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A Little Princess Abridged from the original by
Frances Hodgson Burnett Illustrations by
Francesca Greco CD narrated by
M
Lucy Whybrow
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© 2008 by Naxos AudioBooks Ltd. Cover and internal design © 2008 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Cover illustration © Shana Greger Internal illustrations © Francesca Greco Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems— except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. P and © recordings and text under license from Naxos AudioBooks Limited. Copyright persists in all recordings and texts. P and © Naxos AudioBooks Limited.
All rights reserved. Unlawful duplication, broadcast, or performance of this disc is prohibited by applicable law. Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410 (630) 961-3900 Fax: (630) 961-2168 www.sourcebooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Burnett, Frances Hodgson. A little princess : abridged from the original / by Frances Hodgson Burnett. p. cm. Summary: Sara Crewe, a pupil at Miss Minchin’s London school, is left in poverty when her father dies but is later rescued by a mysterious benefactor. ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-1312-0 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 1-4022-1312-3 (alk. paper) [1. Boarding schools—Fiction. 2. Schools—Fiction. 3. Orphans—Fiction. 4. London (England)—History—1800-1950—Fiction. 5. Great Britain—History—Victoria, 18371901—Fiction.] I. Title. PZ7.B934Lg 2008 [Fic]—dc22 2008009150 Printed and bound in the United States of America. LBM 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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CONTENTS Chapter 1: Sara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2: A French Lesson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Chapter 3: Ermengarde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Chapter 4: The Diamond Mines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Chapter 5: The Diamond Mines Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Chapter 6: Just the Same . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Chapter 7: In the Attic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Chapter 8: The Indian Gentleman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Chapter 9: Ram Dass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Chapter 10: One of the Populace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Chapter 11: The Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Chapter 12: The Visitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Chapter 13: “It Is the Child!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Chapter 14: “I Tried Not to Be” . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Chapter 15: Anne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
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M
TRACK 1
Chapter 1
SARA
O
nce on a dark winter’s day, when the yellow fog hung thick and heavy in the streets of London, a
little girl sat in a cab with her feet tucked under her, and leaned against her father as she stared out of the window at the passing people, with a queer oldfashioned thoughtfulness in her big eyes. It would have been an old look for a child of twelve, and Sara Crewe was only seven. At this moment she was remembering the voyage she had just made from Bombay with her father, Captain Crewe. “Papa, is this the place?” Sara whispered.
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“Yes, little Sara, it is. We have reached it at last.” Her mother had died when she was born, so she had never known or missed her. Her young, handsome, rich father seemed to be the only relation she had in the world. During her short life only one thing had troubled her, and that thing was “the place” she was to be taken to some day. The climate of India was very bad for children, and as soon as possible they were sent away to England and to school. “Couldn’t you go to that place with me, Papa?” she had asked when she was five. “But you will not have to stay for a very long time, little Sara,” he had said. “You will go to a nice house where there will be a lot of little girls, and you will play together, and I will send you plenty of books, and you will grow so fast it will seem scarcely a year before you are big enough and clever enough to come back and take care of Papa.” “Well, Papa,” she said, “if we are here I suppose we must be resigned.” 2
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He laughed at her old-fashioned speech and held her in his arms as the cab rolled into the big, dull square in which stood their destination, a big, dull, brick house, exactly like all the others in its row, but that on the front door there shone a brass plate on which was engraved in black letters: MISS MINCHIN, Select Seminary for Young Ladies. They mounted the steps and rang the bell. Sara often thought afterward that the house was somehow exactly like Miss Minchin. It was respectable and well furnished, but everything in it was ugly; and the very armchairs seemed to have hard bones in them. “I don’t like it, Papa,” she said. “But then I dare say soldiers—even brave ones—don’t really like going into battle.” Captain Crewe laughed. “Oh, little Sara, what shall I do when I have no one to say solemn things to me?” It was just then that Miss Minchin entered the room. 3
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She had large, cold, fishy eyes, and a large, cold, fishy smile. “It will be a great privilege to have charge of such a beautiful and promising child, Captain Crewe,” she said, “Lady Meredith has told me of her unusual cleverness.” Sara stood quietly. “Why does she say I am a beautiful child?” she was thinking. “I am not beautiful at all. I am a thin child and one of the ugliest children I ever saw. She is beginning by telling a story.” She was mistaken, however, in thinking she was an ugly child. She had an odd charm of her own. She was rather tall for her age, her hair was heavy and quite black and her eyes were greenish grey, with long black lashes. Sara was to be what was known as a parlour boarder. She was to have a pretty bedroom and a sitting room of her own, a pony and a carriage, and a maid. “I am not in the least anxious about her education,” Captain Crewe said. “She is always burrowing into books. Drag her away from her books when she reads 4
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too much. Make her ride her pony or go out and buy a new doll.” “Papa,” said Sara, “if I went out and bought a new doll every few days I should have more than I could be fond of. Dolls ought to be intimate friends. Emily’s going to be my intimate friend.” Miss Minchin looked at Captain Crewe. “Who is Emily?” “Tell her, Sara,” Captain Crewe said. “She is a doll Papa is going to buy for me. I have called her Emily. She is going to be my friend when Papa is gone.” Miss Minchin’s large, fishy smile became very flattering indeed. “What an original child!” she said.
