"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 churchwardens to take care of the children; and they, when they
came, took the youngest, which was born in this parish, and have got it
a very good nurse, and taken care of it; but as for the other four, they
had sent them away to some of their father's relations, and who were
very substantial people, and who, besides that, lived in the parish
where they were born.'

"I was not so surprised at this as not presently to foresee that this
trouble would be brought upon you or upon Mr. ----; so I came immediately
to bring word of it, that you might be prepared for it, and might not be
surprised; but I see they have been too nimble for me, so that I know
not what to advise. The poor woman, it seems, is turned out of doors
into the street; and another of the neighbours there told me, that when
they took her children from her she swooned away, and when they
recovered her out of that, she ran distracted, and is put into a
madhouse by the parish, for there is nobody else to take any care of
her."

This was all acted to the life by this good, kind, poor creature; for
though her design was perfectly good and charitable, yet there was not
one word of it true in fact; for I was not turned out of doors by the
landlord, nor gone distracted. It was true, indeed, that at parting with
my poor children I fainted, and was like one mad when I came to myself
and found they were gone; but I remained in the house a good while after
that, as you shall hear.

While the poor woman was telling this di