For a time her pride kept her away from the Shrimplins, who might have helped her.

To go to the little lamplighter's was to hear bitter truths about her husband; Mr.Shrimplin's denunciations were especially fierce and scathing, for here he felt that righteousness was all on his side and that in abusing the absconding Joe he was performing a moral act.
But at last Nellie's fortunes reached a crisis.

An obdurate landlord set her few poor belongings in the gutter.

Even in the most prosperous days their roof-tree had flourished but precariously and now it was down and level with the dust; seeing which Mrs.Montgomery placed her youngest in the ancient vehicle which had trundled all that generation of Montgomerys, drew her apron before her eyes and wept.

But quickly rallying to the need for immediate action she swallowed her pride and sent Arthur in quest of his uncle, who was well fitted by sobriety, industry and thrift, to cope with such a crisis.
Mr.Shrimplin's only weaknesses were such as spring from an eager childlike vanity, and a nature as shy as a fawn's of whatever held even a suggestion of danger.