The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

This was very perplexing, and I knew not what course to take. I told

my governess the story of the boatswain, and she was mighty eager with

me treat with him; but I had no mind to it, till I heard whether my

husband, or fellow-prisoner, so she called him, could be at liberty to

go with me or no. At last I was forced to let her into the whole

matter, except only that of his being my husband. I told her I had

made a positive bargain or agreement with him to go, if he could get

the liberty of going in the same ship, and that I found he had money.

Then I read a long lecture to her of what I proposed to do when we came

there, how we could plant, settle, and, in short, grow rich without any

more adventures; and, as a great secret, I told her that we were to

marry as soon as he came on board.

She soon agreed cheerfully to my going when she heard this, and she

made it her business from that time to get him out of the prison in

time, so that he might go in the same ship with me, which at last was

brought to pass, though with great difficulty, and not without all the

forms of a transported prisoner-convict, which he really was not yet,

for he had not been tried, and which was a great mortification to him.

As our fate was now determined, and we were both on board, actually

bound to Virginia, in the despicable quality of transported convicts

destined to be sold for slaves, I for five years, and he under bonds

and security not to return to England any more, as long as he lived, he

was very much dejected and cast down; the mortification of being

brought on board, as he was, like a prisoner, piqued him very much,

since it was first told him he should transport himself, and so that he

might go as a gentleman at liberty. It is true he was not ordered to

be sold when he came there, as we were, and for that reason he was

obliged to pay for his passage to the captain, which we were not; as to

the rest, he was as much at a loss as a child what to do with himself,

or with what he had, but by directions.

Our first business was to compare our stock. He was very honest to me,

and told me his stock was pretty good when he came into the prison, but

the living there as he did in a figure like a gentleman, and, which was

ten times as much, the making of friends, and soliciting his case, had

been very expensive; and, in a word, all his stock that he had left was

#108, which he had about him all in gold.