18 Cont. A Little Princess-(Bedtime Story) Stephanie Poppins

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Welcome to Sleep Stories with Steph,

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Come with me as we immerse ourselves in a romantic journey to a time long since forgotten.

But before we begin,

Let's take a moment to focus on where we are now.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out with a long sigh.

That's it.

Now close your eyes and feel yourself sink deeper into the support beneath you.

It is time to relax and fully let go.

There is nothing you need to be doing now and nowhere you need to go.

Happy listening.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett Chapter 18 continued Miss Minchin returned home and going to her sitting room sent at once for Miss Amelia.

She sat closeted with her all the rest of the afternoon and it must be admitted that poor Miss Amelia passed through more than one bad quarter of an hour.

She shed a good many tears and mopped her eyes a good deal.

One of her unfortunate remarks almost caused her sister to snap her head entirely off but it resulted in an unusual manner.

I'm not as clever as you are sister,

She said,

And I'm always afraid to say things to you for fear of making you angry.

Perhaps if I were not so timid as you are,

I would have been able to get through.

Perhaps if I were not so timid it would be better for the school and for both of us.

I must say I've often thought it would have been better if you'd have been less severe on Sarah Crewe and had seen she was decently dressed and more comfortable.

I know she was worked too hard for a child of her age and I know she was only half fed.

How dare you say such a thing,

Exclaimed Miss Minchin.

I don't know how I dare,

Miss Amelia answered with a kind of reckless courage,

But now I've begun I might as well finish whatever happens to me.

The child was a clever child and a good child and she would have paid you for any kindness you'd shown her but you didn't.

The fact was she was too clever for you and you always disliked her for that reason.

She used to see through us both.

Amelia gasped her infuriated elder looking as if she would box her ears.

But Miss Amelia's disappointment had made her hysterical enough not to care what occurred next.

She did,

She did,

She cried.

She saw through us both.

She saw you were a hard-hearted worldly woman and I was a weak fool.

Then we both of us vulgar and mean enough to grovel on our knees before her money and behave evil to her because it was taken from her.

Though she behaved herself like a little princess even when she was a beggar.

And now you lost her and some other school will get to her and her money and if she were like any other child she'd tell how she's been treated and all our pupils will be taken away and will be ruined.

And that would serve us right but it serves you right more than it does me for you're a hard woman Maria Minchin.

You're a hard selfish worldly woman.

From that time forward it may be mentioned the elder Miss Minchin actually began to stand a little in awe of her sister.

While she looked so foolish she was evidently not quite so foolish as she looked.

That evening when the pupils were gathered together before the fire in the school room Ermengarde came in with a letter in her hand and a queer expression on her round face.

What is the matter?

Cried two or three voices at once.

Is it anything to do with a row that's been going on?

Said Lavinia eagerly.

There's been such a row in Miss Minchin's room.

Miss Amelia's had something like hysterics and has to go to bed.

Ermengarde answered them slowly as if she were half stunned.

I've just had this letter from Sarah she said.

From Sarah?

Every voice joined in that exclamation.

Where is she?

Almost shrieked Jessie.

Next door with the Indian gentleman said Ermengarde slowly.

Where?

Where?

Has she been sent away?

Does Miss Minchin know?

What was the row about?

Was it about that?

Why did she write?

Tell us,

Tell us.

There was a perfect babble and Lottie began to cry.

Ermengarde answered them slowly as if she were half plunged into what seemed the most important and self-explaining thing.

There were diamond mines,

She said stoutly.

There were.

Open mouths and open eyes confronted her.

During everything that went on,

Becky managed to creep upstairs having heard everything.

She wanted to get away from people and go and look at the little magic room once more.

She did not know what would happen to it.

It was not likely it would be left to Miss Minchin.

It would be taken away and the attic would be bare and empty again.

Glad as she was for Sarah's sake,

She went up the last flight of stairs with a lump in her throat and tears blurring her sight.

There would be no fire tonight and no rosy lamp.

No supper and no princess sitting in the glow reading or telling her a story.

She choked down a sob as she pushed the attic door open.

And then she broke into a low cry.

The lamp was flushing the room,

The fire was blazing and the supper was waiting.

And there was Ram Dass standing smiling into her startled face.

Miss Saab remembered.

He said she told the Saab all.

She wished you to know the good fortune which has befallen her.

She did not wish you should go to sleep unhappy.

You are to come to the Saab tomorrow.

But tonight I take these things back over the roof.

And having said this with a beaming face,

He made a little salam and slipped through the skylight with an agile silentness of movement,

Which showed Becky how easily he had done it before.

Chapter 19.

Anne Never had such joy reigned in the nursery of the large family.

Never had they dreamed of such delights as resulted from an intimate acquaintance with a little girl who was not a beggar.

The mere fact of her sufferings and adventures made her a priceless possession.

Everybody wanted to be told over and over again the things which had happened.

