The servants thought the fright had hurt her wits , and let her be , but Rupert , the boy , stood by her and never was afraid of her queer ways . She was ' a pious maid , ' the book says , and often spent the long evenings reading the Bible , with her brother by her , all alone in the great room , with no one to help her bear her secret , and no good news of her father . At last , word came that the king was dead and his friends banished out of England . Then the poor children were in a sad plight , for they had no mother , and the servants all ran away , leaving only one faithful old man to help them . '' `` But the father did come ? '' cried Roxy , eagerly . `` You 'll see , '' continued Eph , half telling , half reading . `` Matilda was sure he would , so she sat on in the big chair , guarding the papers , and no one could get her away , till one day a man came with her father 's ring and told her to give up the secret . She knew the ring , but would not tell until she had asked many questions , so as to be very sure , and while the man answered all about her father and the king , she looked at him sharply . Then she stood up and said , in a tremble , for there was something strange about the man : ` Sir , I doubt you in spite of the ring , and I will not answer till you pull off the false beard you wear , that I may see your face and know if you are my father 's friend or foe . ' Off came the disguise , and Matilda found it was my lord himself , come to take them with him out of England . He was very proud of that faithful girl , I guess , for the old chair still stands in the castle , and the name keeps in the family , Pa says , even over here , where some of the Bassetts came along with the Pilgrims . '' `` Our Tilly would have been as brave , I know , and she looks like the old picter down to Grandma 's , do n't she , Eph ? '' cried Prue , who admired her bold , bright sister very much . `` Well , I think you 'd do the settin ' part best , Prue , you are so patient . Till would fight like a wild cat , but she ca n't hold her tongue worth a cent , '' answered Eph ; whereat Tilly pulled his hair , and the story ended with a general frolic . When the moon-faced clock behind the door struck nine , Tilly tucked up the children under the `` extry comfortables , '' and having kissed them all around , as Mother did , crept into her own nest , never minding the little drifts of snow that sifted in upon her coverlet between the shingles of the roof , nor the storm that raged without . As if he felt the need of unusual vigilance , old Bose lay down on the mat before the door , and pussy had the warm hearth all to herself . If any late wanderer had looked in at midnight , he would have seen the fire blazing up again , and in the cheerful glow the old cat blinking her yellow eyes , as she sat bolt upright beside the spinning-wheel , like some sort of household goblin , guarding the children while they slept . When they woke , like early birds , it still snowed , but up the little Bassetts jumped , broke the ice in their pitchers , and went down with cheeks glowing like winter apples , after a brisk scrub and scramble into their clothes .
XXXXX was off to the barn , and Tilly soon had a great kettle of mush ready , which , with milk warm from the cows , made a wholesome breakfast for the seven hearty children .
Bible Eph Matilda Mother Pilgrims comfortables evenings goblin settin spinning-wheel