arms so limp and
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: and impressive. Then Sarah lost all control over herself. I
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: shall die presently, she said. At first Emily stared. I
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: can't bear this, said the poor child, trembling. I know
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: I shall die. I'm cold, I'm wet, I'm starving to death.
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: I've walked a thousand miles to day, and they've done
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: nothing but scold me from morning until night, and because
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: I could not find the last thing they sent me for,
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: they would not give me any supper. Some men laughed
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: at me because my old shoes made me slip down
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: in the mud. I'm covered in mud now, and they laughed.
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: Do you hear? She looked at the staring glass eyes
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: and complacent wax face, and suddenly a sort of heart
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: broken rage se She lifted her savage hand and knocked
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: Emily off the chair, bursting into a passion of sobbing.
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: You are nothing but a doll, she cried, nothing but
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: a doll, doll, doll, you care for nothing. You are
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: stuffed with sawdust. You never had a heart. Nothing could
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: ever make you feel you are a doll. Emily lay
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: upon the floor with her legs ignominiously doubled up over
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: her head and a new flat place on the end
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: of her nose. But she was still calm, even dignified.
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: Sara hid her face on her arm and sobbed. Some
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: rats in the wall began to fight and bite at
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: each other, and squeak and scramble. But as I have
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: already intimidated, Sara was not in the habit of crying.
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: After a while, she stopped, and when she stopped, she
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: looked at Emily, who seemed to be gazing at her
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: around the side of one ankle, and actually with a
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: kind of glassy eyed sympathy. Sara bent and picked her up.
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: Remorse overtook her. You can't help being a doll, she said,
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: with a resigned sigh, any more than those girls downstairs
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: can help not having any sense. We are not all alike.
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: Perhaps you do your sawdust best. None of Miss Minchin's
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: young ladies were very remarkable for being brilliant. They were select,
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: but some of them were very dull, and some of
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: them were fond of applying themselves to their lessons. Sara,
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: who snatched her lessons at all sorts of untimely hours
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: from tattered and discarded books, and who had a hungry
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: craving for everything readable, was often severe upon them. In
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: her small mind. They had books they had never read.
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: She had no books at all. If she had always
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: had something to read, she would not have been so lonely.
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: She liked romances and history and poetry. She would read anything.
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: There was a sentimental housemaid in the establishment who bought
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: the weekly penny papers and subscribed to a circulating library
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: from which she got greasy volumes containing stories of marquis
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: and dukes who invariably fell in love and orange girls
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: and gypsies and servants maids and made them the proud
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: brides of coronets. And Sara often did parts of this
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: maid's work so that she might earn the privilege of
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: reading these romantic histories. There was also a fat, dull
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: pupil whose name was Ermengarde Saint John, who was one
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: of her resources. Ermengarde had an intellectual father who, in
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: his despising desire to encourage his daughter, constantly sent her
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: valuable and interesting books, which were a continental source of
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: grief to her. Sarah had once actually found her crying
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: over a big package of them. What is the matter
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: with you, she asked her, perhaps rather disdainfully, and it
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: is possible she would not have spoken to her if
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: she had not seen the books. The sight of the
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: books always gave Sara a hungry feeling, and she could
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: not help drawing near to them, if only to read
• 23:17
  Speaker 2: their titles. What is the matter with you, she asked.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: My papa has sent me some more books, answered Ermengarde woefully,
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: and he expects me to read them. Don't you like reading,
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: said Sara. I hate it, replied Miss Ermengarde. Saint John,
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: and he will ask me questions when he sees me.
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: He'll want to know how much I remember. How would
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: you like to have to read all those I'd like
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: it better than anything else in the world, said Sara.
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: Ermengarde wiped her eyes to look at such a prodigy.
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: Oh gracious, she exclaimed. Sara returned the look with interest.
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: A sudden plan formed itself in her sharp mind. Look here,
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: she said. If you'll lend me those books, I'll read
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: them and tell you everything that's in them afterward, and
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: I'll tell it to you so that you will remember it.
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: I know I can. The A B. C. Children always
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: remember what I tell them. Oh goodness, said Ermengarde. Do
• 24:21
  Speaker 2: you think you could. I know I could, said Sara.
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: I like to read, and I always remember. I'll take
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: care of the books too. They will look just as
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: new as they do now when I give them back
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: to you. Ermengarde put her handkerchief in her pocket. If
• 24:38
  Speaker 2: you'll do that, she said, and if you'll make me remember,
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: I'll give you. I'll give you some money. I don't
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: want your money, said Sara. I want your books. I
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: want them, and her eyes grew big and queer, and
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: her chest heaved. Once take them, then, said Ermengarde. I
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: wish I wanted them, but I am not clever, and
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: my father is, and he thinks I ought to be.
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: Sarah picked up the books and marched off with them,
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: but when she was at the door, she stopped and
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: turned around. What are you going to tell your father,
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: she asked, Oh, said Ermengarde. He needn't know. He'll think
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: I've read them. Sarah looked down at the books. Her
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: heart really began to beat fast. I won't do it,
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: she said, rather slowly. If you're going to tell him
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: lies about it, I don't like lies. Why can't you
• 25:35
  Speaker 2: tell him I read them and then told you about them.
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: But he wants me to read them, said Ermengarde. He
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: wants you to know what is in them, said Sarah.
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: And if I can tell it to you in an
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: easy way and make you remember, I think he would
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: like that. He would like it better if I read
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: them myself, replied Ermengarde. He will like it. I dare
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: say if you learn anything in any way, said Sarah,
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: I should if I were your father, and though this
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: was not a flattering way of stating the case, Ermengarde
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: was obliged to admit it was true, and after a
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: little more argument, gave in. And so she used afterward
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: always to hand over her books to Sarah, and Sarah
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: would carry them to her garret and devour them, and
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: after she had read each volume, she would return it
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: and tell Ermengarde about it in a way of her own.
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: She had a gift for making things interesting. Her imagination
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: helped her to make everything rather like a story, and
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: she managed this matter so well that Miss Saint John
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: gained more information from her books than she would have
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: gained if she had read them three times over by
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: her poor, stupid little self. When Sara sat down by
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: her and began to tell her some story of travel
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: or history, she made the travelers and historical people seem real,
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: and Ermengarde used to sit and regard her dramatic gesticulations,
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: her thin, little flushed cheeks, and her shining odd eyes
• 27:06
  Speaker 2: with amazement. It sounds nicer than it seems in the books.
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: She would say, I never cared about Mary, Queen of
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: Scot's before, and I always hated the French Revolution, but
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: you make it seem like a story. It is a story,
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: Sara would answer. They are all stories. Everything is a story.
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: Everything in this world. You are a story. I am
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: a story, Miss Minchin is a story. You can make
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: a story out of anything. I can't, said Ermengarde. Sara
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: stared at her a minute reflectively. No, she said, at last,
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: I suppose you couldn't. You are a little like Emily.
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: Who is Emily? Sara recollected herself. She knew she was
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: sometimes rather impolite in the candor of her remarks, and
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: she did not want to be impolite to a girl
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: who was not unkind, only stupid. Notwithstanding all her sharp
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: little ways, she had the sense to wish to just
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: be just to everybody. In the hours she spent alone,
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: she used to argue out a great many curious questions
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: with herself. One thing she had decided upon was that
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: a person who was clever ought to be clever enough
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: not to be unjust or deliberately unkind to any one.
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: Miss Minchin was unjust and cruel. Miss Amelia was unkind
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: and spiteful. The cook was malicious and hasty tempered. They
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: were all stupid and made her despise them, and she
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: desired to be as unlike them as possible, so she
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: would be as polite as she could to people who
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: in the least deserved politeness. Emily is a person I know,
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: she replied. Do you like her, asked Ermengarde. Yes, I do,
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: said Sara. Ermengarde examined her queer little face and figure. Again,
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: she did look odd. She had on that day a
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: faded blue plush skirt which barely covered her knees, a
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: brown cloth sack, and a pair of olive green stockings
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: which Miss Minchin had made her piece out with the
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: black ones so that they would be long enough to
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: be kept on. And yet Ermengarde was beginning slowly to
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: admire her, such a forlorn, thin, neglected little thing as that,
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: who could read and read and remember and tell you
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: things so that they did not tire you out. A
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: child who knew, who could speak French, and who had
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: learned German. No one knew how one could not help
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: staring at her and feeling interested, particularly one to whom
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: the simplest lesson was a trouble and a woe. Do
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: you like me? Said Ermengarde finally, at the end of
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: her scrutiny. Sara hesitated one second, then she answered, I
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: like you because you're not ill natured. I like you
• 30:04
  Speaker 2: for letting me read your books. I like you because
• 30:07
  Speaker 2: you don't make spiteful fun of me for what I
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: can't help. It's not your fault that. She pulled herself
• 30:14
  Speaker 2: up quickly. She had been going to say that you
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: are stupid. That what, asked Ermengarde? That you can't learn
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: things quickly? If you can't, you can't, If I can,
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: Why I can? That's all. She paused a minute, looking
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: at the plump face before her, and then rather slowly,
• 30:35
  Speaker 2: one of her wise, old fashioned thoughts came to her. Perhaps,
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: she said, to be able to learn things quickly, isn't everything?
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: To be kind is worth a good deal to other people.
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: If miss Minchin knew everything on earth, which she doesn't,
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: and if she was like what she is now, she'd
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: still be a detestable thing, and everybody would hate her.
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: Lots of clever people have done harm and been wicked.
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: Look at robespear. She stopped again and examined her companion's countenance.
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: Do you remember about him? She demanded, I believe you've
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: forgotten well, I don't remember all of it, admitted Ermengarde. Well,
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: said Sara, with courage and determination, I'll tell it to
• 31:25
  Speaker 2: you over again. And she plunged once more into the
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: gory records of the French Revolution, and told such stories
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: of it, and made such vivid pictures of its horrors
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: that Miss Saint John was afraid to go to bed afterward,
• 31:39
  Speaker 2: and hid her head under the blankets when she did go,
• 31:42
  Speaker 2: and shivered until she fell asleep. But afterwards she preserved
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: lively recollections of the character of Robespear, and did not
• 31:52
  Speaker 2: even forget Marie Antoinette and the Princess de Lambald. You
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: know they put her head on a pike and danced
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: around its. Barah had said she had beautiful blonde hair,
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: And when I think of her, I never see her
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: head on her body, but always on a pike with
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: those furious people dancing and howling. Yes, it was true.
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: To this imaginative child, everything was a story, and the
• 32:17
  Speaker 2: more books she read, the more imaginative she became. One
• 32:21
  Speaker 2: of her chief entertainments was to sit in her garret
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: or walk about it and suppose things. On a cold
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: night when she had not had enough to eat, she
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: would draw the red footstool up before the empty grate
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: and say, in the most intense voice, Suppose there was
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: a great wide steel grate here, and a great glowing fire,
• 32:45
  Speaker 2: a glowing fire with beds of red hot coals, and
• 32:49
  Speaker 2: lots of little dancing, flickering flames. Suppose there was a soft,
• 32:54
  Speaker 2: deep rug, and this was a comfortable chair, all cushions
• 32:58
  Speaker 2: and crimson velvets, And suppose I had a crimson velvet
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: frock on and a deep lace collar, like a child
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: in a picture. And suppose all the rest of the
• 33:10
  Speaker 2: room was furnished in lovely colors, and there were book
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: shelves full of books which changed by magic as soon
• 33:17
  Speaker 2: as you had read them. And suppose there was a
• 33:20
  Speaker 2: little table here with a snow white cover on it,
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: and little silver dishes, and in one there was hot
• 33:27
  Speaker 2: hot soup, and in another roast chicken, and in another
• 33:30
  Speaker 2: some raspberry jam tarts with crisscross on them, and another
• 33:35
  Speaker 2: some grapes. And suppose Emily could speak, and we could
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: sit and eat our supper, and then talk and read.
