The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

I went off from the shop, as if driven along by the throng, and

mingling myself with the crowd, went out at the other door of the

Exchange, and so got away before they missed their lace; and because I

would not be followed, I called a coach and shut myself up in it. I

had scarce shut the coach doors up, but I saw the milliner's maid and

five or six more come running out into the street, and crying out as if

they were frightened. They did not cry 'Stop thief!' because nobody

ran away, but I could hear the word 'robbed,' and 'lace,' two or three

times, and saw the wench wringing her hands, and run staring to and

again, like one scared. The coachman that had taken me up was getting

up into the box, but was not quite up, so that the horse had not begun

to move; so that I was terrible uneasy, and I took the packet of lace

and laid it ready to have dropped it out at the flap of the coach,

which opens before, just behind the coachman; but to my great

satisfaction, in less than a minute the coach began to move, that is to

say, as soon as the coachman had got up and spoken to his horses; so he

drove away without any interruption, and I brought off my purchase,

which was work near #20.

The next day I dressed up again, but in quite different clothes, and

walked the same way again, but nothing offered till I came into St.

James's Park, where I saw abundance of fine ladies in the Park, walking

in the Mall, and among the rest there was a little miss, a young lady

of about twelve or thirteen years old, and she had a sister, as I

suppose it was, with her, that might be about nine years old. I

observed the biggest had a fine gold watch on, and a good necklace of

pearl, and they had a footman in livery with them; but as it is not

usual for the footman to go behind the ladies in the Mall, so I

observed the footman stopped at their going into the Mall, and the

biggest of the sisters spoke to him, which I perceived was to bid him

be just there when they came back.

When I heard her dismiss the footman, I stepped up to him and asked

him, what little lady that was? and held a little chat with him about

what a pretty child it was with her, and how genteel and well-carriaged

the lady, the eldest, would be: how womanish, and how grave; and the

fool of a fellow told me presently who she was; that she was Sir Thomas

----'s eldest daughter, of Essex, and that she was a great fortune;

that her mother was not come to town yet; but she was with Sir William

----'s lady, of Suffolk, at her lodging in Suffolk Street, and a great

deal more; that they had a maid and a woman to wait on them, besides

Sir Thomas's coach, the coachman, and himself; and that young lady was

governess to the whole family, as well here as at home too; and, in

short, told me abundance of things enough for my business.