He told her he had a great desire to see me, that he would give her any
assurances that were in his power, not to take any advantages of me,
and that in the first place he would give me a general release from all
demands of any kind. She insisted how it might tend to a further
divulging the secret, and might in the end be injurious to him,
entreating him not to press for it; so at length he desisted.
They had some discourse upon the subject of the things he had lost, and
he seemed to be very desirous of his gold watch, and told her if she
could procure that for him, he would willingly give as much for it as
it was worth. She told him she would endeavour to procure it for him,
and leave the valuing it to himself.
Accordingly the next day she carried the watch, and he gave her thirty
guineas for it, which was more than I should have been able to make of
it, though it seems it cost much more. He spoke something of his
periwig, which it seems cost him threescore guineas, and his snuff-box,
and in a few days more she carried them too; which obliged him very
much, and he gave her thirty more. The next day I sent him his fine
sword and cane gratis, and demanded nothing of him, but I had no mind
to see him, unless it had been so that he might be satisfied I knew who
he was, which he was not willing to.
Then he entered into a long talk with her of the manner how she came to
know all this matter. She formed a long tale of that part; how she had
it from one that I had told the whole story to, and that was to help me
dispose of the goods; and this confidante brought the things to her,
she being by profession a pawnbroker; and she hearing of his worship's
disaster, guessed at the thing in general; that having gotten the
things into her hands, she had resolved to come and try as she had
done. She then gave him repeated assurances that it should never go
out of her mouth, and though she knew the woman very well, yet she had
not let her know, meaning me, anything of it; that is to say, who the
person was, which, by the way, was false; but, however, it was not to
his damage, for I never opened my mouth of it to anybody.
I had a great many thoughts in my head about my seeing him again, and
was often sorry that I had refused it. I was persuaded that if I had
seen him, and let him know that I knew him, I should have made some
advantage of him, and perhaps have had some maintenance from him; and
though it was a life wicked enough, yet it was not so full of danger as
this I was engaged in. However, those thoughts wore off, and I
declined seeing him again, for that time; but my governess saw him
often, and he was very kind to her, giving her something almost every
time he saw her. One time in particular she found him very merry, and
as she thought he had some wine in his head, and he pressed her again
very earnestly to let him see that woman that, as he said, had
bewitched him so that night, my governess, who was from the beginning
for my seeing him, told him he was so desirous of it that she could
almost yield of it, if she could prevail upon me; adding that if he
would please to come to her house in the evening, she would endeavour
it, upon his repeated assurances of forgetting what was past.