• 33:43
  Speaker 2: And then suppose there was a warm, soft bed in
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: the corner, and when we were tired, we could go
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: to sleep and sleep as long as we liked. End
• 33:53
  Speaker 2: of part two, Part three of Sarah Crewe or What
• 34:03
  Speaker 2: Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School. This is a LibriVox recording.
• 34:08
  Speaker 2: All librivax recordings are in the public domain. For more
• 34:12
  Speaker 2: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: by Sarah and Gracia Parshall. Sarah Crewe or What Happened
• 34:22
  Speaker 2: at Miss Minchin's Boarding School by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Part three.
• 34:27
  Speaker 2: Sometimes after she had supposed to these things for half
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: an hour, she would feel almost warm, and would creep
• 34:35
  Speaker 2: into bed with Emily and fall asleep with a smile
• 34:38
  Speaker 2: on her face. What large, downy pillows, She would whisper,
• 34:43
  Speaker 2: What white sheets and fleecy blankets, And she almost forgot
• 34:48
  Speaker 2: that her real pillows had scarcely any feathers in the
• 34:51
  Speaker 2: midd all and smelled musty, and that her blankets and
• 34:55
  Speaker 2: cover lid were thin and full of holes. At another time,
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: she would suppose that she was a princess, and then
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: she would go about the house with an expression on
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: her face, which was a source of great secret annoyance
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: to Miss Minchine, because it seemed as if the child
• 35:13
  Speaker 2: scarcely heard the spiteful, insulting things said to her, or
• 35:17
  Speaker 2: if she heard them, did not care for them at all. Sometimes,
• 35:22
  Speaker 2: while she was in the midst of some harsh, cruel speech,
• 35:26
  Speaker 2: Miss Minchin would find the odd, unchildish eyes fixed upon
• 35:30
  Speaker 2: her with something like a proud smile in them. At
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: such times, she did not know that Sara was saying
• 35:37
  Speaker 2: to herself, you don't know you are saying these things
• 35:40
  Speaker 2: to a princess, and that if I choose, I could
• 35:43
  Speaker 2: wave my hand in order you to execution. I only
• 35:47
  Speaker 2: spare you because I am a princess and you are
• 35:50
  Speaker 2: a poor, stupid, old, vulgar thing and don't know any better.
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: This used to please and amuse her more than anything else,
• 35:59
  Speaker 2: and and fanciful as it was, she found comfort in it,
• 36:04
  Speaker 2: and it was not a bad thing for her. It
• 36:06
  Speaker 2: really kept her from being made rude and malicious by
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: the rudeness and malice of those about her. A princess
• 36:14
  Speaker 2: must be polite, she said to herself, And so when
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: the servants who took their tone from their mistress were
• 36:22
  Speaker 2: insolent and ordered her about, she would hold her head
• 36:26
  Speaker 2: erect and reply to them, sometimes in a way which
• 36:30
  Speaker 2: made them stare at her. It was so quaintly civil.
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: I am a princess in rags and tatters, she would think,
• 36:39
  Speaker 2: But I am a princess inside. It would be easy
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth
• 36:46
  Speaker 2: of gold. It is a great deal more of a
• 36:49
  Speaker 2: triumph to be won all the time when no one
• 36:52
  Speaker 2: knows it. There was Marie Antoinette, when she was in
• 36:57
  Speaker 2: prison and her throne was gone, and she had only
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: a black gown on, and her hair was white. They
• 37:04
  Speaker 2: insulted her. She was a great deal more like a
• 37:08
  Speaker 2: queen then than when she was so gay and had
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: everything grand I like her best. Then, those howling mobs
• 37:16
  Speaker 2: of people did not frighten her. She was stronger than
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: they were, even when they cut her hat off. Once,
• 37:23
  Speaker 2: when such thoughts were passing through her mind, the look
• 37:27
  Speaker 2: in her eyes so enraged Miss Minchin that she flew
• 37:31
  Speaker 2: at Sara and boxed her ears. Sara, awakened from her dream,
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: started a little, then broke into a laugh. What are
• 37:40
  Speaker 2: you laughing yet, you bold impudent child, exclaimed Miss Minchin.
• 37:46
  Speaker 2: It took Sara a few seconds to remember she was
• 37:49
  Speaker 2: a princess, her cheeks were red and smarting from the
• 37:52
  Speaker 2: blows she had received. I was thinking, she said, beg
• 37:58
  Speaker 2: my pardon, immediately, said miss Minchine. I will beg your
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: pardon for laughing if it was rude, said Sarah. But
• 38:06
  Speaker 2: I won't beg your pardon for thinking. What were you thinking?
• 38:11
  Speaker 2: Demanded Miss Minchin? How dare you think? What were you thinking?
• 38:15
  Speaker 3: This occurred in the school room, and all the girls
• 38:19
  Speaker 3: looked up from their books to listen. It always interested
• 38:22
  Speaker 3: them when Miss Minchin flew at Sarah, because Sarah always
• 38:26
  Speaker 3: said something queer and never seemed in the least frightened.
• 38:30
  Speaker 3: She was not the least frightened now though her boxed
• 38:33
  Speaker 3: ears were scarlet and her eyes were as bright as stars.
• 38:38
  Speaker 3: I was thinking, She answered, gravely and quite politely, that
• 38:42
  Speaker 3: you did not know what you are doing. That I
• 38:47
  Speaker 3: did not know what I was doing. Miss Minchine fairly
• 38:51
  Speaker 3: gasped yes, said Sarah. And I was thinking what would
• 38:56
  Speaker 3: happen if I were a princess and you boxed my ears?
• 39:00
  Speaker 3: What I should do to you? And I was thinking
• 39:03
  Speaker 3: that if I were one, you would never dare to
• 39:06
  Speaker 3: do it whatever I said or did. And I was
• 39:09
  Speaker 3: thinking how surprised and frightened. You would be if you
• 39:13
  Speaker 3: suddenly found out she had the imagined picture so clearly
• 39:17
  Speaker 3: before her eyes, that she spoke in a manner which
• 39:21
  Speaker 3: had an effect even on Miss Mention. And it seemed,
• 39:24
  Speaker 3: for the moment to her narrow, unimaginative mind, that there
• 39:29
  Speaker 3: must be some real power behind this candid daring what
• 39:35
  Speaker 3: she exclaimed. Found out what that I really was a princess,
• 39:40
  Speaker 3: said Sarah, and could do anything anything I liked. Go
• 39:45
  Speaker 3: to your room, cried Miss Minchin breathlessly, this instant leave
• 39:51
  Speaker 3: the schoolroom. Attend your lessons, young ladies. Sarah made a
• 39:55
  Speaker 3: little bow. Excuse me for laughing, if it was impolite,
• 40:00
  Speaker 3: she said, and walked out of the room, leaving Miss
• 40:03
  Speaker 3: Minchin in a rage and the girls whispering over their books.
• 40:08
  Speaker 3: I wouldn't be at all surprised if she did turn
• 40:11
  Speaker 3: out to be something, said one of them. Suppose she should.
• 40:17
  Speaker 3: That very afternoon, Sara had the opportunity of proving herself
• 40:21
  Speaker 3: whether she really was a princess or not. It was
• 40:24
  Speaker 3: a dreadful afternoon. For several days it had rained continuously.
• 40:29
  Speaker 3: The streets were chilly and sloppy. There was mud, everywhere
• 40:34
  Speaker 3: sticky London mud, and over everything a pall of fog
• 40:38
  Speaker 3: and drizzle. Of course, there were several long and tiresome
• 40:43
  Speaker 3: errands to be done, there always were on days like this,
• 40:47
  Speaker 3: and Sara was sent out again and again until her
• 40:50
  Speaker 3: shabby clothes were damp through The absurd old feathers on
• 40:55
  Speaker 3: her forlorn hat were more draggled and absurd than ever,
• 40:59
  Speaker 3: and her down trodden shoes were so wet they could
• 41:03
  Speaker 3: not hold any more water. Added to this, she had
• 41:07
  Speaker 3: been deprived of for dinner because Miss Minchin wished to
• 41:10
  Speaker 3: punish her. She was very hungry. She was so cold
• 41:14
  Speaker 3: and hungry and tired that her little face had a
• 41:17
  Speaker 3: pinched look. And now and then some kind hearted person
• 41:20
  Speaker 3: passing her in the crowded street gazed at her with
• 41:23
  Speaker 3: some sympathy, but she did not know that. She hurried
• 41:27
  Speaker 3: on trying to comfort herself in that queer way of hers,
• 41:31
  Speaker 3: by pretending and supposing. But really this time it was
• 41:35
  Speaker 3: harder than she had ever found it, And once or
• 41:37
  Speaker 3: twice she thought it almost made her more cold and
• 41:41
  Speaker 3: hungry instead of less so, But she preserved obstinately suppose
• 41:46
  Speaker 3: I had dry clothes on. She thought, Suppose I had
• 41:49
  Speaker 3: good shoes and a long thick coat, marina stockings, and
• 41:54
  Speaker 3: a whole umbrella. And Suppose suppose, just when I was
• 41:58
  Speaker 3: near a baker's where they sold, I should find sixpence
• 42:02
  Speaker 3: which belonged to nobody. Suppose if I did, I should
• 42:06
  Speaker 3: go into the shop and buy six of the hottest buns.
• 42:09
  Speaker 3: And she'd eat them all without stopping. Some very odd
• 42:13
  Speaker 3: things happen in this world. Sometimes. It certainly was an
• 42:17
  Speaker 3: odd thing which happened to Sarah. She had to cross
• 42:20
  Speaker 3: the street just as she was saying this to herself.
• 42:23
  Speaker 3: The mud was dreadful. She almost had to wade. She
• 42:27
  Speaker 3: picked her way as carefully as she could, but she
• 42:30
  Speaker 3: could not save herself much. Only in picking her way
• 42:34
  Speaker 3: she had to look down at her feet and the mud.
• 42:36
  Speaker 3: And in looking down, just as she reached the pavement,
• 42:40
  Speaker 3: she saw something shining in the gutter. A piece of silver,
• 42:44
  Speaker 3: a tiny piece troddened upon by many feet, but still
• 42:49
  Speaker 3: with enough spirit to shine a little not quite a sixpence,
• 42:54
  Speaker 3: but the next thing to it a fourpenny piece. In
• 42:57
  Speaker 3: one second, it was in her cold lips, red and
• 43:00
  Speaker 3: blue hand. Oh, she gasped, it is true, and then
• 43:06
  Speaker 3: if you will believe me. She looked straight before her
• 43:09
  Speaker 3: at the shop directly facing her, and it was a baker's,
• 43:13
  Speaker 3: and a cheerful, stout, motherly woman with rosy cheeks was
• 43:17
  Speaker 3: just putting into the window a tray of delicious hot buns,
• 43:21
  Speaker 3: large plump, shiny buns with currants in them. It almost
• 43:26
  Speaker 3: made Sarah feel faint for a few seconds, the shock
• 43:29
  Speaker 3: and the sight of the buns, and the delightful odors
• 43:32
  Speaker 3: of warm bread floating up through the baker's cellar window.
