In the Attic

The book A Little Princess is the story of Sara, a seven-year-old English girl. The story starts when Sara, whose mother is dead, arrives at a boarding school with her wealthy father. She is a nice girl who has many beautiful clothes and toys. Her father goes to India. Four years later he dies after losing his money. Sara must stay at the school, live in the attic, and work as a servant. It is a great change for her from her previous life as a rich girl. Miss Minchin is the head of the school.

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During the first month or two, Sara thought that her willingness to do things as well as she could, and her silence under reproof, might soften those who drove her so hard. In her proud little heart she wanted them to see that she was trying to earn her living and not accepting charity. But the time came when she saw that no one was softened at all; and the more willing she was to do as she was told, the more domineering and exacting careless housemaids became, and the more ready a scolding cook was to blame her.

If she had been older, Miss Minchin would have given her the bigger girls to teach and saved money by dismissing an instructress; but while she remained and looked like a child, she could be made more useful as a sort of little superior errand girl and maid of all work. An ordinary errand boy would not have been so clever and reliable. Sara could be trusted with difficult commissions and complicated messages. She could even go and pay bills, and she combined with this the ability to dust a room well and to set things in order.

Her own lessons became things of the past. She was taught nothing, and only after long and busy days spent in running here and there at everybody’s orders was she grudgingly allowed to go into the deserted schoolroom, with a pile of old books, and study alone at night.