Sleep Story: A Little Princess Ch 18

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett Chapter 18 I Tried Not To Be It was pretty comfortable Miss Carmichael who explained everything.

She was sent for all at once and came across the square to take Sarah into her warm arms and make clear to her all that had happened.

The excitement of the totally unexpected discovery had been temporarily almost overpowering to Mr.

Carrisford in his weak condition.

Upon my word,

He said faintly to Mr.

Carmichael when it was suggested that the little girl should go into another room.

I feel as if I do not want to lose sight of her.

I will take care of her Janet said and Mama will come in a few minutes.

And it was Janet who led her away.

We're so glad you are found she said.

You don't know how glad we are that you are found.

Donald stood with his hands in his pockets and gazed at Sarah with reflecting and self reproachful eyes.

If I'd asked what your name was when I gave you my sixpence he said,

You would have told me it was Sarah Crewe and then you would have been found in a minute.

When Ms.

Carmichael came in she looked very much moved and suddenly took Sarah in her arms and kissed her.

You look bewildered poor child she said and it is not to be wandered at.

Sarah could only think of one thing.

Was he she said with a glance toward the door of the library.

Was he the wicked friend?

Oh do tell me.

Ms.

Carmichael was crying as she kissed her again.

She felt as if she ought to be kissed very often because she had not been kissed for so long.

He was not wicked my dear she answered.

He did not really lose your papa's money.

He only thought he had lost it.

And because he loved him so much his grief made him so ill that for a time he was not in his right mind.

He almost died of brain fever.

And long before he began to recover your poor papa was dead.

And he did not know where to find me murmured Sarah and I was so near.

Somehow she could not forget that she had been so near.

He believed you were in a school in France Ms.

Carmichael explained and he was continually misled by false clues.

He has looked for you everywhere.

When he saw you pass by looking so sad and neglected he did not dream that you were his friend's poor child.

But because you were a little girl too he was sorry for you and wanted to make you happier.

And he told Rom Doss to climb into your attic window and try to make you more comfortable.

Sarah gave a start of joy.

Her whole look changed.

Did Rom Doss bring the things she cried out?

Did he tell Rom Doss to do it?

Did he make the dream that came true?

Yes,

My dear,

Yes.

He is kind and good.

And he was sorry for you.

For little law Sarah Crew's sake.

The library door opened and Mr.

Carmichael appeared calling Sarah to him with a gesture.

Mr.

Carrisford is better already he said.

He wants you to come to him.

Sarah did not wait.

When the Indian gentleman looked at her as she entered he saw that her face was all alight.

She went and stood before his chair with her hands clasped together against her breast.

You sent the things to me she said in a joyful emotional little voice.

The beautiful,

Beautiful things.

You sent them?

Yes,

Poor dear child,

I did he answered her.

She was weak and broken with long illness and trouble,

But he looked at her with the look she remembered in her father's eyes.

That look of loving her and wanting to take her in his arms.

It made her kneel down to him just as she used to kneel by her father when they were the dearest friends and lovers in the world.

Then it is you who are my friend she said.

It is you who are my friend.

And she dropped her face on his thin hand and kissed it again and again.

The man will be himself again in three weeks Mr.

Carmichael said aside to his wife.

Look at his face already.

In fact he did look changed.

Here was the little missus and he had new things to think of and plan for already.

In the first place there was Miss Mention.

She must be interviewed and told the change which had taken place in the fortunes of her pupil.

Sarah was not to return to the seminary at all.

The Indian gentleman was very determined upon that point.

She must remain where she was and Mr.

Carmichael should go and see Miss Mention himself.

I am glad I need not go back said Sarah.

She will be very angry.

She does not like me though perhaps it is my fault because I do not like her.

But oddly enough Miss Mention made it unnecessary for Mr.

Carmichael to go to her by actually coming in search of her pupil herself.

She had wanted Sarah for something and on inquiry had heard an astonishing thing.

One of the housemaids had seen her steal out of the area with something hidden in her cloak and she had also seen her go up the steps of the next door and enter the house.

What does she mean cried Miss Mention to Miss Amelia.

I don't know I am sure sister answered Miss Amelia unless she has made friends with him because he has lived in India.

