A Litte Princess

y could scarcely ever be certain that Miss Amelia would not make a tour of inspection through the bedrooms after the pupils were supposed to be asleep.

ht of her bright, eager little face and picturesque coats and hats had often caused people to look after her. A happy, beautifully cared for little girl naturally attracts attention. Shabby, poorly dressed children are not rare enough and pretty enough to make people turn around to look at them and smile. No one looked at Sara in these days, and no one seemed to see her as she hurried along the crowded pavements. She had begun to grow very fast, and, as she was

here were so many of them. There were eight children in the Large Family, and a stout, rosy mother, and a stout, rosy father, and a stout, rosy grandmother, and any number of servants. The eight children were always either being taken out to walk or to ride in perambulators by comfortable nurses, or they were going to drive with their mamma, or they were flying to the door in the evening to meet their papa and kiss him and dance around him and drag off his overcoat and look in the pockets for packages, or they were crowding about the nursery windows and looking out and pushing each other and laughing--in

pened--though, perhaps, in one sen

Eustacia and Rosalind Gladys, in white-lace frocks and lovely sashes, had just got in, and Guy Clarence, aged five, was following them. He was such a pretty fellow and had such rosy cheeks and blue eyes, and

rich gifts, or took them home to beautiful dinners. Guy Clarence had been affected to tears that very afternoon by the reading of such a story, and he had burned with a desire to find such a poor child and give her a certain sixpence he possessed, and thus provide for her for life. An entire sixpence, he was sure, would mean affluence for evermore. As he crossed the strip of red

the warm, merry life his home held and his rosy face spoke of, and that she had a hungry wish to snatch him in her arms and kiss him. He only knew that she had

e said. "Here is a sixpenc

waiting on the pavement to watch her as she got out of her brougham. And she had given them pennies many a time. H

Oh, no, thank you; I m

the manner of a well-bred little person that Veronica Eustacia (whose real name wa

hwarted in his benevolence. He

he insisted stoutly. "You can buy things

nted if she did not take it, that Sara knew she must not refuse him. To be as proud as that would be a

ge she went away, trying to smile, though she caught her breath quickly and her eyes were shining through a mist.

e away, the children inside it were

exclaimed alarmedly, "why did you offer that littl

cried Nora. "And her face didn't

she might be angry with you. You know, it makes people

m. "She laughed a little, and she said I was a kind, kind little

ora exchang

"She would have said, `Thank yer kindly, little gentleman--

undly interested in her as she was in it. Faces used to appear at the nursery win

don't believe she belongs to anybody. I believe she is an

is-not-a-beggar," which was, of course, rather a long name, and sou

Her small pupils loved her, and strove with each other for the privilege of standing close to her and insinuating their small hands into hers. It fed her hungry heart to feel them nestling up to her. She made such friends with the sparrows that when she stood upon the table, put her head and shoulders out of the attic window, and chirped, she heard almost immediately a flutter of wi

hear nothing. She used to put her in a chair sometimes and sit opposite to her on the old red footstool, and stare and pretend about her until her own eyes would grow large with something which was almost like fear--particularly at night when everything was so still, when the only sound in the attic was the occasional sudden scurry and sq

n I do it, Miss Amelia looks frightened, and so do the girls. When you will not fly into a passion people know you are stronger than they are, because you are strong enough to hold in your rage, and they are not, and they say stupid things they wish they hadn't said afterward. There's

again because nobody chose to remember that she was only a child, and that her slim legs might be tired and her small body might be chilled; when she had been given only harsh words and cold, slighting looks for thanks; when the cook had been vulgar and insolent; w

ung breast, Emily's stare seemed so vacant, her sawdust legs and arms so inexpressive, that Sara lo

resently," she

simply

, and they have done nothing but scold me from morning until night. And because I could not find that last thing the cook sent me for, they would not gi

of heartbroken rage seized her. She lifted her little savage hand and knocked

ake you feel. You are a DOLL>!" Emily lay on the floor, with her legs ignominiously doubled up over her head, and a new flat place on the end of her nose; but she was calm, e

ised her face and looked at Emily, who seemed to be gazing at her round the side of one angle, and, somehow, by this time actually wit

ssie can help not having any sense. We are not all made alike. Perhaps you do your sawdus

t because of the attic window which was so near hers. It seemed as if it would be so nice

od morning,' and all sorts of things might happen. But, of course, it

her great delight, that during her rather prolonged absence, a van full of furniture had stopped before the next house, the

IS taken! Oh, I do hope a nice head

e pavement to watch the things carried in. She had an idea that if she could se

was so little. I told papa afterward, and he laughed and said it was true. I am sure the Large Family have fat, comfortable armchai

been set out of the van upon the pavement. There was a beautiful table of elaborately wrought teakwood, and some chairs, and a screen covered with rich Oriental embroidery. The sight of

f they ought to belong to a nice person. All the thin

me plain that she had been right in guessing that the newcomers were people of large means. All the furniture was rich and beautiful, and a great deal of it was Oriental. Wonder

e got used to Indian things and like them. I AM glad. I shall feel as i

of the Large Family walked across the square in the most matter-of-fact manner, and ran up the steps of the next-door house. He ran up them as if he felt quite at home and expected to run up and down them many a time in the future. He

Large Family children will be sure to come and play with

ne, Becky came in to see her fe

, an' he's ill, an' the gentleman of the Large Family is his lawyer. He's had a lot of trouble, an' it's made him ill an' low in his mind. He worships idols, miss. He'

ughed a

ple like to keep them to look at because they are interestin

t to church with a prayer book. She sat and talked long that night of what he would be like, of what his wife would be like if he had one, and of what his children would be like if they had ch

ns, miss," she said; "I should like t

at the new occupant had neither wife nor children. He was a solitary man with no fa

a nurse in uniform, then came down the steps two men-servants. They came to assist their master, who, when he was helped out of the carriage, proved to be a man with a haggard, distressed face, and a skeleton body w

whispered at the French class afterward. "Do you think he

is very ill. Go on with your exercise, Lottie. `

ng of the story of t