by Daniel Defoe
hismanagement, that he would render me a faithful account of its produce;and then I pulled him out the #100 in silver, as the first year'sproduce; and then pulling out the deerskin purse with the pistoles,'And here, my dear,' says I, 'is the gold watch.' My husband--so isHeaven's goodness sure to work the same effects in all sensible mindswhere mercies touch the heart--lifted up both hands, and with anecstacy of joy, 'What is God a-doing,' says he, 'for such an ungratefuldog as I am!' Then I let him know what I had brought over in thesloop, besides all this; I mean the horses, hogs, and cows, and otherstores for our plantation; all which added to his surprise, and filledhis heart with thankfulness; and from this time forward I believe hewas as sincere a penitent, and as thoroughly a reformed man, as everGod's goodness brought back from a profligate, a highwayman, and arobber. I could fill a larger history than this with the evidence ofthis truth, and but that I doubt that part of the story will not beequally diverting as the wicked part, I have had thoughts of making avolume of it by itself.
As for myself, as this is to be my own story, not my husband's, Ireturn to that part which related to myself. We went on with ourplantation, and managed it with the help and diversion of such friendsas we got there by our obliging behaviour, and especially the honestQuaker, who proved a faithful, generous, and steady friend to us; andwe had very good success, for having a flourishing stock to begin with,as I have said, and this being now increased by the addition of #150sterling in money, we enlarged our number of servants, built us a verygood house, and cured every year a great deal of land. The second yearI wrote to my old governess, giving her part with us of the joy of oursuccess, and order her how to lay out the money I had left with her,which was #250 as above, and to send it to us in goods, which sheperformed with her usual kindness and fidelity, and this arrived safeto us.
Here we had a supply of all sorts of clothes, as well for my husband asfor myself; and I took especial care to buy for him all those thingsthat I knew he delighted to have; as two good long wigs, twosilver-hilted swords, three or four fine fowling-pieces, a fine saddlewith holsters and pistols very handsome, with a scarlet cloak; and, ina word, everything I could think of to oblige him, and to make himappear, as he really was, a very fine gentleman. I ordered a goodquantity of such household stuff as we yet wanted, with linen of allsorts for us both. As for myself, I wanted very little of clothes orlinen, being very well furnished before. The rest of my cargoconsisted in iron-work of all sorts, harness for horses, tools, clothesfor servants, and woollen cloth, stuffs, serges, stockings, shoes,hats, and the like, such as servants wear; and whole pieces also tomake up for servants, all by direction of the Quaker; and all thiscargo arrived safe, and in good condition, with three woman-servants,lusty wenches, which my old governess had picked for me, suitableenough to the place, and to the work we had for them to do; one ofwhich happened to come double, having been got with child by one of theseamen in the ship, as she owned afterwards, before the ship got so faras Gravesend; so she brought us a stout boy, about seven months afterher landing.
My husband, you may suppose, was a little surprised at the arriving ofall this cargo from England; and talking with me after he saw theaccount of this particular, 'My dear,' says he, 'what is the meaning ofall this? I fear you will run us too deep in debt: when shall we beable to make return for it all?' I smiled, and told him that it was allpaid for; and then I told him, that what our circumstances might exposeus to, I had not taken my whole stock with me, that I had reserved somuch in my friend's hands, which now we were come over safe, and wassettled in a way to live, I had sent for, as he might see.
He was amazed, and stood a while telling upon his fingers, but saidnothing. At last he began thus: 'Hold, let's see,' says he, tellingupon his fingers still, and first on his thumb; 'there's #246 in moneyat first, then two gold watches, diamond rings, and plate,' says he,upon the forefinger. Then upon the next finger, 'Here's a plantationon York River, #100 a year, then #150 in money, then a sloop load ofhorses, cows, hogs, and stores'; and so on to the thumb again. 'Andnow,' says he, 'a cargo cost #250 in England, and worth here twice themoney.' 'Well,' says I, 'what do you make of all that?' 'Make of it?'says he; 'why, who says I was deceived when I married a wife inLancashire? I think I have married a fortune, and a very good fortunetoo,' says he.
In a word, we were now in very considerable circumstances, and everyyear increasing; for our new plantation grew upon our hands insensibly,and in eight years which we lived upon it, we brought it to such pitch,that the produce was at least #300 sterling a year; I mean, worth somuch in England.
After I had been a year at home again, I went over the bay to see myson, and to receive another year's income of my plantation; and I wassurprised to hear, just at my landing there, that my old husband wasdead, and had not been buried above a fortnight. This, I confess, wasnot disagreeable news, because now I could appear as I was, in amarried condition; so I told my son before I came from him, that Ibelieved I should marry a gentleman who had a plantation near mine; andthough I was legally free to marry, as to any obligation that was on mebefore, yet that I was shy of it, lest the blot should some time orother be revived, and it might make a husband uneasy. My son, the samekind, dutiful, and obliging creature as ever, treated me now at his ownhouse, paid me my hundred pounds, and sent me home again loaded withpresents.
Some time after this, I let my son know I was married, and invited himover to see us, and my husband wrote a very obliging letter to himalso, inviting him to come and see him; and he came accordingly somemonths after, and happened to be there just when my cargo from Englandcame in, which I let him believe belonged all to my husband's estate,not to me.
It must be observed that when the old wretch my brother (husband) wasdead, I then freely gave my husband an account of all that affair, andof this cousin, as I had called him before, being my own son by thatmistaken unhappy match. He was perfectly easy in the account, and toldme he should have been as easy if the old man, as we called him, hadbeen alive. 'For,' said he, 'it was no fault of yours, nor of his; itwas a mistake impossible to be prevented.' He only reproached him withdesiring me to conceal it, and to live with him as a wife, after I knewthat he was my brother; that, he said, was a vile part. Thus all thesedifficulties were made easy, and we lived together with the greatestkindness and comfort imaginable.
We are grown old; I am come back to England, being almost seventy yearsof age, husband sixty-eight, having performed much more than thelimited terms of my transportation; and now, notwithstanding all thefatigues and all the miseries we have both gone through, we are both ofus in good heart and health. My husband remained there some time afterme to settle our affairs, and at first I had intended to go back tohim, but at his desire I altered that resolution, and he is come overto England also, where we resolve to spend the remainder of our yearsin sincere penitence for the wicked lives we have lived.
WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1683