Sara stayed with her father at his hotel until he sailed away again to India. They visited many shops together, and bought a great many things. Indeed, they collected 5
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a wardrobe much too grand for a child of seven, and the women behind the counters whispered to each other that the little girl with the big, solemn eyes must be at least some foreign princess—perhaps the little daughter of an Indian rajah. And at last they found Emily.
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“Oh, Papa! There is Emily! She is actually waiting there for us!” “Dear me,” said Captain Crewe, “I feel as if we ought to have someone to introduce us.” “Of course, Papa, this is Emily.”
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The next day he took her to Miss Minchin’s and left her there. He was to sail away the next morning. He explained to Miss Minchin that his solicitors would pay the bills she sent in for Sara’s expenses. When the cab drove away from the door, Sara was sitting on the floor of her sitting room, her eyes following it until it turned the corner of the square. Emily was sitting by her. When Miss Minchin sent her sister, Miss Amelia, to see what the child was doing, she found she could not open the door. “I have locked it,” said a polite little voice from inside. “I want to be quite by myself, if you please.” Miss Amelia, fat and dumpy, went downstairs again. “I never saw such a funny, old-fashioned child, sister,” she said. “It is much better than if she kicked and screamed,” Miss Minchin answered. “I’ve been putting her things away,” said Miss Amelia. 8
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“I never saw anything like them—sable and ermine on her coats, and real Valenciennes lace on her underclothing.” “They are perfectly ridiculous,” replied Miss Minchin, “but they will look very well at the head of the line when we take the children to church on Sunday. She has been provided for as if she were a little princess.”
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M
TRACK 2
Chapter 2
A FRENCH LESSON
W
hen Sara entered the schoolroom the next morning every pupil—from Lavinia Herbert, who was
nearly thirteen and felt quite grown up, to Lottie Legh, who was just four and the baby of the school—had heard a great deal about her. One or two of them had even caught a glimpse of her French maid, Mariette. Sara had been placed near to Miss Minchin’s desk. She was not abashed at all by the many pairs of eyes watching her, and looked back quietly. She wondered what they were thinking of, and if they liked Miss Minchin, and if any of them had a papa at all like her own. She had had a long talk with Emily about her papa that morning.
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“He is on the sea now, Emily,” she had said. And, seeing Mariette looking at her curiously, she spoke to her with a serious little face. “What I believe about dolls,” she said, “is they can do things they will not let us know about. Perhaps, really, Emily can read and talk and walk, but she will only do it when people are out of the room. That is her secret. So if you stay in the room, Emily will just sit there and stare; but if you go out, she will begin to read or go and look out of the window. Then if she heard either of us coming, she would jump into her chair and pretend she had been there all the time.” After Sara had sat in the schoolroom for a few minutes, Miss Minchin rapped upon her desk. “Young ladies, I wish to introduce you to your new companion. I shall expect you all to be very agreeable to Miss Crewe.” “Sara,” said Miss Minchin, “come here. As your papa has engaged a French maid for you, I conclude that he 12
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wishes you to make a special study of the French language.” “I think he engaged her, because he—he thought I would like her, Miss Minchin.” “I am afraid,” said Miss Minchin, “that you have been a very spoiled little girl and always imagine that things are done because you like them. My impression is that your papa wished you to learn French.” Sara felt a flush rising on her cheeks. “I—I have never really learned but—”
French,
but—
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One of Miss Minchin’s chief secret annoyances was that she did not speak French herself. “That is enough. You must begin at once. The French master, Monsieur Dufarge, will be here in a few minutes. I am sorry you do not like the idea of learning French.” “I am very fond of it,” answered Sara, “but—” “You must not say ‘but,’” said Miss Minchin. “Look at your book.” Monsieur Dufarge arrived very shortly afterward. “Is zis ze new pupil for me, madame?” he said. “Her papa—Captain Crewe—is very anxious that she should begin the language. But I am afraid she has a childish prejudice against it,” said Miss Minchin. Sara rose in her seat. She looked up into Monsieur Dufarge’s face, and began to explain quite simply in fluent French. Madame had not understood. She had not learned French exactly—her papa and other people had always spoken it to her, and she had read 14
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it and written it as she had read and written English. Her dear mamma had been French. Monsieur Dufarge began to smile. “Ah, madame, zere is not much I can teach her. She has not learned French; she is French. Her accent is exquisite.� Sara had noticed one little girl, about her own age, with light, rather dull, blue eyes. Her flaxen hair was braided in a tight pigtail, tied with a ribbon. When Monsieur Dufarge began to speak to Sara, she looked a little frightened; and when Sara answered him in French, gave a startled jump and became quite red. 15
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She attracted the attention of Miss Minchin. “Miss St. John!—Sit up at once!” When lessons were over, Sara looked for Miss St. John. “What is your name?” she said. “My name’s Ermengarde St. John.” “Mine is Sara Crewe. Yours is very pretty.” “Do you like it?” fluttered Ermengarde. “I—I like yours.” Miss St. John’s chief trouble in life was that she had a clever father, and Ermengarde was a severe trial to Mr. St. John. He could not understand how a child of his could be a notably dull creature who never shone in anything. “You are clever, aren’t you?” Sara had heard it said very often that she was “clever,” and she wondered if she was. “I don’t know,” she said. “I can’t tell. Would you like to see Emily?” 16
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“Who is Emily?” “Come up to my room and see,” said Sara. “Let us go very quietly to the door, and then I will open it quite suddenly; perhaps we may catch her.” Whatsoever she meant, Ermengarde was sure it was something delightfully exciting. So, quite thrilled with expectation, she followed her on tiptoe until they reached the door. Then Sara suddenly turned the handle, and threw it wide open. “Oh, she got back to her seat before we could see her!” Sara explained. Ermengarde looked from her to the doll and back again. “Can she—walk?” she asked breathlessly. 17
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“Yes,” answered Sara. “At least I believe she can. At least I pretend I believe she can. And that makes it seem as if it were true. Have you never pretended things?” “No,” said Ermengarde. “Never.” “Sit down,” said Sara. “It is so easy that when you begin you can’t stop.”