It would be just like her to trust herself upon him and try to gain his sympathies in some such impertinent fashion said Miss Mention.

She must have been in the house for two hours.

I will not allow such presumption.

I shall go and inquire into the matter and apologize for intrusion.

Sarah was sitting on the footstool close to Mr.

Carosford's knee and listening to some of the many things he felt it necessary to try to explain to her when Ram Dass announced the visitors arrival.

Miss Amelia rose involuntarily and became rather pale but Mr.

Carosford saw that she stood quietly and showed none of the ordinary signs of child terror.

Miss Mention entered the room with a sternful dignified manner.

She was correctly and well dressed and rigidly polite.

I am sorry to disturb Mr.

Carosford she said but I have explanations to make.

I am Miss Mention the proprietress of the young ladies seminary next door.

The Indian gentleman looked at her for a moment in silent scrutiny.

He was a man who had naturally a rather hot temper and he did not wish it to get too much the better of him.

So you are Miss Mention he said?

I am sir.

In that case the Indian gentleman replied you have arrived at the right time.

My solicitor Mr.

Carmichael was just on the point of going to see you.

Mr.

Carmichael bowed slightly and Miss Mention looked from him to Mr.

Carosford in amazement.

Your solicitor she said?

I do not understand.

I have come here as a matter of duty.

I have just discovered that you have been intruded upon through the forwardness of one of my pupils,

A charity pupil.

I came to explain that she had intruded without my knowledge.

She turned upon Sarah.

Go home at once she commanded indignantly.

You shall be severely punished.

Go home at once.

The Indian gentleman drew Sarah to his side and patted her hand.

She is not going.

Miss Mention felt rather as if she must be losing her senses.

Not going she repeated?

No,

Said Mr.

Carosford.

She is not going home.

If you give your house that name,

Her home for the future will be with me.

Miss Mention fell back in amazed indignation.

With you?

With you,

Sir?

What does this mean?

Kindly explain the matter,

Carmichael said the Indian gentleman,

And get it over as quickly as possible.

And he made Sarah sit down again and held her hands in his,

Which was another trick of her papa's.

Then Mr.

Carmichael explained,

In the quiet,

Level-toned,

Steady manner of a man who knew his subject and all its legal significance,

Which was a thing Miss Mention understood as a businesswoman,

And did not enjoy.

Mr.

Carosford,

Madam,

He said,

Was an intimate friend of the late Captain Crew.

He was his partner in certain large investments.

The fortune which Captain Crew supposed he had lost has been recovered,

And is now in Mr.

Carosford's hands.

The fortune?

Cried Miss Mention,

And she really lost color as she uttered the exclamation.

Sarah's fortune?

It will be Sarah's fortune,

Replied Mr.

Carmichael rather coldly.

It is Sarah's fortune now,

In fact.

Certain events have increased it enormously.

The Diamond Mines have retrieved themselves.

The Diamond Mines?

Miss Mention gasped out.

If this was true,

Nothing so horrible,

She felt,

Had ever happened to her since she was born.

The Diamond Mines?

Mr.

Carmichael repeated,

And he could not help adding,

With a rather sly,

Unlawyer-like smile.

There are not many princesses,

Miss Mention,

Who are richer than your little charity pupil,

Sarah Crew will be.

Mr.

Carosford has been searching for her for nearly two years.

He has found her at last,

And he will keep her.

After which he asked Miss Mention to sit down while he explained matters to her fully,

And went into such detail as was necessary to make it quite clear to her that Sarah's future was an assured one,

And that what had seemed to be lost was to be restored to her tenfold,

Also that she had in Mr.

Carosford a guardian as well as a friend.

Miss Mention was not a clever woman,

And in her excitement she was silly enough to make one desperate effort to regain what she could not help seeing she had lost through her worldly folly.

He found her under my care,

She protested.

I have done everything for her,

But for me she should have starved in the streets.

Here the Indian gentleman lost his temper.

As to starving in the streets,

He said,

She might have starved more comfortably there than in your attic.

Captain Crew left her in my charge,

Miss Mention argued.

She must return to it until she is of age.

She can be a parlor boarder again.

She must finish her education.

The law will interfere in my behalf.

