Matilda did not understand.
Did her school teacher really live here? was very strange.
Miss Honey came back with two cups of tea and two plates of bread and butter.
When they were eating, Matilda asked, "Are all teachers very poor, Miss Honey?
Do they all live like this, with no furniture?'
Miss Honey's face went red and she looked down at the floor.
"No, she said quietly.
Then she looked at Matilda.
"Until now, it's been difficult for me to talk about my problems, but suddenly I want to tell somebody.
I know that you're only a little girl Matilda, but.... can I tell you a story Yes, of course, said Matilda.
"I'm twenty-three years old, said Miss Ho"When I was born, my father was a doctor in this village and we lived in a beautiful old house.
Then my mother died when I was two and my aunt came to live with us.
My father was a busy doctor and he needed somebody to look after me.
But my aunt was not a kind person.
Then, when I was five, my father died suddenly"How did he die?' asked Matilda.