Chapter 12 Lost and Found.
One day, Sarah and Becky were enjoying their secret morning treat when they heard a soft scratching at the window.
The monkey's face appeared in the window.
The next second, just as he had before, he lifted up the windowpane and climbed down into Sarah's room.
When Becky shrieked, Sarah said, It's okay.
He's just a sweet little monkey from next door.
Doesn't he look like a little baby?
A very ugly little baby, Becky said, slowly coming closer.
What are you going to do with him?
Well, Sarah said, I know that Ram Dass and the Indian gentleman will be quite wild with worry when they discover him missing.
So I must take him back over immediately.
Next door.
No one had yet noticed that the monkey was missing, because Mr Carmichael had just returned from Moscow with bad news to report.
He had been unable to find the little crew girl.
Mr Carrisford, who had been cheered up for a time by Ram Dass's secret mission next door, all at once turned completely weary and miserable.
"'Come, come,' Carmichael said in his cheery voice.
"'We'll find her yet.'
They were interrupted by an announcement of a visitor.
Ram Dass told them that it was the child from next door bringing back the monkey which had just broken into her attic room.
I thought it might please you to see and to speak with her, Ram Dass suggested.
Mr Carisford quickly filled in Mr Carmichael on the details of his and Ram Dass's magical plan to help the girl next door.
The children squealed with delight.
Sarah then made her entrance with a curtsy.
Your monkey ran away again, she told the Indian gentleman in her pretty voice.
I thought you might be worried.
Shall I give him to the Lascar?
How do you know he is a Lascar?
Nora asked with wonder.
Oh, I know Lascars, Sarah said.
I was born in India.
The Indian gentleman sat bold, upright so suddenly that for a moment Sarah was scared.
"'Question her, Carmichael?' he said.
"'I cannot.'
The big, kind father of the large family knew how to question little girls, and Sarah liked to tell stories, so within a few minutes she had told all of hers.
She explained everything, from her papa losing all of his money in the diamond mines because of a friend who let him down and then ran away, to being forced to work as a.
Then she came to the final chapter the magic that may have saved her life.
"'What was your father's name?' the Indian gentleman said, his voice faint.
"'Captain Ralph Crewe,' Sarah said proudly.
"'Carmichael,' the invalid gasped.
"'It is the child!'
For a moment, the ailing Carisford seemed to faint dead away.
Ram Dass had to rush out of the room for a bottle of smelling salts.
He held them under Carisford's nose to revive him.
What child am I?
Sarah asked timidly.
Mr. Carmichael spoke calmly so as not to scare her.
Mr Carrisford was your father's friend, but he didn't betray your father or lose your father's money.
He only thought he had because he was so ill from brain fever.
By the time he recovered, your poor papa was dead.
Mr. Carisford has been looking for you ever since.
He has searched for you all over Europe and France and Moscow, and here you were all this time.
Yes, for two years, just on the other side of the wall, Sarah finished.
She could not believe how long she had waited.
A thought flew into her head.
Wait a minute, she said.
Did Ram Dass bring the things across the roof and into my room?
Yes, Janet answered.
Mr. Carrisford was your rich secret friend.
Sarah threw her thin arms around the Indian gentleman and hugged him as hard as she could.
This is exactly the medicine my friend needed, Carmichael thought happily.
Suddenly, Miss Mention came rushing into the room, followed by a maid begging everyone's pardon.
One of the students had seen Sarah enter the house next door.
Sarah rose and became rather pale, but Mr. Carrisford put a steady hand upon her head to calm her.
I am so sorry to bother you, Miss Minchin said in a huff.
I am Miss Minchin, the headmistress of the young lady's boarding school next door, and I am so sorry that this child has given you trouble.
She turned to face Sarah.
You!
Go home at once!
You will be severely punished!
But the Indian gentleman held Sarah at his side.
She is not going anywhere.
She... is home.
Miss Mention drew back in amazement.
What could you possibly mean?
She gasped.
Mr Carrisford wished to waste no more time with Miss Minchin, and so Mr Carmichael related the whole story.
He told her that Carrisford was Captain Crew's business partner in the diamond mines.
He explained how the fortune that was thought to be lost was not only found, but found to have grown much larger.
Now it would all belong to Sarah.
