The Fortunate Mistress (Parts 1 and 2)

by Daniel Defoe

farther.

  There was one kind chance in this affair, which, indeed, was mydeliverance, and that was, that the fool could not restrain his passion,but must let it fly to the Dutch merchant, to whom, when they withdrew asecond time, as above, he told that he would bring a process against mefor the murder, and that it should cost me dear for using him at thatrate; and away he went, desiring the Dutch merchant to tell him when Iwould be there again. Had he suspected that the Dutchman would havecommunicated the particulars to me, he would never have been so foolishas to have mentioned that part to him.

  But the malice of his thoughts anticipated him, and the Dutch merchantwas so good as to give me an account of his design, which, indeed, waswicked enough in its nature; but to me it would have been worse thanotherwise it would to another, for, upon examination, I could not haveproved myself to be the wife of the jeweller, so the suspicion mighthave been carried on with the better face; and then I should also havebrought all his relations in England upon me, who, finding by theproceedings that I was not his wife, but a mistress, or, in English, awhore, would immediately have laid claim to the jewels, as I had ownedthem to be his.

  This thought immediately rushed into my head as soon as the Dutchmerchant had told me what wicked things were in the head of that cursedJew; and the villain (for so I must call him) convinced the Dutchmerchant that he was in earnest by an expression which showed the restof his design, and that was, a plot to get the rest of the jewels intohis hand.

  When first he hinted to the Dutchman that the jewels were such a man's(meaning my husband's), he made wonderful exclamations on account oftheir having been concealed so long. Where must they have lain? And whatwas the woman that brought them? And that she (meaning me) ought to beimmediately apprehended and put into the hands of justice. And this wasthe time that, as I said, he made such horrid gestures and looked at meso like a devil.

  The merchant, hearing him talk at that rate, and seeing him in earnest,said to him, "Hold your tongue a little; this is a thing of consequence.If it be so, let you and I go into the next room and consider of itthere;" and so they withdrew, and left me.

  Here, as before, I was uneasy, and called him out, and, having heard howit was, gave him that answer, that I was his wife, or widow, which themalicious Jew said should not serve my turn. And then it was that theDutchman called him out again; and in this time of his withdrawing, themerchant, finding, as above, that he was really in earnest,counterfeited a little to be of his mind, and entered into proposalswith him for the thing itself.

  In this they agreed to go to an advocate, or counsel, for directions howto proceed, and to meet again the next day, against which time themerchant was to appoint me to come again with the jewels, in order tosell them. "No," says the merchant, "I will go farther with her than so;I will desire her to leave the jewels with me, to show to anotherperson, in order to get the better price for them." "That's right," saysthe Jew; "and I'll engage she shall never be mistress of them again;they shall either be seized by us," says he, "in the king's name, or sheshall be glad to give them up to us to prevent her being put to thetorture."

  The merchant said "Yes" to everything he offered, and they agreed tomeet the next morning about it, and I was to be persuaded to leave thejewels with him, and come to them the next day at four o'clock in orderto make a good bargain for them; and on these conditions they parted.But the honest Dutchman, filled with indignation at the barbarousdesign, came directly to me and told me the whole story. "And now,madam," says he, "you are to consider immediately what you have to do."

  I told him, if I was sure to have justice, I would not fear all thatsuch a rogue could do to me; but how such things were carried on inFrance I knew not. I told him the greatest difficulty would be to proveour marriage, for that it was done in England, and in a remote part ofEngland too; and, which was worse, it would be hard to produce authenticvouchers of it, because we were married in private. "But as to the deathof your husband, madam, what can be said to that?" said he. "Nay," saidI, "what can they say to it? In England," added I, "if they would offersuch an injury to any one, they must prove the fact or give just reasonfor their suspicions. That my husband was murdered, that every oneknows; but that he was robbed, or of what, or how much, that noneknows--no, not myself; and why was I not questioned for it then? I havelived in Paris ever since, lived publicly, and no man had yet theimpudence to suggest such a thing of me."

  "I am fully satisfied of that," says the merchant; "but as this is arogue who will stick at nothing, what can we say? And who knows what hemay swear? Suppose he should swear that he knows your husband had thoseparticular jewels with him the morning when he went out, and that heshowed them to him to consider their value, and what price he should askthe Prince de ---- for them?"

  "Nay, by the same rule," said I, "he may swear that I murdered myhusband, if he finds it for his turn." "That's true," said he; "and ifhe should, I do not see what could save you;" but added, "I have foundout his more immediate design. His design is to have you carried to theChatelet, that the suspicion may appear just, and then to get the jewelsout of your hands if possible; then, at last, to drop the prosecution onyour consenting to quit the jewels to him; and how you will do to avoidthis is the question which I would have you consider of."

  "My misfortune, sir," said I, "is that I have no time to consider, and Ihave no person to consider with or advise about it. I find thatinnocence may be oppressed by such an impudent fellow as this; he thatdoes not value perjury has any man's life at his mercy. But, sir," saidI, "is the justice such here that, while I may be in the hands of thepublic and under prosecution, he may get hold of my effects and get myjewels into his hands?"

  "I don't know," says he, "what may be done in that case; but if not he,if the court of justice should get hold of them I do not know but youmay find it as difficult to get them out of their hands again, and, atleast, it may cost you half as much as they are worth; so I think itwould be a much better way to prevent their coming at them at all."

  "But what course can I take to do that," says I, "now they have gotnotice that I have them? If they get me into their hands they willoblige me to produce them, or perhaps sentence me to prison till I do."

  "Nay," says he, "as this brute says, too, put you to the question--thatis, to the torture, on pretence of making you confess who were themurderers of your husband."

  "Confess!" said I. "How can I confess what I know nothing of?"

  "If they come to have you to the rack," said he, "they will make youconfess you did it yourself, whether you did it or no, and then you arecast."

  The very word rack frighted me to death almost, and I had no spirit leftin me. "Did it myself!" said I. "That's impossible!"

  "No, madam," says he, "'tis far from impossible. The most innocentpeople in the world have been forced to confess themselves guilty ofwhat they never heard of, much less had any hand in."

  "What, then, must I do?" said I. "What would you advise me to?"

  "Why," says he, "I would advise you to be gone. You intended to go awayin four or five days, and you may as well go in two days; and if you cando so, I shall manage it so that he shall not suspect your being gonefor several days after." Then he told me how the rogue would have meordered to bring the jewels the next day for sale, and that then hewould have me apprehended; how he had made the Jew believe he would joinwith him in his design, and that he (the merchant) would get the jewelsinto his hands. "Now," says the merchant, "I shall give you bills forthe money you desired, immediately, and such as shall not fail of beingpaid. Take your jewels with you, and go this very evening to St.Germain-en-Laye; I'll send a man thither with you, and from thence heshall guide you to-morrow to Rouen, where there lies a ship of mine,just ready to sail for Rotterdam; you shall have your passage in thatship on my account, and I will send orders for him to sail as soon asyou are on board, and a letter to my friend at Rotterdam to entertainand take care of you."

  This was too kind an offer for me, as things stood, not to be accepted,a
nd be thankful for; and as to going away, I had prepared everything forparting, so that I had little to do but to go back, take two or threeboxes and bundles, and such things, and my maid Amy, and be gone.

  Then the merchant told me the measures he had resolved to take to deludethe Jew while I made my escape, which was very well contrived indeed."First," said he, "when he comes to-morrow I shall tell him that Iproposed to you to leave the jewels with me, as we agreed, but that yousaid you would come and bring them in the afternoon, so that we muststay for you till four o'clock; but then, at that time, I