She Was A Young Woman, Very Poorly
Dressed, With A Pleasing But Careworn Face, And She Had Four
Small, Bright, Healthy, Happy-Faced Children.
They were all
grouped round her as she stood in the doorway to speak to us,
and they too were poorly dressed and poorly shod.
When we
told our tale she appeared ready to burst into tears. Oh, how
unfortunate it was that she could not take us in! It would
have made her so happy, and the few shillings would have been
such a blessing! But what could she do now - the landlord's
agent had put in a distress and carried off and sold all her
best things. Every stick out of her nice spare room had been
taken from them! Oh, it was cruel!
As we wished to hear more she told us the whole story. They
had got behindhand with the rent, but that had often been the
case, only this time it happened that the agent wanted a
cottage for a person he wished to befriend, and so gave them
notice to quit. But her husband was a high-spirited man and
determined to stick to his rights, so he informed the agent
that he refused to move until he received compensation for his
improvements.
Questioned about these improvements, she led us through to the
back to show us the ground, about half an acre in extent, part
of which was used as a paddock for the donkey, and on the
other part there were about a dozen rather sickly-looking
young fruit trees. Her husband, she said, had planted the
orchard and kept the fence of the paddock in order, and they
refused to compensate him! Then she took us up to the spare
room, empty of furniture, the floor thick with dust. The bed,
table, chairs, washhandstand, toilet service - the things she
had been so long struggling to get together, saving her money
for months and months, and making so many journeys to the town
to buy - all, all he had taken away and sold for almost
nothing!
Then, actually with tears in her eyes, she said that now we
knew why she couldn't take us in - why she had to seem so
unkind.
But we are going to stay, we told her. It was a very good
room; she could surely get a few things to put in it, and in
the meantime we would go and forage for provisions to last us
till Monday.
It is odd to find how easy it is to get what one wants by
simply taking it! At first she was amazed at our decision,
then she was delighted and said she would go out to her
neighbours and try to borrow all that was wanted in the way of
furniture and bedding. Then we returned to Mr. Brownjohn's to
buy bread, bacon, and groceries, and he in turn sent us to Mr.
Marling for vegetables. Mr. Marling heard us, and soberly
taking up a spade and other implements led us out to his
garden and dug us a mess of potatoes while we waited.
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