were quarrelling (for the mistress raved and scolded her like a mad woman, and had ordered her to go and stop the maid Amy, and turn all the children out of the doors again; but she had been at the door, and Amy was gone, and the wench was out of her wits, and the mistress too), I say, just at this juncture came the poor old woman, not the aunt, but the other of the two that had been with me, and knocks at the door; the aunt did not go, because she had pretended to advocate for me, and they would have suspected her of some contrivance; but as for the other woman, they did not so much as know that she had kept up any correspondence with me.
Amy and she had concerted this between them, and it was well enough contrived that they did so. When she came into the house, the mistress was fuming, and raging like one distracted, and called the maid all the foolish jades and sluts that she could think of, and that she would take the children and turn them all out into the streets. The good, poor woman, seeing her in such a passion, turned about as if she would be gone again, and said, 'Madam, I'll come again another time, I see you are engaged.' 'No, no, Mrs ', says the mistress, 'I am not much engaged, sit down; this senseless creature here has brought in my fool of a brother's whole house of children upon me, and tells me that a wench brought them to the door and thrust them in, and bade her carry them to me; but it shall be no disturbance to me, for I have ordered them to be set in the street without the door, and so let the churchwardens take care of them, or else make this dull jade carry 'em back toagain, and let her that brought them into the world look after them if she will; what does she send her brats to me for?'
'The last indeed had been the best of the two', says the poor woman, 'if it had been to be done; and that brings me to tell you my errand, and the occasion of my coming, for I came on purpose about this very business, and to have prevented this being put upon you if I could, but I see I am come too late.'
'How do you mean too late?' says the mistress. 'What! have you been concerned in this affair, then? What! have you helped bring this family slur upon us?' 'I hope you do not think such a thing of me, madam,' says the poor woman; 'but I went this morning to —, to see my old mistress and benefactor, for she had been very kind to me, and when I came to the door I found all fast locked and bolted, and the house looking as if nobody was at home.
'I knocked at the door, but nobody came, till at last some of the neighbours' servants called to me and said, There's nobody lives there, mistress; what do you knock for? 'I seemed surprised at that. 'What, nobody lives there! 'said I; 'what d'ye mean? Does not Mrs live there? 'The answer was, 'No, she is gone', at which I parleyed with one of them, and asked her what was the matter. 'Matter! 'says she, 'why, it is matter enough: the poor gentlewoman has lived there all alone, and without anything to subsist her a long time, and this morning the landlord turned her out of doors.'
'Out of doors!' says I; 'what: with all her children? Poor lambs, what is become of them?' 'Why, truly, nothing worse', said they, 'can come to them than staying here, for they were almost starved with hunger; so the neighbours, seeing the poor lady in such distress, for she stood crying and wringing her hands over her children like one distracted, sent for the