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M
TRACK 3
Chapter 3
ERMENGARDE
S
ara told her of the voyage and stories of India; but when she was relating the story of the search for
Emily, Ermengarde saw her face suddenly change. She drew her breath in sharply, and then she shut her lips and held them tightly closed. “Have you a—a pain?” Ermengarde ventured. “Yes,” Sara answered. “But it is not in my body. Do you love your father more than anything else in the whole world?” “I—I scarcely ever see him. He is always in the library—reading things.” “I love mine more than all the world ten times
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over,” Sara said. “That is what my pain is. He has gone away.” “She’s going to cry out loud,” thought Ermengarde, fearfully. But she did not. “I promised him I would bear it,” she said. “And I will. If I go on talking and talking, and telling you things about pretending, I shall bear it better.” Ermengarde said rather huskily, “I wish we could be ‘best friends.’ Would you have me for yours? I do so like you!” “I’m glad of that,” said Sara. “Yes. We will be friends.”
The greatest power Sara possessed was her power of telling stories and of making everything she talked about seem like a story, whether it was one or not. “When I am telling it,” she would say, “I feel as if I were all the people in the story—one after the other.” She had been at Miss Minchin’s school about two years when, one foggy winter’s afternoon, as she was getting out of her carriage, wrapped up in velvet furs, she 22
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caught sight of a dingy little figure standing on the area steps. That evening, as Sara was sitting in the midst of a group of listeners in a corner of the schoolroom telling one of her stories, the very same figure entered, carrying a coal box much too heavy for her, and knelt down to replenish the fire and sweep up the ashes. She was evidently afraid to look at the children or seem to be listening. But Sara saw that she was doing her work slowly in the hope of catching a word here and there, and she raised her voice and spoke more clearly. “Who is that little girl who makes the fires?” she asked Mariette that night. Ah, indeed, Mademoiselle Sara might well ask. She was fourteen years old, but she looked about twelve. Mariette heard everyone below stairs calling, “Becky, do this” and “Becky, do that” every five minutes in the day. Sara sat and looked into the fire, reflecting on Becky for some time after Mariette left her. She thought she 23
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looked as if she had never had quite enough to eat. Her very eyes were hungry. A few weeks later, when she entered her sitting room she found Becky—with a coal smudge on her nose and an empty coal box on the floor near her—fast asleep. Sara took a seat on the edge of the table, wondering what to do. Miss Amelia might come in at any moment, and if she did, Becky would be sure to be scolded. “But she is so tired,” she thought. A piece of flaming coal ended her perplexity for her. It broke off and fell on to the fender. Becky opened her eyes with a gasp. She sprang up. “Oh, miss! Oh, miss! I arst yer pardon, miss!” Sara jumped down. “Don’t be frightened,” she said, “it doesn’t matter the least bit. You were tired.” “Ain’t—ain’t yer angry, miss? Ain’t yer goin’ to tell the missus?” “No,” cried out Sara. “Of course I’m not. I am only a little girl like you. If your bedrooms are finished, perhaps 24
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you might stay a tiny while. I thought you might like a piece of cake.� The
next
ten
minutes
seemed to Becky like a sort of delirium. Sara talked and asked questions, and laughed until Becky’s fears began to calm themselves. And Becky
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then said in an awed voice, “Once I see a princess. I was outside Coven’ Garden, watchin’ the swells go inter the operer. An’ there was this one everyone stared at the most. They ses to each other, ‘That’s the princess.’ I called her to mind the minnit I saw you, sittin’ there on the table, miss.” When Becky went downstairs, she was not the same Becky who had staggered up, loaded down by the coal scuttle. She had been fed and warmed, but not only by cake and fire.
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Weho pet ha ty o ue nj o y e d r e a di ngt hi sf r e eo nl i nepr e v i e w. Y o uc a npur c ha s et he c o mpl e t eb o o ka ta nyt i me b yv i s i t i ngusa t : www. s i mpl e t r ut hs . c o m