'Yes, Miss Honey,' replied nineteen little voices.
'I want to help you to learn quickly,' said Miss Honey. 'By the end of this week I want you all to be able to multiply by two. Can any of you do that already?'
Matilda put up her hand. She was the only one.
Miss Honey looked carefully at the small girl with the dark hair and the round serious face. 'Wonderful,' she said. 'Please stand up and show us.'
Matilda stood up and said, 'Two twos are four, two threes are six...' And when she got to two twelves are twenty-four, she went straight on with, 'Two thirteens are twenty-six, two fourteens are twenty-eight...'
'Stop!' said Miss Honey. 'How far can you go?'