The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

I cast about innumerable ways in my thoughts how this might be done. I

would gladly have sent my husband away to Caroline with all our goods,

and have come after myself, but this was impracticable; he would never

stir without me, being himself perfectly unacquainted with the country,

and with the methods of settling there or anywhere else. Then I

thought we would both go first with part of our goods, and that when we

were settled I should come back to Virginia and fetch the remainder;

but even then I knew he would never part with me, and be left there to

go on alone. The case was plain; he was bred a gentleman, and by

consequence was not only unacquainted, but indolent, and when we did

settle, would much rather go out into the woods with his gun, which

they call there hunting, and which is the ordinary work of the Indians,

and which they do as servants; I say, he would rather do that than

attend the natural business of his plantation.

These were therefore difficulties insurmountable, and such as I knew

not what to do in. I had such strong impressions on my mind about

discovering myself to my brother, formerly my husband, that I could not

withstand them; and the rather, because it ran constantly in my

thoughts, that if I did not do it while he lived, I might in vain

endeavour to convince my son afterward that I was really the same

person, and that I was his mother, and so might both lose the

assistance and comfort of the relation, and the benefit of whatever it

was my mother had left me; and yet, on the other hand, I could never

think it proper to discover myself to them in the circumstances I was

in, as well relating to the having a husband with me as to my being

brought over by a legal transportation as a criminal; on both which

accounts it was absolutely necessary to me to remove from the place

where I was, and come again to him, as from another place and in

another figure.

Upon those considerations, I went on with telling my husband the

absolute necessity there was of our not settling in Potomac River, at

least that we should be presently made public there; whereas if we went

to any other place in the world, we should come in with as much

reputation as any family that came to plant; that, as it was always

agreeable to the inhabitants to have families come among them to plant,

who brought substance with them, either to purchase plantations or

begin new ones, so we should be sure of a kind, agreeable reception,

and that without any possibility of a discovery of our circumstances.