• 43:37
  Speaker 3: She knew that she need not hesitate to use this
• 43:40
  Speaker 3: little piece of money. It had evidently been lying in
• 43:43
  Speaker 3: the mud for some time, and its owner was completely
• 43:47
  Speaker 3: lost in the streams of passing people, who crowded and
• 43:49
  Speaker 3: jostled each other all through the day. But I'll go
• 43:53
  Speaker 3: and ask the baker's woman if she has lost a
• 43:55
  Speaker 3: piece of money, she said to herself, rather faintly. So
• 43:59
  Speaker 3: she crossed the pavement and put her wet foot on
• 44:02
  Speaker 3: the step of the shop, And as she did she
• 44:05
  Speaker 3: saw something which made her stop. It was a little
• 44:09
  Speaker 3: figure more forlorn than her own, A little figure which
• 44:13
  Speaker 3: was not much more than a bundle of rags, from
• 44:16
  Speaker 3: which small, bare, red and muddy feet peeped out only
• 44:21
  Speaker 3: because the rags with which the wearer was trying to
• 44:25
  Speaker 3: cover them were not long enough. Above the rags appeared
• 44:30
  Speaker 3: a shock head of tangled hair and a dirty face
• 44:33
  Speaker 3: with big, hollow, hungry eyes. Sarah knew they were hungry
• 44:39
  Speaker 3: eyes the moment she saw them, and she felt a
• 44:42
  Speaker 3: sudden sympathy. She said to herself, with a little sigh,
• 44:47
  Speaker 3: is one of the populace, and she is hungrier than
• 44:50
  Speaker 3: I am. The child, this one of the populace, stared
• 44:55
  Speaker 3: up at Sarah and shuffled herself aside a little so
• 44:59
  Speaker 3: as to give her work. She was used to being
• 45:02
  Speaker 3: made to give room to everybody. She knew that if
• 45:05
  Speaker 3: a policeman chanced to see her, he would tell her
• 45:07
  Speaker 3: to move on. Sarah clutched her little fourpenny piece and
• 45:12
  Speaker 3: hesitated a few seconds. Then she spoke to her. Are
• 45:17
  Speaker 3: you hungry?
• 45:18
  Speaker 2: She asked.
• 45:19
  Speaker 3: The child shuffled herself and her rags a little more.
• 45:23
  Speaker 3: Ain't I just? She said, in a hoarse voice, Just
• 45:27
  Speaker 3: stain't I? Have you had any dinner? Said Sarah? No dinner?
• 45:33
  Speaker 3: More hoarsely still and with more shuffling, nor yet, no breakfast,
• 45:37
  Speaker 3: nor yet no supper nor nothing since when asked Sarah dunno,
• 45:44
  Speaker 3: never got nothing to day nowhere, I've asked and asked.
• 45:51
  Speaker 3: Just to look at her made Sarah more hungry and faint.
• 45:54
  Speaker 3: But those queer little thoughts were at work in her brain,
• 45:58
  Speaker 3: and she was always talking to herself, though she was
• 46:00
  Speaker 3: sick at heart. If I'm a princess, she was saying,
• 46:04
  Speaker 3: if I'm a princess. When they were poor and driven
• 46:07
  Speaker 3: from their thrones, they always shared populous If they met
• 46:11
  Speaker 3: one poorer and hungrier, they always shared. Buns are a
• 46:16
  Speaker 3: penny each. If it had been a sixpence, I could
• 46:19
  Speaker 3: have eaten six. It won't be enough for either of us,
• 46:23
  Speaker 3: but it will be better than nothing. Wait a minute,
• 46:26
  Speaker 3: she said to the beggar child. She went into the shop.
• 46:29
  Speaker 3: It was warm and smelled delightfully. The woman was just
• 46:33
  Speaker 3: going to put more hot buns in the window. If
• 46:35
  Speaker 3: you please, said Sara, have you lost fourpence? A silver fourpence,
• 46:42
  Speaker 3: And she held the forlorn little piece of money out
• 46:44
  Speaker 3: to her. The woman looked at it and at her,
• 46:48
  Speaker 3: at her intense little face, and draggled one's fine clothes.
• 46:52
  Speaker 3: Bless us, no she answered, did you find it in
• 46:56
  Speaker 3: the gutter, said Sarah, keep it, then said the It
• 47:00
  Speaker 3: may have been there a week, and Goodness knows you
• 47:03
  Speaker 3: lost it. You could never find out. I know that,
• 47:07
  Speaker 3: said Sara. But I thought i'd ask you. Not many would,
• 47:11
  Speaker 3: said the woman, looking puzzled and interested and good natured
• 47:14
  Speaker 3: all at once. Do you want to buy something? She added,
• 47:18
  Speaker 3: as she saw Sarah glanced toward the buns. Four buns,
• 47:22
  Speaker 3: if you please, said Sarah, Those at a penny each.
• 47:26
  Speaker 3: The woman went to the window and put some in
• 47:28
  Speaker 3: a paper bag. Sara noticed that she put in six.
• 47:32
  Speaker 3: I said four, if you please, she exclaimed, I only
• 47:36
  Speaker 3: have fourpence. I'll throw in two for make weight, said
• 47:40
  Speaker 3: the woman, with her good natured look. I dare say
• 47:43
  Speaker 3: you can eat them sometime. Aren't you hungry? A mist
• 47:47
  Speaker 3: rose before Sarah's eyes. Yes, she answered, I am very hungry,
• 47:52
  Speaker 3: and I am much obliged to you for your kindness.
• 47:55
  Speaker 3: And she was going to add there's a child outside
• 47:58
  Speaker 3: who is hungrier than I am, but just at that
• 48:01
  Speaker 3: moment two or three customers came in, and each one
• 48:05
  Speaker 3: seemed in a hurry, so she could only thank the woman
• 48:08
  Speaker 3: again and go out. The child was still huddled up
• 48:12
  Speaker 3: on the corner of the steps. She looked frightful, and
• 48:15
  Speaker 3: her wet and dirty rags she was staring with a
• 48:18
  Speaker 3: stupid look of suffering straight before her, and Sara saw
• 48:21
  Speaker 3: her suddenly draw the back of her roughened black hand
• 48:26
  Speaker 3: across her eyes to rub away the tears which seemed
• 48:30
  Speaker 3: to have surprised her by forcing their way from under
• 48:33
  Speaker 3: her lids. She was muttering to herself. Sara opened the
• 48:38
  Speaker 3: paper bag and took out one of the hot buns,
• 48:41
  Speaker 3: which had already warmed her cold hands. A little, see,
• 48:45
  Speaker 3: she said, putting the bun on the ragged lap. That
• 48:49
  Speaker 3: is nice and hot. Eat it and you will not
• 48:52
  Speaker 3: be so hungry. The child started and stared up at her,
• 48:56
  Speaker 3: and then she snatched the bun and began to cram
• 48:59
  Speaker 3: into her mouth with the rate of wolfish bites. Oh my,
• 49:02
  Speaker 3: oh my, Sarah heard her say, hoarsely, and wild light.
• 49:07
  Speaker 3: Oh my. Sara took out three more buns and put
• 49:11
  Speaker 3: them down. She is hungrier than I am, she said
• 49:14
  Speaker 3: to herself. She's starving, but her hand trembled when she
• 49:18
  Speaker 3: put down the fourth bun. I'm not starving, she said,
• 49:22
  Speaker 3: and she put down the fifth. The little starving London
• 49:26
  Speaker 3: savage was still snatching and devouring when she turned away.
• 49:30
  Speaker 3: She was too ravenous to give any thanks, even if
• 49:33
  Speaker 3: she had been taught politeness, which she had not. She
• 49:37
  Speaker 3: was only a poor, little wild animal. Goodbye, said Sarah.
• 49:42
  Speaker 3: When she had reached the other side of the street,
• 49:45
  Speaker 3: she looked back. The child had bought in both hands
• 49:48
  Speaker 3: and had stopped in the middle of a bite to
• 49:50
  Speaker 3: watch her. Sara gave her a little nod, and the child,
• 49:54
  Speaker 3: after another stair a curious, longing stare, jerked her shaggy
• 49:58
  Speaker 3: head in response, and in till Sara was out of sight,
• 50:01
  Speaker 3: she did not take another bite, or even finish the
• 50:04
  Speaker 3: one she had begun. At that moment, the baker woman
• 50:07
  Speaker 3: glanced out of her shop window. Well I never, she exclaimed,
• 50:12
  Speaker 3: If that young one hasn't given her bonds to a
• 50:14
  Speaker 3: beggar child, it wasn't because she didn't want them either. Well, well,
• 50:19
  Speaker 3: she looked hungry enough. I'd give something to know what
• 50:22
  Speaker 3: she did it for. She stood behind her window for
• 50:25
  Speaker 3: a few minutes and pondered. Then her curiosity got the
• 50:28
  Speaker 3: better of her. She went to the door and spoke
• 50:31
  Speaker 3: to the beggar child, who gave you those buns? She
• 50:34
  Speaker 3: asked her. The child nodded her head towards Sarah's vanishing figure.
• 50:40
  Speaker 3: What did she say? Inquired the woman? Ask me if
• 50:44
  Speaker 3: I was hungry? Replied the hoarse voice, What did you say? Said?
• 50:50
  Speaker 3: I was jist? And then she came in and got
• 50:53
  Speaker 3: buns and came out and gave them to you? Did she?
• 50:57
  Speaker 3: The child nodded? How many? Five? The woman thought it over.
• 51:03
  Speaker 3: Left just one for herself, she said, in a low voice,
• 51:08
  Speaker 3: And she could have eaten the whole six. I saw
• 51:10
  Speaker 3: it in her eyes. She looked after the little, draggled,
• 51:15
  Speaker 3: far away figure, and felt more disturbed in her usual
• 51:19
  Speaker 3: comfortable light than she had felt for many a day.
• 51:23
  Speaker 3: I wish she hadn't gone so quick, she said. I'm
• 51:26
  Speaker 3: blessed if she shouldn't have had a dozen. Then she
• 51:29
  Speaker 3: turned to the child. Are you hungry yet? She said?
• 51:33
  Speaker 3: I'm all as hungry, was the answer. But it damed
• 51:36
  Speaker 3: so bad as it was. Come in here, said the woman,
• 51:40
  Speaker 3: and she held open the shop door. The child got
• 51:43
  Speaker 3: up and shuffled in. To be invited into a warm
• 51:47
  Speaker 3: place full of bread seemed an incredible thing. She did
• 51:51
  Speaker 3: not know what was going to happen. She did not care.
• 51:54
  Speaker 3: Even get yourself warm, said the woman, pointing to a
• 51:58
  Speaker 3: fire in a tiny back room. And look here. When
• 52:02
  Speaker 3: you're hard up for a bite of bread, you can
• 52:05
  Speaker 3: come in here and ask for it. I'm blessed if
• 52:07
  Speaker 3: I won't give it to you. For that young man's sake,
• 52:11
  Speaker 3: Sarah found some comfort in her remaining bun. It was hot,
• 52:15
  Speaker 3: and it was a great deal better than nothing. She
• 52:17
  Speaker 3: broke off small pieces and ate them slowly to make
• 52:20
  Speaker 3: it last longer. Suppose it was a magic bun, she said,
• 52:25
  Speaker 3: and a bite was as much as a whole dinner.
• 52:28
  Speaker 3: I should be overeating myself if I went on like this.
• 52:34
  Speaker 3: End of Part three, read by Sarah and Grisha Parshall
• 52:39
  Speaker 3: Sarah Parshall dot blogspot dot com on April twelfth, twenty thirteen,
• 52:46
  Speaker 3: in Naples, New York. Section four of Sarah Crue or
• 52:56
  Speaker 3: What Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School. This as a
• 53:00
  Speaker 3: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 53:06
  Speaker 3: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 53:13
  Speaker 3: Recording by Sarah and Gracia Parshall. Sarah Crewe or What
• 53:18
  Speaker 3: Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School by Francis Hodgson Burnett,
• 53:23
  Speaker 3: Section four. It was dark when Sarah reached the square
• 53:28
  Speaker 3: in which Miss Minchin's Select Seminary was situated. The lamps
• 53:33
  Speaker 3: were lighted, and in most of the windows gleams of
• 53:37
  Speaker 3: light were to be seen. It always interested Sara to
• 53:41
  Speaker 3: catch glimpses of the rooms before the shutters were closed.
• 53:46
  Speaker 3: She liked to imagine things about people who sat before
• 53:48
  Speaker 3: the fires and houses, or who bent over books at
• 53:52
  Speaker 3: the tables. There was, for instance, the large family opposite.