One by one they sat by the fire in the attic,

Which was rather delighted in its coldness and barely sank into insignificance when Sarah spoke of Machilzadeh.

But of course,

The thing that everybody loved best was the story of the banquet and the dream which came true.

Sarah told it for the first time the day after she'd been found,

And several members of the large family came to take tea with her.

They all became great friends,

But there were never such friends as Mr.

Carrisford and Sarah.

Somehow they seemed to suit each other in a wonderful way.

He had never had a companion he liked quite as much,

And in a month's time,

As Mr.

Carmichael had prophesied he would be,

He became a different man.

He was always amused and interested,

And began to find actual pleasure in the possession of the wealth he'd imagined he'd loathed.

There were so many charming things to plan for,

And so many wonderful gifts to buy.

Sarah found beautiful new flowers growing in her room,

Whimsical little gifts tucked under pillows,

And once,

As they sat together in the evening,

She heard the scratch of a heavy paw on the door,

And when she went to find out what it was,

There stood a great dog,

A splendid boar hound with a grand silver and gold collar,

And the inscription,

I am Boris,

I serve the Princess Sarah.

Sarah was so grateful for his help.

Sarah was so grateful for her new life,

And one day she said,

I was wondering,

You know,

You say I have so much money,

I was wondering if I could go to see the bung woman and tell her when hungry children,

Particularly on those dreadful days,

Come and sit on the steps or looking at the window,

I would tell her she could just call them in and give them something to eat and send the bills to me.

Could I do that?

You shall do it tomorrow morning,

Said the Indian gentleman delightedly.

Thank you,

Said Sarah.

You see,

I know what it is to be hungry,

And it's very hard when one can't even pretend it away.

Yes,

Yes,

My dear,

Said the Indian gentleman,

It must be,

Now come and sit on this footstool near my knee,

And remember you are a princess.

Yes,

Said Sarah,

Smiling,

And I can give buns and bread to the populace.

The next morning,

Miss Minchin,

Looking out of her window,

Saw the thing she perhaps least enjoyed seeing.

The Indian gentleman's carriage with its tall horses drawn up before the door of the next house,

And its owner in a little figure,

Descending the steps to get into it.

The little figure was a familiar one,

And it reminded Miss Minchin of the days in the past,

And it reminded Miss Minchin of the days in the past.

A little later,

The carriage drew up before the door of the baker's shop,

And its occupants got out.

When Sarah entered the shop,

The woman turned and looked at her,

And leaving the buns,

Came and stood behind the counter.

For a moment,

She looked at Sarah very hard indeed,

Then her good-natured face lit up.

I'm sure I remember you,

Miss,

She said,

And yet.

.

.

Yes,

Said Sarah,

Once you gave me six buns for four pence.

And you gave five of them to a beggar child,

The woman broke in.

I've always remembered it.

I couldn't make it out at first.

She turned round to the Indian gentleman and spoke her next words.

There's not many people that would do what she did.

Then she turned back to Sarah.

You look rosier and better than you ever did.

I am better,

Thank you,

Said Sarah,

And I've come to ask you to do something for me.

She leant on the counter and made her little proposal concerning the dreadful days and the hungry weaves and the hot buns.

Why,

Bless me,

Said the woman behind the counter.

It'll be a pleasure to do it.

I'm a working woman myself,

And I can't afford to do much on my own account.

But if you'll excuse me,

I'm bound to say I've given away many a piece of bread since that wet afternoon,

Just thinking about you.

The Indian gentleman smiled involuntarily at this,

And Sarah smiled a little too.

Then the woman stepped to the door of the little back parlour and spoke,

And the next minute,

A girl came out and followed her behind the counter.

It was the beggar child,

Clean and neatly clothed and looking as if she hadn't been hungry for a long time.

She looked shy,

But she had a nice face and a nice smile.

But she had a nice face now she was no longer a savage,

And the wild look had gone from her eyes.

She recognised Sarah in an instant and stood and looked at her as if she could never look enough.

You see,

Said the woman,

I told her to come when she was hungry,

And when she came and gave her some more jobs to do,

I found she was willing,

And somehow I got to like her,

And the end of it was,

I've given her a place in a home,

And she helps me out,

And she behaves well,

And is as thankful as a girl can be.

Her name's Anne.

She has no other.

The children stood and looked at each other for a few minutes,

Then Sarah took her hand out of her muff and held it across the counter,

And Anne took it in hers,

And they looked straight into each other's eyes.

I'm so glad,

Sarah said,

And I've just thought of something.

Perhaps Mrs Brown will let you be the one to give the buns and bread to the children,

Because you'd like to do it,

Because you know what it's like to be hungry,

Don't you?

Yes,

Miss,

Said the girl.

And somehow Sarah felt as if she understood her,

Though she said so little,

And only stood still and looked and looked after her as she went out of the shop with the Indian gentlemen,

And watched them closely as they got into the carriage and drove away.