The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

I heard all this, much to my satisfaction, for I found plainly that the

tankard was not missed, and yet they concluded it was fetched away; so

I drank my ale, called to pay, and as I went away I said, 'Take care of

your plate, child,' meaning a silver pint mug, which he brought me

drink in. The boy said, 'Yes, madam, very welcome,' and away I came.

I came home to my governess, and now I thought it was a time to try

her, that if I might be put to the necessity of being exposed, she

might offer me some assistance. When I had been at home some time, and

had an opportunity of talking to her, I told her I had a secret of the

greatest consequence in the world to commit to her, if she had respect

enough for me to keep it a secret. She told me she had kept one of my

secrets faithfully; why should I doubt her keeping another? I told her

the strangest thing in the world had befallen me, and that it had made

a thief of me, even without any design, and so told her the whole story

of the tankard. 'And have you brought it away with you, my dear?' says

she. 'To be sure I have,' says I, and showed it her. 'But what shall

I do now,' says I; 'must not carry it again?' 'Carry it again!' says she. 'Ay, if you are minded to be sent to

Newgate for stealing it.' 'Why,' says I, 'they can't be so base to

stop me, when I carry it to them again?' 'You don't know those sort of

people, child,' says she; 'they'll not only carry you to Newgate, but

hang you too, without any regard to the honesty of returning it; or

bring in an account of all the other tankards they have lost, for you

to pay for.' 'What must I do, then?' says I. 'Nay,' says she, 'as you

have played the cunning part and stole it, you must e'en keep it;

there's no going back now. Besides, child,' says she, 'don't you want

it more than they do? I wish you could light of such a bargain once a

week.' This gave me a new notion of my governess, and that since she was

turned pawnbroker, she had a sort of people about her that were none of

the honest ones that I had met with there before.

I had not been long there but I discovered it more plainly than before,

for every now and then I saw hilts of swords, spoons, forks, tankards,

and all such kind of ware brought in, not to be pawned, but to be sold

downright; and she bought everything that came without asking any

questions, but had very good bargains, as I found by her discourse.