The new-comer looked harmless enough, a poor, shabbily dressed beggar-woman, thin, stooping, feeble-looking.
When Mrs.Perry raised her head and looked up over the field again, Huldah saw that her face was white and frightened, and in sudden alarm she took to her heels, and ran as fast as she could to the gate.
At the click of the latch the new-comer turned and looked across the road, and as she looked Huldah felt her head reel, and her heart almost stop beating, for the tramp was Aunt Emma! Aunt Emma, come to cross her path once more.

Aunt Emma, shabbier and dirtier than ever, and with a pinched, starved look, which showed that things had not been going well with her.
When she caught sight of Huldah, her face lightened a little, and she hurried across the road to meet her.
"I've come to know if you can help me," she began, in the same old fretful, whining voice.

"I know you don't want to see me again, nobody does, but I'm starving.

I've been starving mostly ever since Tom was took away--" "Took away," gasped Huldah faintly.

"Where ?" "He's got three years.