The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

by Daniel Defoe

yielded to thebaseness of paint before, having always had vanity enough to believe Ihad no need of it.

  At the hour appointed he came; and as she observed before, so it wasplain still, that he had been drinking, though very far from what wecall being in drink. He appeared exceeding pleased to see me, andentered into a long discourse with me upon the old affair. I beggedhis pardon very often for my share of it, protested I had not any suchdesign when first I met him, that I had not gone out with him but thatI took him for a very civil gentleman, and that he made me so manypromises of offering no uncivility to me.

  He alleged the wine he drank, and that he scarce knew what he did, andthat if it had not been so, I should never have let him take thefreedom with me that he had done. He protested to me that he nevertouched any woman but me since he was married to his wife, and it was asurprise upon him; complimented me upon being so particularly agreeableto him, and the like; and talked so much of that kind, till I found hehad talked himself almost into a temper to do the same thing overagain. But I took him up short. I protested I had never suffered anyman to touch me since my husband died, which was near eight years. Hesaid he believed it to be so truly; and added that madam had intimatedas much to him, and that it was his opinion of that part which made hisdesire to see me again; and that since he had once broke in upon hisvirtue with me, and found no ill consequences, he could be safe inventuring there again; and so, in short, it went on to what I expected,and to what will not bear relating.

  My old governess had foreseen it, as well as I, and therefore led himinto a room which had not a bed in it, and yet had a chamber within itwhich had a bed, whither we withdrew for the rest of the night; and, inshort, after some time being together, he went to bed, and lay thereall night. I withdrew, but came again undressed in the morning, beforeit was day, and lay with him the rest of the time.

  Thus, you see, having committed a crime once is a sad handle to thecommitting of it again; whereas all the regret and reflections wear offwhen the temptation renews itself. Had I not yielded to see him again,the corrupt desire in him had worn off, and 'tis very probable he hadnever fallen into it with anybody else, as I really believe he had notdone before.

  When he went away, I told him I hoped he was satisfied he had not beenrobbed again. He told me he was satisfied in that point, and couldtrust me again, and putting his hand in his pocket, gave me fiveguineas, which was the first money I had gained that way for many years.

  I had several visits of the like kind from him, but he never came intoa settled way of maintenance, which was what I would have best pleasedwith. Once, indeed, he asked me how I did to live. I answered himpretty quick, that I assured him I had never taken that course that Itook with him, but that indeed I worked at my needle, and could justmaintain myself; that sometime it was as much as I was able to do, andI shifted hard enough.

  He seemed to reflect upon himself that he should be the first person tolead me into that, which he assured me he never intended to do himself;and it touched him a little, he said, that he should be the cause ofhis own sin and mine too. He would often make just reflections alsoupon the crime itself, and upon the particular circumstances of it withrespect to himself; how wine introduced the inclinations how the devilled him to the place, and found out an object to tempt him, and he madethe moral always himself.

  When these thoughts were upon him he would go away, and perhaps notcome again in a month's time or longer; but then as the serious partwore off, the lewd part would wear in, and then he came prepared forthe wicked part. Thus we lived for some time; thought he did not keep,as they call it, yet he never failed doing things that were handsome,and sufficient to maintain me without working, and, which was better,without following my old trade.

  But this affair had its end too; for after about a year, I found thathe did not come so often as usual, and at last he left if offaltogether without any dislike to bidding adieu; and so there was anend of that short scene of life, which added no great store to me, onlyto make more work for repentance.

  However, during this interval I confined myself pretty much at home; atleast, being thus provided for, I made no adventures, no, not for aquarter of a year after he left me; but then finding the fund fail, andbeing loth to spend upon the main stock, I began to think of my oldtrade, and to look abroad into the street again; and my first step waslucky enough.

