The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

My governess, not at all surprised, spoke calmly to them, told them

they should very freely come and search her house, if they should bring

a constable, and let in none but such as the constable would admit, for

it was unreasonable to let in a whole crowd. This they could not

refuse, though they were a crowd. So a constable was fetched

immediately, and she very freely opened the door; the constable kept

the door, and the men he appointed searched the house, my governess

going with them from room to room. When she came to my room she called

to me, and said aloud, 'Cousin, pray open the door; here's some

gentlemen that must come and look into your room.' I had a little girl with me, which was my governess's grandchild, as

she called her; and I bade her open the door, and there sat I at work

with a great litter of things about me, as if I had been at work all

day, being myself quite undressed, with only night-clothes on my head,

and a loose morning-gown wrapped about me. My governess made a kind of

excuse for their disturbing me, telling me partly the occasion of it,

and that she had no remedy but to open the doors to them, and let them

satisfy themselves, for all she could say to them would not satisfy

them. I sat still, and bid them search the room if they pleased, for

if there was anybody in the house, I was sure they were not in my room;

and as for the rest of the house, I had nothing to say to that, I did

not understand what they looked for.

Everything looked so innocent and to honest about me, that they treated

me civiller than I expected, but it was not till they had searched the

room to a nicety, even under the bed, in the bed, and everywhere else

where it was possible anything could be hid. When they had done this,

and could find nothing, they asked my pardon for troubling me, and went

down.

When they had thus searched the house from bottom to top, and then top

to bottom, and could find nothing, they appeased the mob pretty well;

but they carried my governess before the justice. Two men swore that

they saw the man whom they pursued go into her house. My governess

rattled and made a great noise that her house should be insulted, and

that she should be used thus for nothing; that if a man did come in, he

might go out again presently for aught she knew, for she was ready to

make oath that no man had been within her doors all that day as she

knew of (and that was very true indeed); that is might be indeed that

as she was abovestairs, any fellow in a fright might find the door open

and run in for shelter when he was pursued, but that she knew nothing

of it; and if it had been so, he certainly went out again, perhaps at

the other door, for she had another door into an alley, and so had made

his escape and cheated them all.