Matilda

Miss Honey gazed at Matilda with absolute amazement, but when next she spoke she kept her voice level. 'That is really splendid,' she said. 'But of course multiplying by two is a lot easier than some of the bigger numbers. What about the other multiplication tables? Do you know any of those?'

'I think so, Miss Honey. I think I do.'

'Which ones, Matilda? How far have you got?'

'I ... I don't quite know,' Matilda said. 'I don't know what you mean.'

'What I mean is do you for instance know the three-times table?'

'Yes, Miss Honey.'

'And the four-times?'

'Yes, Miss Honey.'

'Well, how many do you know, Matilda? Do you know all the way up to the twelve-times table?'

'Yes, Miss Honey.'

'What are twelve sevens?'

'Eighty-four,' Matilda said.

Miss Honey paused and leaned back in her chair behind the plain table that stood in the middle of the floor in front of the class. She was considerably shaken by this exchange but took care not to show it. She had never come across a five-year-old before, or indeed a ten-year-old, who could multiply with such facility.

'I hope the rest of you are listening to this,' she said to the class. 'Matilda is a very lucky girl. She has wonderful parents who have already taught her to multiply lots of numbers. Was it your mother, Matilda, who taught you?'

'No, Miss Honey, it wasn't.'

'You must have a great father then. He must be a brilliant teacher.'

'No, Miss Honey,' Matilda said quietly. 'My father did not teach me.'

'You mean you taught yourself?'

'I don't quite know,' Matilda said truthfully. 'It's just that I don't find it very difficult to multiply one number by another.'

Miss Honey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked again at the small girl with bright eyes standing beside her desk so sensible and solemn. 'You say you don't find it difficult to multiply one number by another,' Miss Honey said. 'Could you try to explain that a little bit?'

'Oh dear,' Matilda said. 'I'm not really sure.'

Miss Honey waited. The class was silent, all listening.

'For instance,' Miss Honey said, 'if I asked you to multiply fourteen by nineteen ... No, that's too difficult ...'

'It's two hundred and sixty-six,' Matilda said softly.

Miss Honey stared at her. Then she picked up a pencil and quickly worked out the sum on a piece of paper. 'What did you say it was?' she said, looking up.

'Two hundred and sixty-six,' Matilda said.

Miss Honey put down her pencil and removed her spectacles and began to polish the lenses with a piece of tissue. The class remained quiet, watching her and waiting for what was coming next. Matilda was still standing up beside her desk.

'Now tell me, Matilda,' Miss Honey said, still polishing, 'try to tell me exactly what goes on inside your head when you get a multiplication like that to do. You obviously have to work it out in some way, but you seem able to arrive at the answer almost instantly. Take the one you've just done, fourteen multiplied by nineteen.'

'I ... I ... I simply put the fourteen down in my head and multiply it by nineteen,' Matilda said. 'I'm afraid I don't know how else to explain it. I've always said to myself that if a little pocket calculator can do it why shouldn't I?'

'Why not indeed?' Miss Honey said. 'The human brain is an amazing thing.'