Come come,

Miss Mention,

Mr.

Carmichael interposed,

The law will do nothing of the sort.

If Sarah herself wishes to return to you,

I dare say Mr.

Carosford might not refuse to allow it,

But that rests with Sarah.

Then said Miss Mention,

I appealed to Sarah.

I have not spoiled you perhaps,

She said awkwardly to the little girl,

But you know that your papa was pleased with your progress and,

Ahem,

I've always been fond of you.

Sarah's gray,

Green eyes fixed themselves on her with the quiet,

Clear look Miss Mention particularly disliked.

Have you,

Miss Mention,

She said,

I did not know that.

Miss Mention read in and drew herself up.

You ought to have known it,

She said,

But children,

Unfortunately,

Never know what is best for them.

Emilia and I always said you were the cleverest child in the school.

Will you not do your duty to your poor papa and come home with me?

Sarah took a step toward her and stood still.

She was thinking of the day when she'd been told that she belonged to nobody and was in danger of being turned into the street.

She was thinking of the cold,

Hungry hours she had spent alone with Emily and Melchizedek in the attic.

She looked Miss Mention steadily in the face.

You know why I will not go home with you,

Miss Mention,

She said.

You know quite well.

A hot flush showed itself on Miss Mention's hard,

Angry face.

You will never see your companions again,

She began.

I will see that Ermengarde and Lottie are kept away.

Mr.

Carmichael stopped her with polite firmness.

Excuse me,

He said.

She will see anyone she wishes to see.

The parents of Miss Crewe's fellow pupils are not likely to refuse her invitations to visit her at her guardian's house.

Mr.

Carisford will attend to that.

It must be confessed that even Miss Mention flinched.

This was worse than the eccentric bachelor uncle who might have a peppery temper and be easily offended at the treatment of his niece.

A woman of sordid mind could easily believe that most people would not refuse to allow their children to remain friends with an heiress of a diamond mine.

And if Mr.

Carisford chose to tell certain of her patrons how unhappy Sarah Crewe had been made,

Many unpleasant things might happen.

You have not undertaken an easy charge,

She said to the Indian gentleman as she turned to leave the room.

You will discover that very soon.

The child is neither truthful nor grateful.

I suppose,

To Sarah,

That you feel now that you are a princess again.

Sarah looked down and flushed a little,

Because she thought her pet fancy might not be easy for strangers,

Even nice ones,

To understand at first.

I tried not to be anything else,

She answered in a low voice,

Even when I was the coldest and hungriest I tried not to be.

Now it will not be necessary to try,

Said Miss Mention acidly as Ram Dass salamed her out of the room.

She 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 off entirely,

But it resulted in an unusual manner.

I'm not as clever as you,

Sister,

She said,

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

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 been less severe on Sarah Crewe and had seen that 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 Mention.

I don't know how I dare,

Miss Amelia answered with a kind of reckless courage,

But now I've begun I may 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 had shown her,

But you didn't show her any.

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 and knock her cap off,

As she'd often done to Becky.

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 that you were a hard-hearted,

Worldly woman,

And that I was a weak fool,

And that we were both vulgar and mean enough to grovel on our knees for her money and behave ill to her because it was taken from her,

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

She did,

She did,

Like a little princess.

And her hysterics got the better of the poor woman,

And she began to laugh and cry both at once and rock herself backward and forward.

And now you've lost her,

She cried wildly,

And some other school will get her and her money,

And if she were like any other child,

She'd tell how she's been treated,

And all our pupils would be taken away,

And we should be ruined.

And it serves us right,

But it serves you right more than it does me,

For you are a hard woman,

Maria mentioned.

You're a hard,

Selfish,

Worldly woman.

And she was in danger of making so much noise with her hysterical chokes and gurgles that her sister was obliged to go to her and apply salts and sal,

Volatile to quiet her.

Instead of pouring forth her indignation at her audacity.

And from that time forward,

It may be mentioned the elder Miss Minchin actually began to stand a little in awe of a sister who,

While she looked so foolish,

Was evidently not quite so foolish as she looked,

And might consequently break out and speak truths people did not want to hear.

And that is the end of our story this evening.

Until next time,

Sweet dreams.