The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

I think I had been brought to bed about twenty-two days when I received

another letter from my friend at the bank, with the surprising news

that he had obtained a final sentence of divorce against his wife, and

had served her with it on such a day, and that he had such an answer to

give to all my scruples about his marrying again, as I could not

expect, and as he had no desire of; for that his wife, who had been

under some remorse before for her usage of him, as soon as she had the

account that he had gained his point, had very unhappily destroyed

herself that same evening.

He expressed himself very handsomely as to his being concerned at her

disaster, but cleared himself of having any hand in it, and that he had

only done himself justice in a case in which he was notoriously injured

and abused. However, he said that he was extremely afflicted at it,

and had no view of any satisfaction left in his world, but only in the

hope that I would come and relieve him by my company; and then he

pressed me violently indeed to give him some hopes that I would at

least come up to town and let him see me, when he would further enter

into discourse about it.

I was exceedingly surprised at the news, and began now seriously to

reflect on my present circumstances, and the inexpressible misfortune

it was to me to have a child upon my hands, and what to do in it I knew

not. At last I opened my case at a distance to my governess. I

appeared melancholy and uneasy for several days, and she lay at me

continually to know what trouble me. I could not for my life tell her

that I had an offer of marriage, after I had so often told her that I

had a husband, so that I really knew not what to say to her. I owned I

had something which very much troubled me, but at the same time told

her I could not speak of it to any one alive.

She continued importuning me several days, but it was impossible, I

told her, for me to commit the secret to anybody. This, instead of

being an answer to her, increased her importunities; she urged her

having been trusted with the greatest secrets of this nature, that it

was her business to conceal everything, and that to discover things of

that nature would be her ruin. She asked me if ever I had found her

tattling to me of other people's affairs, and how could I suspect her?

She told me, to unfold myself to her was telling it to nobody; that she

was silent as death; that it must be a very strange case indeed that

she could not help me out of; but to conceal it was to deprive myself

of all possible help, or means of help, and to deprive her of the

opportunity of serving me. In short, she had such a bewitching

eloquence, and so great a power of persuasion that there was no

concealing anything from her.