• 53:57
  Speaker 3: She called these people the large family, not because they
• 54:00
  Speaker 3: were large, for indeed most of them were little, but
• 54:04
  Speaker 3: because there were so many of them. There were eight
• 54:08
  Speaker 3: children in the large family, and a stout rosy mother,
• 54:12
  Speaker 3: and a stout rosy father, and a stout rosy grandmamma,
• 54:16
  Speaker 3: and any number of servants. The eight children were always
• 54:21
  Speaker 3: either being taken out to walk or to ride in
• 54:24
  Speaker 3: perambulators by comfortable nurses, or they were going to drive
• 54:28
  Speaker 3: with their mama, or they were flying to the door
• 54:31
  Speaker 3: in the evening to kiss their papa and dance around
• 54:34
  Speaker 3: him and drag off his overcoat and look for packages
• 54:37
  Speaker 3: in the pockets of it, or they were crowding about
• 54:39
  Speaker 3: the nursery windows and looking out and pushing each other
• 54:42
  Speaker 3: and laughing. In fact, they were always doing something which
• 54:46
  Speaker 3: seemed enjoyable and suited to the tastes of a large family.
• 54:51
  Speaker 3: Sarah was quite attached to them and had given them
• 54:54
  Speaker 3: all names out of books. She called them the mountmorn
• 54:57
  Speaker 3: Seas when she did not call them the large Family.
• 55:01
  Speaker 3: The fat fair baby with the lace cap was ATHELBERTA
• 55:06
  Speaker 3: Beauchamp Montmorency. The next baby was Violet chol Mandeley Montmorency.
• 55:14
  Speaker 3: The little boy who could just stagger and who had
• 55:18
  Speaker 3: such round legs was Sydney Cecil Vivian Montmorency. And then
• 55:25
  Speaker 3: came Lilian Evangeline, Guy, Clarence Maud Marion, Rosalind Gladdie's, Veronica Eustasha,
• 55:35
  Speaker 3: and Claude Harold Hector. Next Door to the large family
• 55:41
  Speaker 3: lived the Maiden Lady, who had a companion and two
• 55:44
  Speaker 3: parrots and a King Charles spaniel. But Sarah was not
• 55:49
  Speaker 3: very fond of her because she did nothing in particular
• 55:52
  Speaker 3: but talked to the parents and drive out with the spaniel.
• 55:55
  Speaker 3: The most interesting person of all lived next door to
• 55:58
  Speaker 3: Mismntion herself. Sarah called him the Indian Gentleman. He was
• 56:04
  Speaker 3: an elderly gentleman who was said to have lived in
• 56:07
  Speaker 3: the East Indies, and to be immensely rich, and to
• 56:10
  Speaker 3: have something the matter with his liver. In fact, it
• 56:14
  Speaker 3: had been rumored that he had no liver at all,
• 56:16
  Speaker 3: and was much inconvenienced by the fact. At any rate,
• 56:20
  Speaker 3: he was very yellow, and he did not look happy,
• 56:24
  Speaker 3: and when he went out to his carriage he almost
• 56:27
  Speaker 3: always walked wrapped up in shawls and overcoats, as if
• 56:30
  Speaker 3: he were cold. He had a native servant who looked
• 56:34
  Speaker 3: even colder than himself, and he had a monkey who
• 56:37
  Speaker 3: looked colder than the native servant. Sarah had seen the
• 56:41
  Speaker 3: monkey sitting on a table in the sun in the
• 56:45
  Speaker 3: parlor window, and he always wore such a mournful expression
• 56:49
  Speaker 3: that she sympathized with him deeply. I dare say she
• 56:54
  Speaker 3: used to sometimes remark to herself, he is thinking all
• 56:57
  Speaker 3: the time of the cocoanut trees and of swinging his
• 57:00
  Speaker 3: tale under a tropical sun. He might have had a
• 57:03
  Speaker 3: family dependent on him, too, poor thing. The native servant,
• 57:09
  Speaker 3: whom she called the Lascar looked mournful too, but he
• 57:14
  Speaker 3: was evidently very faithful to his master. Perhaps he saved
• 57:20
  Speaker 3: his master's life in That'sapoy rebellion. She thought, they look
• 57:25
  Speaker 3: as if they might have had all sorts of adventures.
• 57:29
  Speaker 3: I wish I could speak to the Lascar. I remember
• 57:32
  Speaker 3: a little Hindustiny. One day, she did actually speak to him,
• 57:37
  Speaker 3: and his start at the sound of his own language,
• 57:40
  Speaker 3: expressed a great deal of surprise and delight. He was
• 57:44
  Speaker 3: waiting for his master to come out to the carriage,
• 57:47
  Speaker 3: and Sarah, who was going on an errand as usual,
• 57:51
  Speaker 3: stopped and spoke a few words. She had a special
• 57:54
  Speaker 3: gift for languages and had remembered enough Hindustiny to make
• 58:00
  Speaker 3: herself understood by him. When his master came out, the
• 58:05
  Speaker 3: Lascar spoke to him quickly, and the Indian gentleman turned
• 58:09
  Speaker 3: and looked at her curiously. And afterwards the Lascar always
• 58:13
  Speaker 3: greeted her with salaams of the most profound description, and
• 58:17
  Speaker 3: occasionally they exchanged a few words. She learned that it
• 58:22
  Speaker 3: was true the Saib was very rich, that he was ill,
• 58:26
  Speaker 3: and also that he had no wife nor children, and
• 58:29
  Speaker 3: that England did not agree with the monkey. He must
• 58:34
  Speaker 3: be as lonely as I am, thought Sara, being rich
• 58:37
  Speaker 3: does not seem to make him happy. That evening, as
• 58:41
  Speaker 3: she passed the windows, the lascar was closing the shutters,
• 58:45
  Speaker 3: and she caught a glimpse of the room. Inside. There
• 58:48
  Speaker 3: was a bright fire glowing in the grate, and the
• 58:51
  Speaker 3: Indian gentleman was sitting before it in a luxurious chair.
• 58:56
  Speaker 3: The room was richly furnished and looked delightfu fully comfortable,
• 59:01
  Speaker 3: But the Indian gentleman sat with his head resting on
• 59:04
  Speaker 3: his hand and looked as lonely and unhappy as ever
• 59:08
  Speaker 3: poor man, said Sarah, I wonder what you are supposing.
• 59:13
  Speaker 3: When she went into the house, she met miss Minchin
• 59:16
  Speaker 3: in the hall. Where have you wasted your time? Said
• 59:20
  Speaker 3: miss Minchin? You have been out for hours. It was
• 59:24
  Speaker 3: so wet and muddy. Sarah answered it was hard to
• 59:27
  Speaker 3: walk because my shoes were so bad and slipped about.
• 59:30
  Speaker 3: So make no excuses, said miss Minchine, and tell no
• 59:36
  Speaker 3: falsehoods Sarah went down to the kitchen. Why didn't you
• 59:41
  Speaker 3: stay all night? Here are the things, said Sarah, and
• 59:46
  Speaker 3: laid her purchases on the table. The cook looked over them, grumbling.
• 59:51
  Speaker 3: She was in a very bad temper. Indeed, may I
• 59:54
  Speaker 3: have something to eat? Sarah asked, rather faintly, teas over
• 59:59
  Speaker 3: and done with the answer. Did you expect me to
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 3: keep a hat for you? Sara was silent a second.
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 3: I had no dinner, she said, and her voice was
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 3: quite low. She made it low because she was afraid
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 3: it would tremble. There's some bread in the pantry, said
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 3: the cook. That's all you'll get at this time of day.
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 3: Sara went and found the bread. It was old and
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 3: hard and dry. The cook was in too bad a
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 3: humor to give her anything to eat with it. She
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 3: had just been scolded by Miss Minchin, and it was
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 3: always safe and easy to vent her own spite on Sara.
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 3: Really it was hard for the child, declined the three
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 3: long flights of stairs leading to her garret. She often
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 3: found them long and steep when she was tired, but
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 3: to night it seemed as if she would never reach
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 3: the top. Several times a lump rose in her throat,
• 1:00:51
  Speaker 3: and she was obliged to stop to rest. I can't
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 3: pretend anything more to night, she said wearily to herself.
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 3: I'm sure I can't. I'll eat my bread and drink
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 3: some water and then go to sleep, and then perhaps
• 1:01:04
  Speaker 3: a dream will come and pretend for me. I wonder
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 3: what dreams are yes. When she reached the top landing,
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 3: there were tears in her eyes, and she did not
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 3: feel like a princess, only like a tired, hungry, lonely,
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 3: lonely child. If my papa had lived, she said, they
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 3: would not have treated me like this. If my papa
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 3: had lived, he would have taken care of me. Then
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 3: she turned the handle and opened the garret door. Can
• 1:01:33
  Speaker 3: you imagine it? Can you believe it? I find it
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 3: hard to believe myself, and Sara found it impossible. For
• 1:01:39
  Speaker 3: the first few moments. She thought something strange had happened
• 1:01:42
  Speaker 3: to her eyes, to her mind, that the dream had
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 3: come before she had time to fall asleep. Oh, she exclaimed, breathlessly.
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 3: Oh it isn't true. I know, I know it isn't true.
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 3: And she slipped into the room and closed the door
• 1:01:57
  Speaker 3: and locked it, and stood with her back again, staring
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 3: straight before her. Do you wonder In the grate, which
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 3: had been empty and rusty and cold when she had
• 1:02:07
  Speaker 3: left it, but which was now blackened and polished up
• 1:02:11
  Speaker 3: quite respectably, there was a glowing, blazing fire On the
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 3: hob was a little brass kettle, hissing and boiling. Spread
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 3: Upon the floor was a warm, thick rug. Before the
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 3: fire was a folding chair, unfolded and with cushions on it.
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 3: By the chair was a small folding table unfolded, covered
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 3: with a white cloth, and upon it were several small
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 3: covered dishes, a cop and saucer, and a teapot. On
• 1:02:40
  Speaker 3: the bed were new warm coverings, a curious, wide silk robe,
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 3: and some books. The little, cold, miserable room seemed to
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 3: change into fairyland. It was actually warm and glowing. It
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 3: is bewitched, said Sarah, or I am bewitched. I only
• 1:02:58
  Speaker 3: think I see it all. But if I keep on thinking,
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 3: I don't care, I don't care. If I can only
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 3: keep it up. She was afraid to move for fear
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 3: it would melt away. She stood with her back against
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 3: the door and looked around and around. But soon she
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 3: began to feel warm. And then she moved forward. A
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 3: fire that I only thought I surely wouldn't feel warm,
• 1:03:20
  Speaker 3: she said, It feels real, real. She went to it
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 3: and knelt before it. She touched the chair, the table.
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 3: She lifted up the cover of one of the dishes.
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 3: There was something hot and savory in it, something delicious.
• 1:03:34
  Speaker 3: The teapot had tea in it, ready for the boiling
• 1:03:36
  Speaker 3: water from the little kettle. One plate had toast on it,
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 3: another muffins. It is real, said Sarah. The fire is
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 3: real enough to warm me. I can sit in the chair.
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 3: The things are real enough to eat. It was like
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 3: a fairy story come true. It was heavenly. She went
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 3: to the bed and touched the blankets, and the wrap
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 3: were real too. She opened one book and on the
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 3: title page was written in a strange hand. The little
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 3: girl in the attic. Suddenly was it a strange thing
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 3: for her to do. Sarah put her face down on
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 3: the queer, foreign looking quilted robe and burst into tears.
