The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

Immediately he calls for his best wig, hat, and sword, and ordering his

man to go to the other place to make his excuse-- that was to say, he

made an excuse to send his man away--he prepares to go into the coach.

As he was going, he stopped a while, and speaks mighty earnestly to me

about his business, and finds an opportunity to say very softly to me,

'Come away, my dear, as soon as ever you can.' I said nothing, but

made a curtsy, as if I had done so to what he said in public. In about

a quarter of an hour I went out too; I had no dress other than before,

except that I had a hood, a mask, a fan, and a pair of gloves in my

pocket; so that there was not the least suspicion in the house. He

waited for me in the coach in a back-lane, which he knew I must pass

by, and had directed the coachman whither to go, which was to a certain

place, called Mile End, where lived a confidant of his, where we went

in, and where was all the convenience in the world to be as wicked as

we pleased.

When we were together he began to talk very gravely to me, and to tell

me he did not bring me there to betray me; that his passion for me

would not suffer him to abuse me; that he resolved to marry me as soon

as he came to his estate; that in the meantime, if I would grant his

request, he would maintain me very honourably; and made me a thousand

protestations of his sincerity and of his affection to me; and that he

would never abandon me, and as I may say, made a thousand more

preambles than he need to have done.

However, as he pressed me to speak, I told him I had no reason to

question the sincerity of his love to me after so many protestations,

but--and there I stopped, as if I left him to guess the rest. 'But

what, my dear?' says he. 'I guess what you mean: what if you should

be with child? Is not that it? Why, then,' says he, 'I'll take care

of you and provide for you, and the child too; and that you may see I

am not in jest,' says he, 'here's an earnest for you,' and with that he

pulls out a silk purse, with an hundred guineas in it, and gave it me.

'And I'll give you such another,' says he, 'every year till I marry

you.' My colour came and went, at the sight of the purse and with the fire of

his proposal together, so that I could not say a word, and he easily

perceived it; so putting the purse into my bosom, I made no more

resistance to him, but let him do just what he pleased, and as often as

he pleased; and thus I finished my own destruction at once, for from

this day, being forsaken of my virtue and my modesty, I had nothing of

value left to recommend me, either to God's blessing or man's

assistance.