Intruding
The overall tone of Mrs. Hale's dialogue is negative. She does not want the men in her kitchen. This is one way which intruding is the answer because she sees the men as intruders. There is nothing to indicate the men are searching for something. Peering has the negative connotation; however, peering usually indicates the person is not directly looking at something or rather trying to secretly look. Substituting the word "looking" is not enough. It doesn't contain the negative connotation that the rest of Mrs. Hale's dialogue indicates.