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 3: I don't know who it is, she said, but somebody
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 3: cares about me a little. Somebody is my friend. Somehow
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 3: that thought warmed her more than the fire. She had
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 3: never had a friend since those happy, luxurious days when
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 3: she had had everything, and those days had seemed such
• 1:04:38
  Speaker 3: a long way off, so far as to be only
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 3: like drinks. During those last years at mismntions, she really
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 3: cried more at the strange thought of having a friend,
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 3: even though an unknown one than she had cried over
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 3: many of her worst troubles. But these tears were different
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 3: from the others, for when she had wiped them away,
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 3: they did not see to leave her eyes and her
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 3: heart hot and smarting. And then imagine, if you can,
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 3: what the rest of the evening was like. The delicious
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 3: comfort of taking off the damp clothes and putting on
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 3: the soft, warm, quilted robe, before the glowing fire, of
• 1:05:16
  Speaker 3: flipping her cold feet into the luscious little wool lined
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 3: slippers she found near her chair. And then the hot tea,
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 3: the savory dishes, the cushioned a chair, and the books.
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 3: It was just like Sara, that, once having found things real,
• 1:05:34
  Speaker 3: she should give herself up to the enjoyment of them.
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 3: At the very utmost, she had lived a life of imagining,
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 3: and had found her pleasure so long in improbabilities that
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 3: she was quite equal to accepting any wonderful thing that happened.
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 3: After she was quite warm and had eaten her supper
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 3: and enjoyed herself for an hour or so, it had
• 1:05:54
  Speaker 3: almost ceased to be surprising to her that such magical
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 3: surroundings should be hers. As to finding out who had
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 3: done all this, she knew that it was out of
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 3: the question. She did not know a human soul by
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 3: whom it could seem in the least degree probable that
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 3: it could have been done. There is nobody, nobody, she
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 3: said to herself. She discussed the matter with Emily. It
• 1:06:19
  Speaker 3: is true, but more because it was delightful to talk
• 1:06:22
  Speaker 3: about it than with a view to make any discoveries.
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 3: But we have a friend, she said. We have a friend.
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 3: And of Part four read by Sarah and Gracia Parshall
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 3: Sarah Parshall dot blackspot dot com on April fifteenth, two
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 3: thousand thirteen, in Naples, New York. Section five of Sarah
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 3: Crue or What Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School. This
• 1:06:56
  Speaker 3: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 3: public domain. From more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 3: LibriVox dot org. Recording by Sarah and Gracia Parshall. Sarah
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 3: Crewe or what Happened at Miss Mentioned's Boarding School by
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 3: Frances Hodgson Burnet. Section five. Sarah could not even imagine
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 3: a being charming enough to fill her grand ideal of
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 3: her mysterious benefactor. If she tried to make in her
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 3: mind a picture of him or her. It ended by
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 3: being something glittering and strange, not at all like a
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 3: real person, but bearing resemblance to a sort of Eastern
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 3: magician with long robes and a wand. And when she
• 1:07:42
  Speaker 3: fell asleep beneath the soft white blanket, she dreamed all
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 3: night of this magnificent personage, and talked to him, and
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 3: induced a knee, and made salaams to him. Upon one thing,
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 3: she was determined she would not speak to anyone of
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 3: her good fortune. It should be her own secret. In fact,
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 3: she was rather inclined to think that if miss Minchin knew,
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 3: she would take her treasures from her, or in some
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 3: way spoil her pleasure. So when she went down the
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 3: next morning, she shut her door very tight and did
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 3: her best to look as if nothing unusual had occurred.
• 1:08:25
  Speaker 3: And yet this was rather hard, because she could not
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 3: help remembering every now and then with a sort of start,
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 3: and her heart would beat quickly every time she repeated
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 3: to herself, I have a friend. It was a friend
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 3: who evidently meant to continue to be kind, for when
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 3: she went to her garret the next night and she
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 3: opened the door, it must be confessed with a rather
• 1:08:49
  Speaker 3: excited feeling, she found that the same hands had again
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 3: been at work, and had done even more than before.
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 3: The fire and supper were again there, and beside them
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 3: a number of other things which so altered the look
• 1:09:04
  Speaker 3: of the garret that Sarah quite lost her breath. A
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 3: piece of bright, strange, heavy cloth covered the battered mantle,
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 3: and on it some ornaments had been placed. All the
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 3: bare ugly things which could be covered with draperies had
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 3: been concealed and made look quite pretty. Some odd materials
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 3: in rich colors had been fastened against the walls with sharp,
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 3: fine tacks, so sharp that they could be pressed into
• 1:09:31
  Speaker 3: wood without hammering. Some brilliant fans were pinned up, and
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 3: there were several large cushions. A long, old wooden box
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 3: was covered with a rug, and some cushions lay on it,
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 3: so that it wore quite the air of a sofa.
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 3: Sarah simply sat down, looked and looked again. It is
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 3: exactly like something very come true, she said. There isn't
• 1:09:57
  Speaker 3: the least difference. I feel as if I might I
• 1:10:00
  Speaker 3: wish for anything, diamonds and bags of gold, and they
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 3: would appear. That couldn't be any stranger than this is
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 3: this my garret? Am I the same cold, ragged, damp Sarah.
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 3: And to think how I used to pretend and pretend
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 3: and wish there were fairies. The one thing I always
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 3: wanted was to see a fairy story come true. I
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 3: am living in a fairy story. I feel as if
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 3: I might be a fairy myself and be able to
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 3: turn things into anything else. It was like a fairy story.
• 1:10:30
  Speaker 3: And what was best of all, it continued. Almost every day,
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 3: something new was done to the garret, some new comfort
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 3: or ornament appeared in it when Sarah opened her door
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 3: at night, until actually, in a short time it was
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 3: a bright little room full of all sorts of odd
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 3: and luxurious things, and the magician had taken care that
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 3: the child should not be hungry, and that she should
• 1:10:54
  Speaker 3: have as many books as she could read. When she
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 3: left the room in the morning, the remains of her
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 3: supper were on the table, and when she returned in
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 3: the evening, the magician had removed them and left another
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 3: nice little meal downstairs. Miss Minchin was as cruel and
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 3: insulting as ever. Miss Amelia was as peevish, and the
• 1:11:16
  Speaker 3: servants were vulgar. Sara was sent on errands and scolded,
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 3: and driven hither and thither. But somehow it seemed as
• 1:11:24
  Speaker 3: if she could bear it all. The delightful sense of
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 3: romance and mystery lifted her above the cook's temper and malice.
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 3: The comfort she enjoyed and could always look forward to,
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 3: was making her stronger. If she came home from her
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 3: errands wet and tired, she knew she would soon be warm.
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 3: After she had climbed the stairs. In a few weeks
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 3: she began to look less thin, a little color came
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 3: into her cheeks, and her eyes did not seem too
• 1:11:54
  Speaker 3: big for her face. It was just when this was
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 3: beginning to be so apparent that Miss Minty sometimes stared
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 3: at her questioningly, that another wonderful thing happened. A man
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 3: came to the door and left several parcels. All were
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 3: addressed in large letters to the little girl in the attic.
• 1:12:15
  Speaker 3: Sarah herself was sent to open the door, and she
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 3: took them in. She laid the two largest parcels down
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 3: in the hall table and was looking at the address
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 3: when Miss Minchine came down the stairs. Take the things
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 3: upstairs to the young lady to whom they belong, she said,
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 3: don't stand there staring at them. They belonged to me,
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 3: answered Sarah quietly. Do you, exclaimed Miss Minchin, What do
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 3: you mean. I don't know where they came from, said Sarah,
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 3: but they're addressed to me. Miss Minchin came to her
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 3: side and looked at them with an excited expression. What
• 1:12:55
  Speaker 3: is in them, she demanded. I don't know, said Sarah.
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 3: Oh them, she demanded, still more excitedly. Sarah did as
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 3: she was told. They contained pretty and comfortable clothing, clothing
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 3: of different kinds, shoes and stockings and gloves, a warm coat,
• 1:13:13
  Speaker 3: and even an umbrella. On the pocket of the coat
• 1:13:17
  Speaker 3: was pinned a paper on which was written to be
• 1:13:20
  Speaker 3: worn every day, will be replaced by others when necessary.
• 1:13:25
  Speaker 3: Miss Minchin was agitated. This was an incident which suggested
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 3: strange things in her sordid mind. Could it be that
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 3: she had made a mistake after all, and that the
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 3: child so neglected and so unkindly treated by her had
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 3: some powerful friend in the background. It would not be
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 3: pleasant if there should be such a friend, and he
• 1:13:49
  Speaker 3: or she should learn all the truth about the thin,
• 1:13:52
  Speaker 3: shabby clothes and the scant food and the hard work.
• 1:13:56
  Speaker 3: She felt queer, indeed, and uncertain, and she gave a
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 3: side glance at Sarah. Well, she said, in a voice
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 3: such as she had never used since the day the
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 3: child lost her father. Well, someone is very kind to you.
• 1:14:12
  Speaker 3: As you have the things and are to have new
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 3: ones when they are worn out, you may as well
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 3: go and put them on and look respectable. And after
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 3: you were dressed, you may come downstairs and learn your
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 3: lessons in the schoolroom. So it happened that about a
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 3: half hour afterward, Sarah struck the entire schoolroom of pupils
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 3: dumb with amazement, by making her appearance in a costume
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 3: such as she has never worn since the change of fortune,
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 3: whereby she ceased to be a show pupil and a
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 3: parlor boarder. She scarcely seemed to be the same Sarah.
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 3: She was neatly dressed in a pretty gown of warm
• 1:14:48
  Speaker 3: browns and reds, and even her stockings and slippers were
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 3: nice and dainty. Perhaps someone has left her a fortune,
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 3: one of the girls whispered, I always thought something would
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 3: happened to her, she is so queer. That night, when
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 3: Sarah went to her room, she carried out a plan
• 1:15:06
  Speaker 3: she had been devising for some time, she wrote a
• 1:15:09
  Speaker 3: note to her unknown friend. I ran as follows. I
• 1:15:13
  Speaker 3: hope you will not think it is not polite that
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 3: I should write this note to you when you wish
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 3: to keep yourself a secret. But I do not mean
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 3: to be impolite or to try to find out at all.
• 1:15:25
  Speaker 3: Only I want to thank you for being so kind
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 3: to me, so beautiful kind, and making everything like a
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 3: fairy story. I am so grateful to you, and I
• 1:15:36
  Speaker 3: am so happy. I used to be so lonely and
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 3: cold and hungry, but now, oh, just think what you
• 1:15:43
  Speaker 3: have done for me. Please just let me say these words.
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 3: It seems as if I ought to say them. Thank you,
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 3: thank you, thank you the little girl in the attic.
• 1:15:54
  Speaker 3: The next morning she left this on the little table,
• 1:15:57
  Speaker 3: and it was taken away with the other things. She
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 3: felt sure the magician had received it, and she was
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 3: happier for the thought. A few nights later, a very
• 1:16:07
  Speaker 3: odd thing happened. She found something in the room which
• 1:16:11
  Speaker 3: she certainly would have never expected. When she came in
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 3: as usual, she saw something small and dark in her chair,
• 1:16:18
  Speaker 3: an odd, tiny figure which turned toward her, a little,
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 3: weird looking, wistful face Why it's the monkey, she cried,
• 1:16:27
  Speaker 3: It is the Indian gentleman's monkey. Where can he have
• 1:16:30
  Speaker 3: come from? It was the monkey, sitting up and looking
• 1:16:33
  Speaker 3: so like a mite of a child that it was
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 3: really quite pathetic. And very soon Sarah found out how
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 3: he had happened to be in her room. The skylight
• 1:16:41
  Speaker 3: was open, and it was easy to guess that he
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 3: had crept out of his master's garret window, which was
• 1:16:46
  Speaker 3: only a few feet away and perfectly easy to get
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 3: in and out of, even for a climber less agile
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 3: than the monkey. He had probably climbed to the garret
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 3: on a tour of investigation, and getting out upon the roof,
• 1:17:01
  Speaker 3: and being attracted by the light in Sara's attic, had
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 3: crept in. At all events, this seemed quite reasonable. And
• 1:17:10
  Speaker 3: there he was, and when Sara went to him, he
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 3: actually put out his queer elfish little hands, caught her
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 3: dress and jumped into her arms. Oh you queer, poor,
• 1:17:22
  Speaker 3: ugly foreign little thing, said Sara, caressing him. I can't
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 3: help liking you. You look sort of like a baby,
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 3: but I am so glad that you were not, because
• 1:17:32
  Speaker 3: your mother could not be proud of you, and nobody
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 3: would dare to say that you were like any of
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 3: your relations, But I do like you. You have such
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 3: a forlorn little look in your face. Perhaps you are sorry,
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 3: you are so ugly, and it's always on your mind.
