The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

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.