The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

In short, I carried on the argument against this so far, that I

convinced him it was not a proposal that had any sense in it. Well,

then he went from it to another, and that was, that I would sign and

seal a contract with him, conditioning to marry him as soon as the

divorce was obtained, and to be void if he could not obtain it.

I told him such a thing was more rational than the other; but as this

was the first time that ever I could imagine him weak enough to be in

earnest in this affair, I did not use to say Yes at first asking; I

would consider of it.

I played with this lover as an angler does with a trout. I found I had

him fast on the hook, so I jested with his new proposal, and put him

off. I told him he knew little of me, and bade him inquire about me; I

let him also go home with me to my lodging, though I would not ask him

to go in, for I told him it was not decent.

In short, I ventured to avoid signing a contract of marriage, and the

reason why I did it was because the lady that had invited me so

earnestly to go with her into Lancashire insisted so positively upon

it, and promised me such great fortunes, and such fine things there,

that I was tempted to go and try. 'Perhaps,' said I, 'I may mend

myself very much'; and then I made no scruple in my thoughts of

quitting my honest citizen, whom I was not so much in love with as not

to leave him for a richer.

In a word, I avoided a contract; but told him I would go into the

north, that he should know where to write to me by the consequence of

the business I had entrusted with him; that I would give him a

sufficient pledge of my respect for him, for I would leave almost all I

had in the world in his hands; and I would thus far give him my word,

that as soon as he had sued out a divorce from his first wife, he would

send me an account of it, I would come up to London, and that then we

would talk seriously of the matter.

It was a base design I went with, that I must confess, though I was

invited thither with a design much worse than mine was, as the sequel

will discover. Well, I went with my friend, as I called her, into

Lancashire. All the way we went she caressed me with the utmost

appearance of a sincere, undissembled affection; treated me, except my

coach-hire, all the way; and her brother brought a gentleman's coach to

Warrington to receive us, and we were carried from thence to Liverpool

with as much ceremony as I could desire. We were also entertained at a

merchant's house in Liverpool three or four days very handsomely; I

forbear to tell his name, because of what followed. Then she told me

she would carry me to an uncle's house of hers, where we should be

nobly entertained. She did so; her uncle, as she called him, sent a

coach and four horses for us, and we were carried near forty miles I

know not whither.