Miss Minchin, not being such a clever woman, was foolish enough to make one last attempt to lay claim to Sarah's fortune.
Captain Crewe left his daughter in my charge, Miss Minchin spoke.
I will not allow her to leave.
The law will step in to help me, and if she stays here, I will be sure never to let her see any of her friends again.
The law will come to Sarah's aid, Carrasford corrected her.
And I'm sure that the parents of Miss Crewe's fellow pupils will not refuse her invitations to visit her at her new guardian's house.
Miss Minchin startled.
She knew that Mr. Carisford was right.
Who would refuse to let their children play with the future heiress to a large fortune?
And so, curtsying clumsily and muttering to herself, she slunk away.
When she got home, Miss Amelia was waiting for her.
Miss Amelia was mad.
Had it, sister, Amelia said with a burst of courage.
I often thought that you were treating Sarah poorly, but I never said anything.
She was clever and good and would have repaid you any kindness.
But you didn't show her any, did you?
You are a selfish, hard-hearted woman.
Why, Amelia, Miss Mention gasped.
Amelia continued.
She always behaved herself like a princess, no matter how awful we were to her, and now you've lost her.
Some other school will get her and her money, and the worst part is that she and her new guardian will tell everyone how we treated her.
They will find out about her thin, shabby clothes, the scant food, and the hard work.
If all our pupils were taken away and we lost everything, it would serve us right.
Miss Mention didn't know what to say.
By her silence, she showed that she knew Miss Amelia was correct.
And, truth be told, from that point on, Miss Mention became a little afraid of her sister.
With Sarah gone, it was Ermengarde's turn to be the storyteller.
She knew all about what had happened from Sarah's long letter to her.
There were diamond mines.
She informed the other girl, with millions and millions of diamonds in each of them, and now Sarah will be more of a princess than she ever was.
So there Sarah hadn't written to Becky, but Becky had overheard the other girls talking.
Although she was happy for Sarah, she feared that the magic in her own life would disappear with her.
As she climbed the final steps to Sarah's old room, she paused.
There would be no fire tonight, she thought.
No rosy lamp, no supper, and no princess telling marvelous stories.
But she must face it, she thought, and so choking down a sob, she pushed the door open.
She was right about one thing.
There was no princess, but there was a rosy lamp and supper and a dark-faced gentleman in a white turban smiling at her.
Becky, Ram Dass said, Sarah did not forget you.
She told Mr. Caversford everything, and he has asked you to come to him tomorrow.
You are to be Miss Sarah's personal assistant.
He waved his hands at all of the wonderful things he had brought during the past weeks.
Tonight I shall take these things back over the roof to my house.
With that, he bowed politely to her and slipped back through the skylight.
His ease showed Becky how he must have done it before.
Oh, how happy the large children were.
The mere fact of Sarah's hardships and adventures made her priceless.
Everybody wanted to hear again and again about the things that had happened to her.
Their favorite story was about the royal banquet and the dream that had turned out to be true.
Sitting next to Sarah by the fire, the Indian gentleman smiled.
That was his favorite part of the story as well.
I am so glad, Sarah said.
I am so glad it was you who were my friend. and there never were such friends as those two became.
It was not the same as having her papa back, but it was the next best thing ever.
Sarah and Mr. Carrisford seemed to suit each other in a wonderful way.
Just like her father had he delighted in giving her things and surprising her, especially in light of the dreadful things that had happened to her.
He knew there was no danger of her ever becoming spoiled.
As though to prove his point, Sarah boldly told him about a plan for which she needed his help.
What is it, princess? he asked.
How can I help?
Sarah told him about the woman in the bakery and the hungry little beggar girl in the streets outside.
If I have so much money, she asked, might I tell the woman that on cold and dreadful days she can feed all of the hungry beggar children and send the bills to me?
We shall arrange it tomorrow morning. agreed the Indian gentleman.
He vowed to himself that, in reality, he would pay the bills.
The next morning, while Miss Minchin watched bitterly from the window, Sarah climbed into the large family's carriage, wrapped in a new fur coat.
That day she carried out the first of her many plans to help others.
The little missus had lived through much loss and sadness, but had come through it knowing that the world was still full of magic.
This was only the beginning, she realized, of a new and wonderful life.