  I had dressed myself up in a very mean habit, for as I had severalshapes to appear in, I was now in an ordinary stuff-gown, a blue apron,and a straw hat and I placed myself at the door of the Three Cups Innin St. John Street. There were several carriers used the inn, and thestage-coaches for Barnet, for Totteridge, and other towns that waystood always in the street in the evening, when they prepared to setout, so that I was ready for anything that offered, for either one orother. The meaning was this; people come frequently with bundles andsmall parcels to those inns, and call for such carriers or coaches asthey want, to carry them into the country; and there generally attendwomen, porters' wives or daughters, ready to take in such things fortheir respective people that employ them.

  It happened very oddly that I was standing at the inn gate, and a womanthat had stood there before, and which was the porter's wife belongingto the Barnet stage-coach, having observed me, asked if I waited forany of the coaches. I told her Yes, I waited for my mistress, that wascoming to go to Barnet. She asked me who was my mistress, and I toldher any madam's name that came next me; but as it seemed, I happenedupon a name, a family of which name lived at Hadley, just beyond Barnet.

  I said no more to her, or she to me, a good while; but by and by,somebody calling her at a door a little way off, she desired me that ifanybody called for the Barnet coach, I would step and call her at thehouse, which it seems was an alehouse. I said Yes, very readily, andaway she went.

  She was no sooner gone but comes a wench and a child, puffing andsweating, and asks for the Barnet coach. I answered presently, 'Here.''Do you belong to the Barnet coach?' says she. 'Yes, sweetheart,' saidI; 'what do ye want?' 'I want room for two passengers,' says she.'Where are they, sweetheart?' said I. 'Here's this girl, pray let hergo into the coach,' says she, 'and I'll go and fetch my mistress.''Make haste, then, sweetheart,' says I, 'for we may be full else.' Themaid had a great bundle under her arm; so she put the child into thecoach, and I said, 'You had best put your bundle into the coach too.''No,' says she, 'I am afraid somebody should slip it away from thechild.' 'Give to me, then,' said I, 'and I'll take care of it.' 'Do,then,' says she, 'and be sure you take of it.' 'I'll answer for it,'said I, 'if it were for #20 value.' 'There, take it, then,' says she,and away she goes.

  As soon as I had got the bundle, and the maid was out of sight, I goeson towards the alehouse, where the porter's wife was, so that if I hadmet her, I had then only been going to give her the bundle, and to callher to her business, as if I was going away, and could stay no longer;but as I did not meet her, I walked away, and turning into CharterhouseLane, then crossed into Batholomew Close, so into Little Britain, andthrough the Bluecoat Hospital, into Newgate Street.

  To prevent my being known, I pulled off my blue apron, and wrapped thebundle in it, which before was made up in a piece of painted calico,and very remarkable; I also wrapped up my straw hat in it, and so putthe bundle upon my head; and it was very well that I did thus, forcoming through the Bluecoat Hospital, who should I meet but the wenchthat had given me the bundle to hold. It seems she was going with hermistress, whom she had been gone to fetch, to the Barnet coaches.

  I saw she was in haste, and I had no business to stop her; so away shewent, and I brought my bundle safe home to my governess. There was nomoney, nor plate, or jewels in the bundle, but a very good suit ofIndian damask, a gown and a petticoat, a laced-head and ruffles of verygood Flanders lace, and some linen and other things, such as I knewvery well the value of.

  This was not indeed my own invention, but was given me by one that hadpractised it with success, and my governess liked it extremely; and
indeed I tried it again several times, though never twice near the sameplace; for the next time I tried it in White Chapel, just by the cornerof Petticoat Lane, where the coaches stand that go out to Stratford andBow, and that side of the country, and another time at the FlyingHorse, without Bishopgate, where the Cheston coaches then lay; and Ihad always the good luck to come off with some booty.

  Another time I placed myself at a warehouse by the waterside, where thecoasting vessels from the north come, such as from Newcastle-upon-Tyne,Sunderland, and other places. Here, the warehouses being shut, comes ayoung fellow with a letter; and he wanted a box and a hamper that wascome from Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I asked him if he had the marks of it;so he shows me the letter, by virtue of which he was to ask for it, andwhich gave an account