ten o'clock
How she did wish she might just look over the geography , by way of refreshing her memory , or see exactly how the rule for extracting the cube root did read , but Maddy forebore , reading only the Pilgrim 's Progress , the Bible , and the book brought from the Sunday school . With the earliest dawn , however , she was up , and her grandmother heard her repeating to herself much of what she dreaded Dr. Holbrook might question her upon . Even when bending over the washtub , for there were no servants at the red cottage , a book was arranged before her so that she could study with her eyes , while her small , fat hands and dimpled arms were busy in the suds . Before ten o'clock everything was done , the clothes , white as the snowdrops in the garden beds , were swinging on the line , the kitchen floor was scrubbed , the windows washed , the best room swept , the vegetables cleaned for dinner , and then Maddy 's work was finished . `` Grandma could do all the rest , '' she said , and Madeline was free `` to put her eyes out over them big books if she liked . '' Swiftly flew the hours until it was time to be getting ready , when again the short hair was deplored , as before her looking-glass Madeline brushed and arranged her shining , beautiful locks . Would Dr. Holbrook think of her age ?