The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

We enjoyed ourselves that evening completely, and yet all was kept so

private in the inn that not a servant in the house knew of it, for my

landlady and her daughter waited on me, and would not let any of the

maids come upstairs, except while we were at supper. My landlady's

daughter I called my bridesmaid; and sending for a shopkeeper the next

morning, I gave the young woman a good suit of knots, as good as the

town would afford, and finding it was a lace-making town, I gave her

mother a piece of bone-lace for a head.

One reason that my landlord was so close was, that he was unwilling the

minister of the parish should hear of it; but for all that somebody

heard of it, so at that we had the bells set a-ringing the next morning

early, and the music, such as the town would afford, under our window;

but my landlord brazened it out, that we were married before we came

thither, only that, being his former guests, we would have our

wedding-supper at his house.

We could not find in our hearts to stir the next day; for, in short,

having been disturbed by the bells in the morning, and having perhaps

not slept overmuch before, we were so sleepy afterwards that we lay in

bed till almost twelve o'clock.

I begged my landlady that we might not have any more music in the town,

nor ringing of bells, and she managed it so well that we were very

quiet; but an odd passage interrupted all my mirth for a good while.

The great room of the house looked into the street, and my new spouse

being belowstairs, I had walked to the end of the room; and it being a

pleasant, warm day, I had opened the window, and was standing at it for

some air, when I saw three gentlemen come by on horseback and go into

an inn just against us.

It was not to be concealed, nor was it so doubtful as to leave me any

room to question it, but the second of the three was my Lancashire

husband. I was frightened to death; I never was in such a

consternation in my life; I though I should have sunk into the ground;

my blood ran chill in my veins, and I trembled as if I had been in a

cold fit of ague. I say, there was no room to question the truth of

it; I knew his clothes, I knew his horse, and I knew his face.

The first sensible reflect I made was, that my husband was not by to

see my disorder, and that I was very glad of it. The gentlemen had not

been long in the house but they came to the window of their room, as is

usual; but my window was shut, you may be sure. However, I could not

keep from peeping at them, and there I saw him again, heard him call

out to one of the servants of the house for something he wanted, and

received all the terrifying confirmations of its being the same person

that were possible to be had.