• 1:17:49
  Speaker 3: I wonder if you have a mind. The monkey sat
• 1:17:52
  Speaker 3: and looked at her while she talked, and seemed much
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 3: interested in her remarks, if one could judge by his
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 3: eyes and his forehead at the way he moved his
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 3: head up and down, and held it sideways and scratched
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 3: it with his little hand. He examined Sara quite seriously,
• 1:18:08
  Speaker 3: and anxiously too. He felt the stuff of her dress,
• 1:18:12
  Speaker 3: touched her hands, climbed up and examined her ears, then
• 1:18:15
  Speaker 3: sat on her shoulder, holding the lock of her hair,
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 3: looking mournful but not at all agitated upon the whole.
• 1:18:21
  Speaker 3: He seemed pleased with Sara. But I must take you back,
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 3: she said to him, though I'm sorry to have to
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 3: do it. Oh, the company would be to a person.
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 3: She lifted him from her shoulder, set him on her knee,
• 1:18:35
  Speaker 3: and gave him a bit of cake. He sat and
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 3: nibbled it, then put his head on one side, looked
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 3: at her, wrinkled his forehead that nibbled again in the
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 3: most companionable manner. But you must go home, said Sara
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 3: at last, and she took him in her arms to
• 1:18:50
  Speaker 3: carry him downstairs. Evidently he did not want to leave
• 1:18:54
  Speaker 3: the room, for as they reached the door, he clung
• 1:18:56
  Speaker 3: to her neck and gave a little scream of anger.
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 3: You mustn't be an ungrateful monkey, said Sara. You ought
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 3: to be the fondest of your own family. I am
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 3: sure the lastcar is very good to you. Nobody saw
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 3: her on her way out, and very soon she was
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 3: standing on the Indian gentleman's front steps, and the lascar
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 3: had opened the door for her. I found your monkey
• 1:19:21
  Speaker 3: in my room, she said in Hindustany. I think he
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 3: got in through the window. The man began a rapid
• 1:19:29
  Speaker 3: outpouring of thanks, but just as he was in the
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 3: midst of them, a fretful, hollow voice was heard through
• 1:19:35
  Speaker 3: the open door of the nearest room. The instant he
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 3: heard it, the lastcar disappeared and left Sara still holding
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 3: the monkey. It was not many moments, however, before he
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 3: came back bringing a message. His master had told him
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 3: to bring Missy into the library. The Saib was very ill,
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 3: but he wished to see Missy. Sarah thought this odd,
• 1:19:57
  Speaker 3: but she remembered reading stories of in Indian gentleman, who,
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 3: having no constitutions, were extremely cross and full of whims,
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 3: and who must have their own way, So she followed
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 3: the lascar. When she entered the room, the Indian gentleman
• 1:20:13
  Speaker 3: was lying on an easy chair propped up with pillows.
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 3: He looked frightfully ill. His yellow face was thin, and
• 1:20:20
  Speaker 3: his eyes were hollow. He gave Sara a rather curious look.
• 1:20:24
  Speaker 3: It was as if she had wakened him in some
• 1:20:27
  Speaker 3: anxious interest. You live next door, he said, Yes, answered Sarah.
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 3: I live at Miss Mitchin's. She keeps a boarding school, yes,
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 3: said Sarah, and you are one of her pupils. Sarah
• 1:20:42
  Speaker 3: hesitated a moment. I don't know exactly what I am,
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 3: she replied, Why not, asked the Indian gentleman. The monkey
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 3: gave a tiny squeak, and Sara stroked him. At first,
• 1:20:59
  Speaker 3: she said, I was a pupil and a boarder. But
• 1:21:02
  Speaker 3: now what do you mean by it? First, asked the
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 3: Indian gentleman. When I was first taken there by my papa.
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 3: Well what has happened since then? Said the invalid, staring
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 3: at her and knitting his brows with a puzzled expression.
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 3: My papa died, said Sarah. He lost all his money
• 1:21:23
  Speaker 3: and there was none left for me, and there was
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 3: nobody to take care of me or pay mismntionin so
• 1:21:29
  Speaker 3: so you were sent up into the garret and neglected
• 1:21:32
  Speaker 3: and made into a half starved little rudge, put in
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 3: the Indian gentleman. That is about it, isn't it. The
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 3: color deepened on Sarah's cheeks. There was no one to
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 3: take care of me, and no money, she said, I
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 3: belonged to nobody. What did your father mean by losing
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 3: his money? Said the gentleman frightfully. The red in Sarah's
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 3: cheeks grew deeper, and she fixed her odd eyes on
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 3: the yellow face. He did not lose it himself, she said.
• 1:22:04
  Speaker 3: He had a friend he was fond of, and it
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 3: was his friend who took his money. I don't know how.
• 1:22:09
  Speaker 3: I don't understand. He trusted his friend too much. She
• 1:22:13
  Speaker 3: saw the invalid start the strangest start, as if he
• 1:22:17
  Speaker 3: had been suddenly frightened. Then he spoke nervously and excitedly.
• 1:22:21
  Speaker 3: That's an old story, he said, It happens every day.
• 1:22:25
  Speaker 3: But sometimes those who are blamed, those who do the wrong,
• 1:22:28
  Speaker 3: don't intend it and are not so bad. It may
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 3: happen through a mistake, a miscalculation. They may not be
• 1:22:35
  Speaker 3: so bad. No, said Sara. But the suffering is just
• 1:22:40
  Speaker 3: as bad for the others. It killed my papa. The
• 1:22:45
  Speaker 3: Indian gentleman pushed aside some of the gorgeous raps that
• 1:22:48
  Speaker 3: covered him. Come a little nearer and let me look
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 3: at you, he said. His voice sounded very strange. It
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 3: had a more nervous and excited tone than before. Sarah
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 3: had an odd fancy that he was half afraid to
• 1:23:02
  Speaker 3: look at her. She came and stood nearer, the monkey
• 1:23:05
  Speaker 3: clinging to her and watching his master anxiously over his shoulder.
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 3: The Indian gentleman's hollow, restless eyes fixed themselves on her. Yes,
• 1:23:18
  Speaker 3: he said, at last, Yes, I can see it. Tell
• 1:23:21
  Speaker 3: me your father's name. His name was Ralph Crewe, said Sarah,
• 1:23:27
  Speaker 3: Captain Crewe. Perhaps a sudden thought flashed upon her, Perhaps
• 1:23:32
  Speaker 3: you have heard of him. He died in India. The
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 3: Indian gentleman sank back upon his pillows. He looked very
• 1:23:40
  Speaker 3: weak and seemed out of breath. Yes, he said, I
• 1:23:46
  Speaker 3: knew him, I was his friend. I meant no harm.
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 3: If he had only lived, he would have known it
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 3: turned out well. After all, he was a fine young fellow.
• 1:23:58
  Speaker 3: I was fond of him. Make it right, call Call
• 1:24:02
  Speaker 3: the man. Sarah thought he was going to die. End
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 3: of section five. Recording by Sarah and Gresha Parshall Sarah
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 3: Parshall dot blackspot dot com on April seventeenth, twenty thirteen,
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 3: in Naples, New York. Section six of Sarah Crewe or
• 1:24:29
  Speaker 3: What Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School. This is a
• 1:24:32
  Speaker 3: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:24:37
  Speaker 3: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 1:24:44
  Speaker 3: Recording by Sarah and Grasha Parshall. Sarah Crewe or what
• 1:24:48
  Speaker 3: Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 3: Section six. Sarah thought he was going to die, but
• 1:24:58
  Speaker 3: there was no need to the lastcar. He must have
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 3: been waiting at the door. He was in the room
• 1:25:04
  Speaker 3: and by his master's side. In an instant he seemed
• 1:25:07
  Speaker 3: to know what to do. He lifted the drooping head
• 1:25:11
  Speaker 3: and gave the invalid something in a small glass. The
• 1:25:15
  Speaker 3: Indian gentleman lay panting for a few minutes. Then he
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 3: spoke in an exhausted but eager voice, addressing the Lascar
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 3: in HINDUSTANEE go for Carmichael, he said, tell him to
• 1:25:29
  Speaker 3: come here at once, Tell him I have found the child.
• 1:25:33
  Speaker 3: When mister Carmichael arrived, which occurred in a very few minutes,
• 1:25:37
  Speaker 3: for it turned out that he was no other than
• 1:25:40
  Speaker 3: the father of the large family across the street, Sarah
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 3: went home and was allowed to take the monkey with her.
• 1:25:47
  Speaker 3: She certainly did not sleep very much that night, though
• 1:25:50
  Speaker 3: the monkey behaved beautifully and did not disturb her in
• 1:25:54
  Speaker 3: the least. It was not the monkey that kept her awake.
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 3: It was her thoughts and her wonders as to what
• 1:26:00
  Speaker 3: the Indian gentleman had meant when he said, tell him
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 3: I have found the child. What child? Sarah kept asking herself.
• 1:26:09
  Speaker 3: I was the only child there. But how had he
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 3: found me? And why did he want to find me?
• 1:26:15
  Speaker 3: And what is he going to do now now that
• 1:26:17
  Speaker 3: I am found? Is it something about my papa? Do
• 1:26:20
  Speaker 3: I belong to somebody? Is he one of my relations
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 3: Is something going to happen? But she found out the
• 1:26:27
  Speaker 3: very next day in the morning, and it seemed that
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 3: she had been living in a story even more than
• 1:26:31
  Speaker 3: she had imagined. First, mister Carmichael came and had an
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 3: interview with Miss Minchin, and it appeared that mister Carmichael,
• 1:26:38
  Speaker 3: besides occupying the important situation of father to the large family,
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 3: was a lawyer and had charge of the affairs of
• 1:26:46
  Speaker 3: mister Carrisford, which was the real name of the Indian gentleman.
• 1:26:50
  Speaker 3: And as mister Carrisford's lawyer, mister Carmichael had come to
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 3: explain something curious to Miss Minchine regarding Sarah. But being
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 3: the father of the large family, he had a very
• 1:27:03
  Speaker 3: kind and fatherly feeling for children. And so after saying
• 1:27:07
  Speaker 3: miss Minchin alone, what did he do but go and
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 3: bring across the square his rosy, motherly, warm hearted wife,
• 1:27:14
  Speaker 3: so that she herself might talk to the little lonely
• 1:27:17
  Speaker 3: girl and tell her everything in the best and most
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 3: motherly way. And then Sarah learned that she was to
• 1:27:23
  Speaker 3: be a poor little drudge and outcast no more, and
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 3: that a great change had come in her fortunes, for
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 3: all the lost fortune had come back to her, and
• 1:27:34
  Speaker 3: a great deal had even been added to it. It
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 3: was mister Carresford, who had been her father's friend, and
• 1:27:42
  Speaker 3: who had made the investments which caused him the apparent
• 1:27:46
  Speaker 3: loss of his money. But it had so happened that,
• 1:27:50
  Speaker 3: after the poor young Captain Crew's death, one of the investments,
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 3: which had seemed at the time the very worst, had
• 1:27:56
  Speaker 3: taken a sudden turn and proved to be such a
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 3: success that it had been a mine of wealth, and
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 3: it had doubled the captain's lost fortune, as well as
• 1:28:06
  Speaker 3: making a fortune for mister Caresford himself. But mister Carresford
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 3: had been very unhappy. He had truly loved his poor, handsome,
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 3: generous young friend, and the knowledge that he had caused
• 1:28:21
  Speaker 3: his death had weighed upon him always and broken both
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 3: his health and spirit. The worst of it had been
• 1:28:29
  Speaker 3: that when he first thought himself and Captain Crewe ruined,
• 1:28:33
  Speaker 3: he had lost courage and gone away because he thought
• 1:28:35
  Speaker 3: he was not brave enough to face the consequences of
• 1:28:38
  Speaker 3: what he had done, and so he had not even
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 3: known where the young soldier's little girl had been placed.
