2 Boarding School

Chapter 2 Boarding school When Sara came down the next morning, everyone stared at her. All the girls had heard that the new pupil was as rich as a princess.

"She's even got a French maid," whispered Jessie, one of the older pupils. "And I saw her trunk. It's full of fur coats." "Well," Jessie's friend Lavinia added spitefully, "I heard Miss Minchin say her clothes were ridiculously grand for a child."

Until Sara arrived, Lavinia had been Miss Minchin's best-dressed pupil. Now Sara would take her place. You go at the front, Sara. The other girls soon adored Sara. She held tea parties in her sitting-room for the younger children, and let them play with her doll, Emily.

In the evenings she made up stories of kings and queens and beautiful princesses. The others sat before her and listened, entranced. Sara had been at Miss Minchin's school for two years when, one foggy afternoon, she came back to her room...

...to find someone asleep in her chair. Looking down, Sara saw it was Becky, the scullery maid. "Poor thing. She must be exhausted," thought Sara. At that moment, Becky opened her eyes with a frightened gasp.

"Oh miss! Oh miss!" she stuttered. "I beg yer pardon. It was the warm fire, and me being so tired..." "Don't worry," said Sara, laughing. "You couldn't help it." Becky stared at Sara. She was used to being ordered about and scolded. She couldn't believe this girl was being kind to her. "Ain't yer angry, miss?" gasped Becky.