The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

As for myself, as this is to be my own story, not my husband's, I

return to that part which related to myself. We went on with our

plantation, and managed it with the help and diversion of such friends

as we got there by our obliging behaviour, and especially the honest

Quaker, who proved a faithful, generous, and steady friend to us; and

we had very good success, for having a flourishing stock to begin with,

as I have said, and this being now increased by the addition of #150

sterling in money, we enlarged our number of servants, built us a very

good house, and cured every year a great deal of land. The second year

I wrote to my old governess, giving her part with us of the joy of our

success, and order her how to lay out the money I had left with her,

which was #250 as above, and to send it to us in goods, which she

performed with her usual kindness and fidelity, and this arrived safe

to us.

Here we had a supply of all sorts of clothes, as well for my husband as

for myself; and I took especial care to buy for him all those things

that I knew he delighted to have; as two good long wigs, two

silver-hilted swords, three or four fine fowling-pieces, a find saddle

with holsters and pistols very handsome, with a scarlet cloak; and, in

a word, everything I could think of to oblige him, and to make him

appear, as he really was, a very fine gentleman. I ordered a good

quantity of such household stuff as we yet wanted, with linen of all

sorts for us both. As for myself, I wanted very little of clothes or

linen, being very well furnished before. The rest of my cargo

consisted in iron-work of all sorts, harness for horses, tools, clothes

for servants, and woollen cloth, stuffs, serges, stockings, shoes,

hats, and the like, such as servants wear; and whole pieces also to

make up for servants, all by direction of the Quaker; and all this

cargo arrived safe, and in good condition, with three woman-servants,

lusty wenches, which my old governess had picked for me, suitable

enough to the place, and to the work we had for them to do; one of

which happened to come double, having been got with child by one of the

seamen in the ship, as she owned afterwards, before the ship got so far

as Gravesend; so she brought us a stout boy, about seven months after

her landing.

My husband, you may suppose, was a little surprised at the arriving of

all this cargo from England; and talking with me after he saw the

account of this particular, 'My dear,' says he, 'what is the meaning of

all this? I fear you will run us too deep in debt: when shall we be

able to make return for it all?' I smiled, and told him that is was all

paid for; and then I told him, that what our circumstances might expose

us to, I had not taken my whole stock with me, that I had reserved so

much in my friend's hands, which now we were come over safe, and was

settled in a way to live, I had sent for, as he might see.