• 1:28:44
  Speaker 3: When he wanted to find her and make restitution, he
• 1:28:48
  Speaker 3: could discover no trace of her, and the certainty that
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 3: she was poor and friendless somewhere had made him more
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 3: miserable than ever. When he had taken the house next
• 1:28:58
  Speaker 3: to Miss Minchin's, he had been so so ill and
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 3: wretched that he had for the time given up the search.
• 1:29:04
  Speaker 3: His troubles in the Indian climate had brought him almost
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 3: to death's door. Indeed, he had not expected to live
• 1:29:11
  Speaker 3: more than a few months. And then one day the
• 1:29:15
  Speaker 3: Lascar had told him about Sara, speaking Hindustani, and gradually
• 1:29:19
  Speaker 3: he had begun to take a sort of interest in
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 3: the forlorn child, though he had only caught a glimpse
• 1:29:25
  Speaker 3: of her once or twice, and he had not connected
• 1:29:27
  Speaker 3: her with the child of his friend, perhaps because he
• 1:29:30
  Speaker 3: was too languid to think much about anything. But the
• 1:29:34
  Speaker 3: Lascar had found out something of Sarah's unhappy life and
• 1:29:38
  Speaker 3: about the garret. One evening he had actually crept out
• 1:29:42
  Speaker 3: of his own garret window and looked into hers, which
• 1:29:45
  Speaker 3: was very easy matter, because, as I have said, it
• 1:29:49
  Speaker 3: was only a few feet away, And he had told
• 1:29:51
  Speaker 3: his master what he had seen, and in a moment
• 1:29:54
  Speaker 3: of compassion, the Indian gentleman had told him to take
• 1:29:57
  Speaker 3: into the wretched little room such comforts as he coul
• 1:30:00
  Speaker 3: could carry from one window to the other, and the lascar,
• 1:30:03
  Speaker 3: who had developed an interest in and an odd fondness
• 1:30:06
  Speaker 3: for the child who had spoken to him in his
• 1:30:08
  Speaker 3: own tongue, had been pleased with the work, and having
• 1:30:12
  Speaker 3: the silent, swiftness and agile movements of many of his race,
• 1:30:17
  Speaker 3: he had made his evening journey across the few feet
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 3: from garret window to garret window without any trouble at all.
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 3: He had watched Sarah's movements until he knew exactly when
• 1:30:30
  Speaker 3: she was absent from her room and when she returned
• 1:30:32
  Speaker 3: to it, and so he had been able to calculate
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 3: the best times for his work. Generally he had made
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 3: them in the dusk of the evening, but once or twice,
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 3: when he had seen her go out on errands, he
• 1:30:46
  Speaker 3: dared to go over in the daytime, being quite sure
• 1:30:48
  Speaker 3: that the garret was never entered by any one but herself.
• 1:30:53
  Speaker 3: His pleasure in the work and his reports of the
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 3: results had added to the invalid interest in it, and
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 3: so somehow the master had found the planning gave him
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 3: something to think of, which made him almost forget his
• 1:31:05
  Speaker 3: weariness and pain. And at last, when Sarah brought home
• 1:31:10
  Speaker 3: the truant bunkie. He had felt a wish to see her,
• 1:31:13
  Speaker 3: and then her likeness to her father had done the rest.
• 1:31:17
  Speaker 3: And now, my dear, said good Missus Carmichael, patting Sarah's hand,
• 1:31:22
  Speaker 3: all your troubles are over. I am sure, and you
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 3: are to come home with me and be taken care
• 1:31:27
  Speaker 3: of as if you are one of my own little girls.
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 3: And we are so pleased to think of having you
• 1:31:33
  Speaker 3: with us until everything is settled and mister Caresford is better.
• 1:31:36
  Speaker 3: The excitement of last night has made him very weak,
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 3: but we really think he will get well now that
• 1:31:42
  Speaker 3: such a load is taken from his mind, and when
• 1:31:45
  Speaker 3: he is stronger, I am sure it will be as
• 1:31:46
  Speaker 3: kind to you as your own papa would have been.
• 1:31:49
  Speaker 3: He has a very good heart, and he is fond
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 3: of children, and he has no family at all. But
• 1:31:55
  Speaker 3: we must make you happy and rosy, and you must
• 1:31:57
  Speaker 3: learn to play and run about as my little girls do.
• 1:32:00
  Speaker 3: As your little girls do, said Sara. I wonder if
• 1:32:04
  Speaker 3: I could I used to watch them, and wonder what
• 1:32:06
  Speaker 3: it was like. Shall I feel as if I belonged
• 1:32:09
  Speaker 3: to somebody? Oh, my love, yes, yes, said Missus Carmichael.
• 1:32:15
  Speaker 3: Dear me, yes, and her motherly blue eyes grew quite moist,
• 1:32:20
  Speaker 3: and she suddenly took Sara in her arms and kissed her.
• 1:32:24
  Speaker 3: That very night, before she went to sleep, Sara had
• 1:32:27
  Speaker 3: made the acquaintance of the entire large family, and such
• 1:32:31
  Speaker 3: excitement as she and the monkey had caused in that
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 3: joyous circle could hardly be described. There was not a
• 1:32:37
  Speaker 3: child in the nursery, from the eton boy who was
• 1:32:40
  Speaker 3: the oldest, to the baby who was the youngest, who
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 3: had not laid some offering on her shrine. All the
• 1:32:47
  Speaker 3: older ones knew something of her story. She had been
• 1:32:50
  Speaker 3: born in India. She had been poor and lonely and unhappy,
• 1:32:54
  Speaker 3: and had lived in a garret and had been treated unkindly,
• 1:32:57
  Speaker 3: and now she was to be rich and happy and
• 1:33:00
  Speaker 3: to be taken care of. They were so sorry for her,
• 1:33:04
  Speaker 3: and so delighted and curious about her all at once.
• 1:33:09
  Speaker 3: The girls wished to be with her constantly, and the
• 1:33:11
  Speaker 3: little boys wished to be told about India. A second
• 1:33:15
  Speaker 3: baby with the short round legs simply sat and stared
• 1:33:18
  Speaker 3: at her and the monkey, possibly wondering why she had
• 1:33:22
  Speaker 3: not brought a hand organ with her. I shall certainly
• 1:33:26
  Speaker 3: wake up presently, Sarah kept saying to herself, this one
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 3: must be a dream. The other one turned out to
• 1:33:32
  Speaker 3: be real, but this couldn't be. But oh how happy
• 1:33:36
  Speaker 3: it is. And even when she went to bed in
• 1:33:39
  Speaker 3: the bright, pretty room not far from Missus Carmichael's own,
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 3: and Missus Carmichael came and kissed her and patted her
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 3: and tucked her in cozily, she was not sure that
• 1:33:48
  Speaker 3: she would not wake up in the garret in the morning.
• 1:33:51
  Speaker 3: And oh, Charles, dear, missus Carmikle said to her husband
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 3: when she went downstairs to him, we must get that
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 3: lonely look out of her eyes. It isn't I'll look
• 1:34:00
  Speaker 3: at all. I couldn't bear to see it in one
• 1:34:02
  Speaker 3: of my old children. What the poor little love must
• 1:34:05
  Speaker 3: have had to bear in that dreadful woman's home. But
• 1:34:09
  Speaker 3: surely she will forget it in time. But though the
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 3: lonely look passed from Sara's face, she never quite forgot
• 1:34:16
  Speaker 3: the garret at Miss Minchin's, And indeed she always liked
• 1:34:20
  Speaker 3: to remember the wonderful night when the tired princess crept upstairs,
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 3: cold and wet, and opening the door found fairyland waiting
• 1:34:28
  Speaker 3: for her, and there was no one of the many
• 1:34:31
  Speaker 3: stories she was always being called upon to tell in
• 1:34:34
  Speaker 3: the nursery of the large family, which was more popular
• 1:34:37
  Speaker 3: than that particular one. And there was no one of
• 1:34:40
  Speaker 3: whom the large family were so fond as of Sara.
• 1:34:45
  Speaker 3: Mister Kerrisford did not die, but recovered, and Sara went
• 1:34:48
  Speaker 3: to live with him, And no real princess could have
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 3: been better taken care of than she was. It seemed
• 1:34:54
  Speaker 3: that the Indian gentleman could not do enough to make
• 1:34:56
  Speaker 3: her happy and repay her for the past, and the
• 1:35:00
  Speaker 3: lastcar was her devoted slave. As her odd face grew brighter,
• 1:35:05
  Speaker 3: it grew so pretty and interesting that mister Caresford used
• 1:35:08
  Speaker 3: to sit and watch it many in the evening as
• 1:35:11
  Speaker 3: they sat by the fire together. They became great friends,
• 1:35:15
  Speaker 3: and they used to spend hours reading and talking together.
• 1:35:18
  Speaker 3: And in a very short time, there was no pleasanter
• 1:35:22
  Speaker 3: sight to the Indian Gentleman than Sarah sitting in her
• 1:35:24
  Speaker 3: big chair on the opposite side of the hearth, with
• 1:35:26
  Speaker 3: a book on her knee and her soft dark hair
• 1:35:29
  Speaker 3: tumbling over her warm cheeks. She had a pretty habit
• 1:35:33
  Speaker 3: of looking up at him suddenly with a bright smile,
• 1:35:36
  Speaker 3: and then he would say often to her, are you happy, Sarah,
• 1:35:40
  Speaker 3: And then she would answer, I feel like a real princess.
• 1:35:44
  Speaker 3: Uncle Tom, he had told her to call him Uncle Tom.
• 1:35:48
  Speaker 3: There doesn't seem anything left dispose, she added. There was
• 1:35:53
  Speaker 3: a little joke between them that he was a magician
• 1:35:56
  Speaker 3: and so could do anything he liked, and it was
• 1:35:59
  Speaker 3: one of his pleasures who invent plans to surprise her
• 1:36:01
  Speaker 3: with enjoyments she had not thought of. Scarcely a day
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 3: had passed in which he did not do something for her.
• 1:36:08
  Speaker 3: Sometimes she found new flowers in her room, sometimes a
• 1:36:11
  Speaker 3: fanciful little gift tucked into some odd corner, sometimes a
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 3: new book on her pillow. Once, as they sat together
• 1:36:18
  Speaker 3: in the evening, they heard the scratch of a heavy
• 1:36:20
  Speaker 3: paw at the door of the room, and when Sara
• 1:36:23
  Speaker 3: went in to find out what it was, there stood
• 1:36:26
  Speaker 3: a great dog, a splendid Russian boarhound with a grand
• 1:36:30
  Speaker 3: silver and gold collar, Stooping to read the inscription upon
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 3: the collar. Sara was delighted to read the words, I
• 1:36:37
  Speaker 3: am boris I serve the Princess Sarah. Then there was
• 1:36:41
  Speaker 3: a sort of fairy nursery arranged for the entertainment of
• 1:36:45
  Speaker 3: the juvenile members of the large family who were always
• 1:36:48
  Speaker 3: coming to see Sarah and the Lascar and the monkey.
