about it.

As nothing further could be got out of him we went in search
of Mrs. Flowerdew herself, and found her in a pretty
vine-clad cottage. 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