Sury Spitzer
CHAPTER 3
The Princess Miss
Hawkins stood at the front of the room wearing her gathered paisley school dress. Her lips were as straight and thin as Dina’s knitting needle, and her large body seemed to suck in the air in the fourth grade classroom. Still her voice was steady and quiet. In all the weeks that Dina had been coming to fourth grade, Miss Hawkins had never spoken in a loud voice. “I have a surprise for you, class,” Miss Hawkins almost whispered.
can we begin?” the fourth grade exploded in noise. And quite unlike herself, Miss Hawkins just stood there, allowing her students freedom for all of two minutes. “And who will play the princess?” Milly’s voice shrilled above her classmates. “Not Diana Eisen, I hope!” The classroom suddenly became deathly still.
By then the news would be old and stale, like a slice of bread left on the counter overnight.
“In honor of the holidays we will be putting up a pageant of a beautiful princess who was lost in a forest and caught by bandits. In December, after we rehearse many times, we will perform for your parents.”
Miss Hawkins gave Milly a stare that could freeze warm blood pulsing through blue veins and said, “Everyone will have a chance to audition for the role, and the best one will get the part. Now class, enough time wasted. Open your spellers to page eight, and copy the list of spelling words onto your writing tablets. I expect each of you to use your best copperplate penmanship.”
“Hurray!” “Whew!” “When
Dina took a deep breath as
The classroom was deeply quiet, and the fourth graders leaned forward.
she opened her speller. She had been unaware that she had been holding her breath at all until she was able to begin breathing again. Why did Milly hate her so? Deep in her heart Dina knew that she could get the part of princess. After all, she was a princess; that’s what Tatte always called her. “You’re
a Bas Melech, Dina, daughter of the King,” Tatte frequently reminded her. And Sam too; didn’t he call her Princess all the time? I will audition for the part, just to show Milly, Dina promised herself. Two days later, the parts were posted on the bulletin board right inside Grade Four’s door. As soon as Dina arrived
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