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 3: Sara was as fond of the large family as they
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 3: were of her. She soon felt as if she were
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 3: a member of it, and the companionship of the healthy,
• 1:37:00
  Speaker 3: happy children was very good for her. All the children
• 1:37:04
  Speaker 3: rather looked up to her and regarded her as the
• 1:37:06
  Speaker 3: cleverest and most brilliant of creatures, particularly after it was
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 3: discovered that she not only knew stories of every kind
• 1:37:14
  Speaker 3: and could invent new ones at a moment's notice, but
• 1:37:17
  Speaker 3: she could help with lessons and speak French and German,
• 1:37:20
  Speaker 3: and to discourse with the Lascar in Hindustiny. It was
• 1:37:24
  Speaker 3: rather a painful experience for Miss Minchin to watch her
• 1:37:27
  Speaker 3: ex pupil's fortunes as she had the daily opportunity to do,
• 1:37:32
  Speaker 3: and to feel that she had made a serious mistake
• 1:37:34
  Speaker 3: from a business point of view. She had even tried
• 1:37:37
  Speaker 3: to retrieve it by suggesting that Sarah's education should be
• 1:37:40
  Speaker 3: continued under her care, and had gone to the length
• 1:37:43
  Speaker 3: of making an appeal to the child herself. I have
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 3: always been very fond of you, she said. Then Sarah
• 1:37:51
  Speaker 3: fixed her eyes upon her and gave her one of
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 3: her odd looks. Have you She answered, yes, said Miss Minchin,
• 1:37:59
  Speaker 3: Amelia and I have always said you were the cleverest
• 1:38:02
  Speaker 3: child we had with us, and I am sure we
• 1:38:04
  Speaker 3: could make you happy as a parlor boarder. Sarah thought
• 1:38:08
  Speaker 3: of the garret in the day her ears were boxed,
• 1:38:11
  Speaker 3: and of that other day, the dreadful, desolate day when
• 1:38:14
  Speaker 3: she had been told she belonged to nobody, that she
• 1:38:17
  Speaker 3: had no home and no friends, and she kept her
• 1:38:19
  Speaker 3: eyes fixed on Miss Minchin's face. You know why I
• 1:38:23
  Speaker 3: would not stay with you, she said, And it seems
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 3: probable that Miss Minchin did, for after that simple answer,
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 3: she had not the boldness to pursue the subject. She
• 1:38:34
  Speaker 3: merely sent in a bill for the expense of Sarah's
• 1:38:37
  Speaker 3: education and support, and she made it quite large enough,
• 1:38:42
  Speaker 3: and because mister Carrisford thought Sarah would wish it paid,
• 1:38:45
  Speaker 3: it was paid. When mister Carmichael paid it. He had
• 1:38:49
  Speaker 3: a brief interview with Miss Minchine in which he expressed
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 3: his opinion with much clearness and force. And it is
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 3: quite certain that Miss Minchin did not enjoy the COMFORTA
• 1:39:01
  Speaker 3: Sara had been about a month with mister Caresford and
• 1:39:04
  Speaker 3: had begun to realize that her happiness was not a
• 1:39:07
  Speaker 3: dream when one night the Indian gentleman saw that she
• 1:39:10
  Speaker 3: sat a long time with her cheek on her hands,
• 1:39:12
  Speaker 3: looking at the fire. What are you supposing, Sarah, he asked.
• 1:39:18
  Speaker 3: Sarah looked up with a bright color in her cheeks.
• 1:39:21
  Speaker 3: I was supposing, she said, I was remembering that hungry
• 1:39:26
  Speaker 3: day and a child I saw. But there were many
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 3: hungry days, said the Indian gentleman, with a rather sad
• 1:39:32
  Speaker 3: tone in his voice. Which hungry day was it? I forgot,
• 1:39:37
  Speaker 3: you didn't know, said Sarah. It was the day I
• 1:39:40
  Speaker 3: found the things in my garret. And then she told
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 3: him the story of the bun shop, the fourpence and
• 1:39:46
  Speaker 3: the child who was hungry than herself, and somehow as
• 1:39:49
  Speaker 3: she told it, though she told it very simply. Indeed
• 1:39:53
  Speaker 3: the Indian gentleman found it necessary to shade his eyes
• 1:39:56
  Speaker 3: and look down at the floor. And I was supposing
• 1:39:58
  Speaker 3: a kind of plan, said Sara when she had finished.
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 3: I was thinking I would like to do something. What
• 1:40:05
  Speaker 3: is it? Said her guardian in a low tone. You
• 1:40:08
  Speaker 3: may do anything you like to do, Princess, I was wondering,
• 1:40:12
  Speaker 3: said Sara, you know you say, I have a great
• 1:40:16
  Speaker 3: deal of money, and I was wondering if I could
• 1:40:18
  Speaker 3: go and see the bun woman and tell her if
• 1:40:21
  Speaker 3: when hungry children, particularly on those dreadful days, come and
• 1:40:25
  Speaker 3: sit on the steps or look in at the window,
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 3: she would just call them in and give them something
• 1:40:29
  Speaker 3: to eat, and she might send the bills to me
• 1:40:31
  Speaker 3: and I would pay for them. Could I do that?
• 1:40:35
  Speaker 3: You shall do it tomorrow morning, said the Indian gentleman.
• 1:40:38
  Speaker 3: Thank you, said Sara. You see, I know what it
• 1:40:41
  Speaker 3: is like to be hungry, and it is very hard
• 1:40:44
  Speaker 3: when one can't even pretend it away. Yes, yes, my dear,
• 1:40:48
  Speaker 3: said the Indian gentleman, Yes it must be. Try to
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 3: forget it. Come and sit on this footstool near my knee,
• 1:40:55
  Speaker 3: and only remember you are a princess, yes, said Sarah,
• 1:41:01
  Speaker 3: and I can give buns and bread to the populace.
• 1:41:05
  Speaker 3: And she went and sat on the stool in the
• 1:41:08
  Speaker 3: Indian gentleman he used to like her to call him
• 1:41:11
  Speaker 3: that too. Sometimes, in fact, very often, drew her small,
• 1:41:15
  Speaker 3: dark head down upon his knee and stroked her hair.
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 3: The next morning, a carriage drew up before the door
• 1:41:22
  Speaker 3: of the baker's shop, and a gentleman and a little
• 1:41:25
  Speaker 3: girl got out. Oddly enough, just as the bun woman
• 1:41:29
  Speaker 3: was putting a tray of smoking hat buns in the window.
• 1:41:33
  Speaker 3: When Sarah entered the shop, the woman turned and looked
• 1:41:35
  Speaker 3: at her, and, leaving the buns, came and stood behind
• 1:41:39
  Speaker 3: the counter for a moment. She looked at Sarah very hard, indeed,
• 1:41:43
  Speaker 3: and then her good natured face lighted up. I'm sure
• 1:41:48
  Speaker 3: that I remember you, miss, she said. And yet, yes,
• 1:41:52
  Speaker 3: said Sarah. Once you gave me six buns for fourpence,
• 1:41:56
  Speaker 3: and and you gave five of them to a beggar child,
• 1:42:00
  Speaker 3: said the woman. I've always remembered it. I couldn't make
• 1:42:03
  Speaker 3: it out at first. I beg pardon, sir, but there's
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 3: not many young people that notices a hungry face in
• 1:42:09
  Speaker 3: that way, and I've thought of it many a time.
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 3: Excuse the liberty, miss, but you look rosier and better
• 1:42:15
  Speaker 3: than you did that day. I am better, thank you,
• 1:42:18
  Speaker 3: said Sarah. And I and I am happier. And I
• 1:42:23
  Speaker 3: have come to ask you to do something for me me, miss,
• 1:42:28
  Speaker 3: exclaimed the woman. Why bless you? Yes, Miss, what can
• 1:42:31
  Speaker 3: I do? And then Sarah made her little proposal, and
• 1:42:35
  Speaker 3: the woman listened to it with an astonished face. Why
• 1:42:39
  Speaker 3: bless me, she said, when she had heard it all. Yes,
• 1:42:42
  Speaker 3: miss It'll be a pleasure to me to do it.
• 1:42:45
  Speaker 3: I'm a working woman myself and can't afford to do
• 1:42:48
  Speaker 3: it much on my own account. And there's sights of
• 1:42:51
  Speaker 3: trouble on every side. But if you'll excuse me, I'm
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 3: bound to say I've given many a bit of bread
• 1:42:56
  Speaker 3: away since that wet afternoon, just as long as the
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 3: thinking of you, and how wet and cold he was,
• 1:43:03
  Speaker 3: and how you looked, and how yet you give away
• 1:43:06
  Speaker 3: your hot bonds as if you was a princess. The
• 1:43:09
  Speaker 3: Indian gentleman smiled involuntarily, and Sarah smiled a little too.
• 1:43:15
  Speaker 3: She looked so hungry, she said, she was hungrier than
• 1:43:18
  Speaker 3: I was. She was starving, said the woman. Many's the
• 1:43:23
  Speaker 3: time she's told me of it since, how she sat
• 1:43:26
  Speaker 3: there in the wet and felt as if a wolf
• 1:43:28
  Speaker 3: was tearing at her poor young insides. Oh have you
• 1:43:33
  Speaker 3: seen her since? Then, exclaimed Sarah. Do you know where
• 1:43:36
  Speaker 3: she is? I know, said the woman. Why she's there
• 1:43:41
  Speaker 3: in that back room now, Miss Anna's been there for
• 1:43:44
  Speaker 3: a month in a decent, well meaning girl. She's going
• 1:43:47
  Speaker 3: to turn out in such a help to me in
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 3: the day shop, Anne in the kitchen, as you'd scarce believe,
• 1:43:53
  Speaker 3: knowing how she's lived. She stepped to the door of
• 1:43:57
  Speaker 3: the little back parlor and spoke, And the next minute
• 1:44:00
  Speaker 3: a girl came out and followed her behind the counter,
• 1:44:04
  Speaker 3: And it actually was the beggar child, clean and neatly clothed,
• 1:44:08
  Speaker 3: and looking as if she had not been hungry for
• 1:44:11
  Speaker 3: a long time. She looked shy, but she had a
• 1:44:14
  Speaker 3: nice face now that she was no longer a savage,
• 1:44:17
  Speaker 3: and the wild look had gone from her eyes. And
• 1:44:20
  Speaker 3: she knew Sarah in an instant, and stood and looked
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 3: at her as if she could never look enough. You see,
• 1:44:27
  Speaker 3: said the woman. I told her to come here when
• 1:44:30
  Speaker 3: she was hungry, and when she'd come, I'd give her
• 1:44:32
  Speaker 3: odd jobs to do. And I found she was willing,
• 1:44:35
  Speaker 3: and somehow I got to like her. And the end
• 1:44:38
  Speaker 3: of it was, I've given her a place and a home,
• 1:44:41
  Speaker 3: and she helps me and behaves as well. Anne is
• 1:44:43
  Speaker 3: as thankful as a girl can be. Her name's Anne.
• 1:44:47
  Speaker 3: She has no other. The two children stood and looked
• 1:44:51
  Speaker 3: at each other for a few moments. In Sara's eyes,
• 1:44:55
  Speaker 3: a new thought was growing. I'm glad you have such
• 1:44:59
  Speaker 3: a good home, she said. Perhaps missus Brown will let
• 1:45:04
  Speaker 3: you give the buns and bread to the children. Perhaps
• 1:45:07
  Speaker 3: you would like to do it, because you know what
• 1:45:10
  Speaker 3: it is to be hungry too. Yes, miss said the girl,
• 1:45:15
  Speaker 3: and somehow Sarah felt as if she understood her, though
• 1:45:19
  Speaker 3: the girl said nothing more and only stood still and looked.
• 1:45:25
  Speaker 3: I looked after her as she went out of the
• 1:45:27
  Speaker 3: shop and got into the carriage and drove away. End
• 1:45:31
  Speaker 3: of section six. Recording by Sarah and Gracia Parshall Sarah
• 1:45:36
  Speaker 3: Parshall dot blackspot dot com on April eighteenth, twenty thirteen,
• 1:45:42
  Speaker 3: in Naples, New York. End of Sarah Crewe or What
• 1:45:46
  Speaker 3: Happened at Miss Minchin's Boarding School by Francis Hodgson Burnet