A Little Princess

It is difficult for Ermengarde and Lottie to go to the attic without being seen, so their visits to Sara are rare. Even lonelier is Sara’s life outside on the streets. No one notices Sara’s small, shabby figure on errands in all kinds of bad weather. Sara likes to imagine the lives of people in the brightly lit houses she passes. Sara names her favorite neighborhood family “the Large Family” because it consists of eight children, two parents, a grandmother, and many servants.

One evening, when the Large children are getting into a carriage, Sara pauses to watch the adorable five-year-old boy. It is Christmas, so the little boy (whose real name is Donald) wants to give some money to a poor child. When he sees thin Sara watching him, longing for the joyous life in his home, Donald tries to give her a sixpence. Sara is shocked to be mistaken for a beggar and proudly starts to refuse. Her voice and manner are so well-bred that Donald’s older sisters lean forward to listen. Sara realizes how disappointed kind-hearted Donald will be if she does not take the coin, so she thanks him and receives his gift.