The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

I am drawing now towards a new variety of the scenes of life. Upon my

return, being hardened by along race of crime, and success

unparalleled, at least in the reach of my own knowledge, I had, as I

have said, no thoughts of laying down a trade which, if I was to judge

by the example of other, must, however, end at last in misery and

sorrow.

It was on the Christmas day following, in the evening, that, to finish

a long train of wickedness, I went abroad to see what might offer in my

way; when going by a working silversmith's in Foster Lane, I saw a

tempting bait indeed, and not be resisted by one of my occupation, for

the shop had nobody in it, as I could see, and a great deal of loose

plate lay in the window, and at the seat of the man, who usually, as I

suppose, worked at one side of the shop.

I went boldly in, and was just going to lay my hand upon a piece of

plate, and might have done it, and carried it clear off, for any care

that the men who belonged to the shop had taken of it; but an officious

fellow in a house, not a shop, on the other side of the way, seeing me

go in, and observing that there was nobody in the shop, comes running

over the street, and into the shop, and without asking me what I was,

or who, seizes upon me, an cries out for the people of the house.

I had not, as I said above, touched anything in the shop, and seeing a

glimpse of somebody running over to the shop, I had so much presence of

mind as to knock very hard with my foot on the floor of the house, and

was just calling out too, when the fellow laid hands on me.

However, as I had always most courage when I was in most danger, so

when the fellow laid hands on me, I stood very high upon it, that I

came in to buy half a dozen of silver spoons; and to my good fortune,

it was a silversmith's that sold plate, as well as worked plate for

other shops. The fellow laughed at that part, and put such a value

upon the service that he had done his neighbour, that he would have it

be that I came not to buy, but to steal; and raising a great crowd. I

said to the master of the shop, who by this time was fetched home from

some neighbouring place, that it was in vain to make noise, and enter

into talk there of the case; the fellow had insisted that I came to

steal, and he must prove it, and I desired we might go before a

magistrate without any more words; for I began to see I should be too

hard for the man that had seized me.