not to say such different kinds of things quite so helplessly and
excitedly.

"Miss Amelia," she said in a low voice, "Miss Minchin says I may try to
make her stop--may I?"

Miss Amelia turned and looked at her hopelessly. "Oh, DO you think you
can?" she gasped.

"I don't know whether I CAN", answered Sara, still in her half-whisper;
"but I will try."

Miss Amelia stumbled up from her knees with a heavy sigh, and Lottie's
fat little legs kicked as hard as ever.

"If you will steal out of the room," said Sara, "I will stay with her."

"Oh, Sara!" almost whimpered Miss Amelia. "We never had such a
dreadful child before. I don't believe we can keep her."

But she crept out of the room, and was very much relieved to find an
excuse for doing it.

Sara stood by the howling furious child for a few moments, and looked
down at her without saying anything. Then she sat down flat on the
floor beside her and waited. Except for Lottie's angry screams, the
room was quite quiet. This was a new state of affairs for little Miss
Legh, who was accustomed, when she screamed, to hear other people
protest and implore and command and coax by turns. To lie and kick and
shriek, and find the only person near you not seeming to mind in the
least, attracted her attention. She opened her tight-shut streaming
eyes to see who this person was. And it was only another little girl.
But it was the one who owned Emily and all the nice things. And she
was looking at her steadily and as if she was merely thinking. Having
paused for a few seconds to find this out, Lottie thought she must
begin again, but the quiet of the room and of Sara's odd, interested
face made her first howl rather half-hearted.

"I--haven't--any--ma--ma--ma-a!" she announced; but her voice was not
so strong.

Sara looked at her still more steadily, but with a sort of
understanding in her eyes.

"Neither have I," she said.

This was so unexpected that it was astounding. Lottie actually dropped
her legs, gave a wriggle, and lay and stared. A new idea will stop a
crying child when nothing else will. Also it was true that while
Lottie disliked Miss Minchin, who was cross, and Miss Amelia, who was
foolishly indulgent, she rather liked Sara, little as she knew her.
She did not want to give up her grievance, but her thoughts were
distracted from it, so she wriggled again, and, after a sulky sob,
said, "Where is she?"

Sara paused a moment. Because she had been t