We assured him that we could go no further, and after revolving the matter a while longer he again said that we could not stay, as there was not a room to be had in the place since poor Mrs.Flowerdew had her trouble.
She had a spare room and used to take in a lodger occasionally, and a good handy woman she was too; but now--no, Mrs.Flowerdew could not take us in.

We questioned him, and he said that no one had died there and there had been no illness.

They were all quite well at Mrs.Flowerdew's; the trouble was of another kind.

There was no more to be said 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.