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 to ---- again, 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.