Thus Surbiton Cottage, as it was called, though it had no pretension to the grandeur of a country-house, was a desirable residence for a moderate family with a limited income.
Mrs.Woodward's family, for there was no Mr.Woodward in the case, consisted of herself and three daughters.

There was afterwards added to this an old gentleman, an uncle of Mrs.
Woodward's, but he had not arrived at the time at which we would wish first to introduce our readers to Hampton.
Mrs.Woodward was the widow of a clergyman who had held a living in London, and had resided there.

He had, however, died when two of his children were very young, and while the third was still a baby.

From that time Mrs.Woodward had lived at the cottage at Hampton, and had there maintained a good repute, paying her way from month to month as widows with limited incomes should do, and devoting herself to the amusements and education of her daughters.
It was not, probably, from any want of opportunity to cast them aside, that Mrs.Woodward had remained true to her weeds; for at the time of her husband's death she was a young and a very pretty woman; and an income of L400 a year, though moderate enough for all the wants of a gentleman's family, would no doubt have added sufficiently to her charms to have procured her a second alliance, had she been so minded.
Twelve years, however, had now elapsed since Mr.Woodward had been gathered to his fathers, and the neighbouring world of Hampton, who had all of them declared over and over again that the young widow would certainly marry again, were now becoming as unanimous in their expressed opinion that the old widow knew the value of her money too well to risk it in the keeping of the best he that ever wore boots.
At the date at which our story commences, she was a comely little woman, past forty, somewhat below the middle height, rather _embonpoint_, as widows of forty should be, with pretty fat feet, and pretty fat hands; wearing just a _soupcon_ of a widow's cap on her head, with her hair, now slightly grey, parted in front, and brushed very smoothly, but not too carefully, in _bandeaux_ over her forehead.
She was a quick little body, full of good-humour, slightly given to repartee, and perhaps rather too impatient of a fool.

But though averse to a fool, she could sympathize with folly.