That evenuing, in the little attic room, Sara sat on the bed in her old black dress.
She did not cry, but her face was white and she did not move or speak for hours. . . Late at night the door opened quietly, and Becky looked in. Her eyes were red from crying.
' Oh, Miss, ' she siad. ' All the servants are talking about it. I' m so sorry - so sorry! ' She looked at Sara' s white face, and began to cry angin. Then she ran to Sara, and took her hand. The first months of Sara' s new life were very hard. She was always tried and hungry, but she never cried. At night, in her little attic, she thought about her father' dead in India all those miles away. ' I must be brave, ' she said. ' she said. ' Father always wanted me to be brave. And I have a bed to sleep in, and something to eat every day. Lots of people don' t have that. ' ' '
At first Sara' s only friend was Becky. Every day Becky came into Sara' s room. They did not talk much, but it helped Sara a lot to see Becky' s friendly, smiling face. The girls in the school were sorry for Sara, but Sara was a servent. Lavinnia, of course, was pleasd. ' I never liked Sara Crewe, ' she told her friends. ' And I was right about the diamonds- there weren' t any! ' ' '
Ermengarde was very unhappy. . .
When she saw Sara in the school, Sara walked past her and did not speak. . Poor Ermengarde loved Sara and wanted to be friendly, but she not clever, and she did not understand.
One morning, very early, she got quietly out of bed, went upstair to the attics, and opened Sara' s door. . .
' Ermengarde! ' Sara said . ' What are you doing here? ' ' ' What is the matter? Why don' t you like me now? '
' I do like you, ' Sara said. ' Of course I do. But, you see, everything is different now. Miss Minchin dosen' t want to talk the girls. Most of them don' t want to talk to me. And I thought, perhaps, you didn' t wast to. . . ' ' But I' m your friend! ' cried Ermengarde. ' I' m always going to be your friend - and nobody can stop me ! ' ' ' Sara took Ermengarde' s hands. She suddenly felt very happy. Perhaps she cried a little, too. Who can say? ? ?
There was only one chair, so the friends sat on the bed. Ermengarde looked round the attic. ' Oh, Sara, how can you live in this room? It' s so cold and and dirty. ' '' It' s not so bad, ' said Sara. ' And I' ve got lost of friends. There' s Becky in the next room, and - come and see. ' ' ' She moved the table under the window, and then she and Ermengarde stood on it and looked out of the window, over the roofs of the houses. In her pocket Sara had some small pieces of bread. She her hand out pf the window, with the bread on it. she said. . . After a minute a little brown brid flew down to Sara' s hand and began to eat the bread. Then a second brid came, and a third, and a fourth. ' They know I' m their friend, ' said Sara, ' so they' re not afraid. Sometimes they come into the room, too. ' 'Ermengerde looked across the roof to the next attic window. Who lives in thiat house? ' she sked. . . ' Nobody, ' said Sara sadly. So I never see anybody at that window, and I can only talk to the birds. ' ' '
But one night, two or three weeks later, Becky came into Sara' s room. She was very excited. . .
' Oooh, Miss! ' she said. ' An India gentleman is moving into the house next door. Well, he' s English, but he lived in India for years and years. And now he' s going to live next door. He' s very rich, and he' s ill. Something bad happned to him, but I don' t know what. ' '' Oooh, Miss! ' she said. ' An India gentleman is moving into the house next door. Well, he' s English, but he lived in India for years and years. And now he' s going to live next door. He' s very rich, and he' s ill. Something bad happned to him, but I don' t know what. 'Well, Miss, you know the Carmichael family across the street? ' Becky said. ' I' m friendly with their kitchen- girl, and she told me. Mr Carmichael is the India gentleman' s lawyer, so they know all about him.