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'I thought some were very poor,' Matilda said, 'but others were lovely I liked The Secret Garden best of all It was full of mystery The mystery of the rooarden behind the big wall'

Mrs Phelps was stunned 'Exactly how old are you, Matilda?' she asked

'Four years and three months,' Matilda said

Mrs Phelps was more stunned than ever, but she had the sense not to show it 'What sort of a book would you like to read next?' she asked

Matilda said, 'I would like a really good one that grown-ups read A famous one I don't know any names'

Mrs Phelps looked along the shelves, taking her ti out How, she asked herself, does one choose a faht was to pick a young teenager's romance of the kind that is written for fifteen-year-old school-girls, but for so past that particular shelf

'Try this,' she said at last 'It's very fa for you, just letshorter and a bit easier'

'Great Expectations,' Matilda read, 'by Charles Dickens I'd love to try it'

I must be mad, Mrs Phelps told herself, but to Matilda she said, 'Of course you may try it'

Over the next few afternoons Mrs Phelps could hardly take her eyes fro armchair at the far end of the room with the book on her lap It was necessary to rest it on the lap because it was too heavy for her to hold up, whichforward in order to read And a strange sight it was, this tiny dark-haired person sitting there with her feet nowhere near touching the floor, totally absorbed in the wonderful adventures of Pip and old Miss Havishaic that Dickens the great story-teller had woven with his words The onlyof the hand every now and then to turn over a page, and Mrs Phelps always felt sad when the time came for her to cross the floor and say, 'It's ten to five, Matilda'

During the first week of Matilda's visits Mrs Phelps had said to her, 'Does your mother walk you down here every day and then take you home?'

'My o,' Matilda had said 'She doesn't know I come here'

'But that's surely not right,' Mrs Phelps said 'I think you'd better ask her'

'I'd rather not,' Matilda said 'She doesn't encourage reading books Nor does my father'

'But what do they expect you to do every afternoon in an empty house?'

'Just mooch around and watch the telly'

'I see'

'She doesn't really care what I do,' Matilda said a little sadly

Mrs Phelps was concerned about the child's safety on the walk through the fairly busy village High Street and the crossing of the road, but she decided not to interfere

Within a week, Matilda had finished Great Expectations which in that edition contained four hundred and eleven pages 'I loved it,' she said to Mrs Phelps 'Has Mr Dickens written any others?'

&n

bsp; 'A great number,' said the astounded Mrs Phelps 'Shall I choose you another?'

Over the next six months, under Mrs Phelps's watchful and co books: