A Little Princess

Aug 26, 2026

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett follows Sara Crewe, an imaginative seven-year-old who journeys from India to “the place” in England. In the cab, she reflects on her father Captain Crewe, the life of wealth she once knew, and the emotional uncertainty of being separated for schooling. Through Sara’s memories and conversations, the narrative establishes her tenderness, longing, and resilience as her childhood world prepares to change.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages281

Reading Time7 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Sara

A French Lesson

Ermengarde

Lottie

Becky

The Diamond Mines

The Diamond Mines Again

In the Attic

Melchisedec

The Indian Gentleman

Ram Dass

The Other Side of the Wall

One of the Populace

What Melchisedec Heard and Saw

The Magic

The Visitor

It Is the Child!

I Tried Not to Be

Anne

Sara

A Little Princess Frances Hodgson Burnett The preparer of this public-domain (U.S.) text (Project Gutenberg designation “lprss11”) was Judith Boss, of Omaha, Nebraska. The text was converted to LATEX using GutenMark software and re-edited (formatting only) by Ron Burkey. Report problems to [info@sandroid.org. Revision B1 differs](info@sandroid.org. Revision B1 differs) from Bin that “—-” has everywhere been replaced by“ ” — . Revision: B1 Date: 01/29/2008 Contents Sara 1 A French Lesson 15 Ermengarde 23 Lottie 33 Becky 45 The Diamond Mines 59 The Diamond Mines Again 73 In the Attic 99 Melchisedec 113 The Indian Gentleman 129 Ram Dass 145 The Other Side of the Wall 157 One of the Populace 169 What Melchisedec Heard and Saw 183 ii The Magic 191 The Visitor 223 “It Is the Child!” 243 “I Tried Not to Be” 253 Anne 269 Sara Once on a dark winter's day, when the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London that the lamps were lighted and the shop windows blazed with gas as they do at night, an odd-looking little girl sat in a cab with her father and was driven rather slowly through the big thoroughfares. She sat with her feet tucked under her, and leaned against her father, who held her in his arm, as she stared out of the window atthe passing people with a queer old-fashioned thoughtfulness in her big eyes. She was such a little girl that one did not expect to see such a look on her small face. It would have been an old look for a child of twelve, and Sara Crewe was only seven. The fact was, however, that she was always dreaming and thinking odd things and could not herself remember any time when she had not been thinking things about grown-up people and the world they belonged to. She felt as if she had lived a long, long time. At this moment she was remembering the voyage she had just made from Bombay with her father, Captain Crewe. She was thinking 2 A Little Princess of the big ship, of the Lascars passing silently to and fro on it, of the children playing about on the hot deck, and of some young ofﬁcers'wives who used to try to make her talk to them and laugh at the things she said. Principally, she was thinking of what a queer thing it was that at one time one was in India in the blazing sun, and then in the middle of the ocean, and then driving in a strange vehicle through strange streets where the day was as dark as the night. She found this so puzzling that she moved closer to her father. “Papa,” she said in a low, mysterious little voice which was almost a whisper,“papa.” “What is it, darling?” Captain Crewe answered, holding her closer and looking down into her face.“What is Sara thinking of?” “Is this the place?” Sara whispered, cuddling still closer to him.“Is it, papa?” “Yes, little Sara, it is. We have reached it at last.” And though she was only seven years old, she knew that he felt sad when he said it. It seemed to her many years since he had begun to prepare her mind for “the place,” as she always called it. Her mother had died when she was born, so she had never known or missed her. Her young, handsome, rich, petting father seemed to be the only relation she had in the world. They had always played together and been fond of each other. She only knew he was rich because she had heard people say so when they thought she was not listening, and she had also heard them say that when she grew up she would be rich, too. She did not know all that being rich meant. She Sara 3 had always lived in a beautiful bungalow, and had been used to seeing many servants who made salaams to her and called her “Missee Sahib,” and gave her her own way in everything. She had had toys and pets and an ayah who worshipped her, and she had gradually learned that people who were rich had these things. That, however, was all she knew about it. During her short life only one thing had troubled her, and that thing was “the place”she was to be tak

FAQs

Who is Sara Crewe in A Little Princess?

Sara Crewe is a seven-year-old girl with an imaginative, reflective mind who is traveling with her father Captain Crewe toward a place in England for schooling.

What does Sara mean by “the place”?

“The place” is the school and residence in England that her father prepares her for, since children are sent away from India to attend school.

Why does Captain Crewe sound sad when they reach “the place”?

He must accept that Sara will be separated for schooling; although he keeps his feelings private, his sadness shows through when he tells her they have reached it at last.

Aug 26, 2026

Uploaded by Caleb Sterling