back to page 4 Sarah Chapter 5 LOTTIE
At first Sarah was treated very well and Miss Minchin praised her up. She was told she was very good at lessons, She was praised because she had good manners. She was praised because she was a friend to the younger girls.
Now Miss Minchin did not really like Sara and thought that no one should be praised all the time. But she knew that if Sara wrote to her father and said she was unhappy at the school then her father would take her away. She wanted Sara to stay because her father was paying a great deal of money
Picture of amoney tree
She did not think of Sara as a little girl; she thought of her as a money tree.
Anyone might think that Sara would become stuck up but she was clever enough not to. She thought to herself,"I am very lucky that I have a lovely father who is very good to me and gives me everything I want. I am very lucky to have a good brain and that I am good at my lessons. Because of these things I have a good temper. Perhaps if a lot of bad things had happened to me I would have a bad temper and I would be horrid."
One day she told all this to Emily. "Perhaps I am not really a nice person at all." she said. Perhaps It is because life has always been easy for me."
"Lavinia has had an easy life," said Emily, "and she is horrid enough. "
"Well I heard Miss Amelia say that Lavinia is growing very fast and that has given her a bad temper," said Sara
Actually Lavinia was spiteful. She was very jealous of Sara. Lavinia had thought that she was the leader in the school until Sara arrived. She had bullied the younger girls. . She was well dressed and was first in the line as they walked to Church.
picture of a Church
She was always showing off to the girls who were as old as she was.
From the time that Sara arrived she became a leader. This was not because of bullying. She made friends with the younger girls and was very nice to them.
Her clothes were even better than Lavinia's clothes and she was now at the beginning of the line when they walked to Church. In spite of this she never tried to show off.
Although Jessie was Lavinia's best friend, she did see the good in Sara. "You know Lavinia," she said, "Sara is never grand. She never tries to show off. I think I couldn't help being, just a little bit grand if I had so many fine things and people made such a fuss over me."
Lavinia was furious. "It is disgraceful the way Miss Minchin shows off Sara when important people come to the school."Lavinia tried to imitate Miss Minchin as she said,"Dear Sara must come and speak French to Lady Pitkin. Her accent is so perfect."
"Well she did not learn to speak French here," said Jessie, "She says so herself."
"I don't think there's anything clever about her knowing how to speak French," said Lavinia, Her mother was French and her father spoke French to her at home."
On one occasion Lavinia slapped a little girl called Lottie and called her a brat. Sara saw what happened and said, "You were five once yourself. All you have done since then is to live another 11 years so now you are 16. When you have lived another five years you will be twenty one."
"Dear me," said Lavinia. You are actually able to add up."
Now Lottie had been sent to school after her mother had died. People were sorry for her and she had been spoiled at home. When she wanted something she howled and cried and usually someone would give in and give it to her. If she was told to do something she did not want to do she howled and cried and usually people gave in.
One day Sara was walking past a room and she heard Miss Minchin and Miss Amelia trying to make Lottie stop crying. They tried everything. "What are you crying for?" shouted Miss Minchin. "Oh-oh-oh! cried Lottie,"I haven't got a mother."
"Oh, Lottie!" screamed Miss Amelia, "Don't cry! Please don't"
"Stop this at once or you will be smacked!" shouted Miss Minchin but it was no good. Miss Minchin shouted more and more loudly and when she could not stand it any longer she left the room, leaving Miss Amelia to try and stop Lottie crying.
When Miss Minchin came out of the door she saw Sara. She was embarassed that Sara heard her shouting. She tried to smile and said,"Oh Sara."
"I stopped,"said Sara," because I knew it was Lottie and I thought that perhaps -just perhaps, I could make her be quiet. May I try Miss Minchin?"
"Yes, " said Miss Minchin, "please go in and try."
Sara went into the room and spoke to Miss Amelia. "Miss Minchin says I may speak to Lottie and see if I can get her to stop crying," she said.
"Oh! Do you really think that you can?" said Miss Amelia. She went out of the room and left Sara with Lottie.
Sara sat down beside Lottie but she did not say anything. Lottie went on yelling and screaming but still Sara said nothing. Lottie opened her eyes to see who had come in and saw that it was Sara, the girl who was always friendly. She started to cry again but Sara just looked at he with a kind face. "I haven't got a mother cried Lottie once again. "
"Neither have I" said Sara. Lottie stopped crying and began to talk to Sara about this." "She told Lottie that her mother was in heaven and that was a place where no one was ill or old and everyone was happy.
"Will you always be may friend?" said Lottie,
"Of course I will."said Sara.
