The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

I communicated my thoughts to my intimate friend, the captain's lady,

whom I had so faithfully served in her case with the captain, and who

was as ready to serve me in the same kind as I could desire. I made no

scruple to lay my circumstances open to her; my stock was but low, for

I had made but about #540 at the close of my last affair, and I had

wasted some of that; however, I had about #460 left, a great many very

rich clothes, a gold watch, and some jewels, though of no extraordinary

value, and about #30 or #40 left in linen not disposed of.

My dear and faithful friend, the captain's wife, was so sensible of the

service I had done her in the affair above, that she was not only a

steady friend to me, but, knowing my circumstances, she frequently made

me presents as money came into her hands, such as fully amounted to a

maintenance, so that I spent none of my own; and at last she made this

unhappy proposal to me, viz. that as we had observed, as above, how the

men made no scruple to set themselves out as persons meriting a woman

of fortune, when they had really no fortune of their own, it was but

just to deal with them in their own way and, if it was possible, to

deceive the deceiver.

The captain's lady, in short, put this project into my head, and told

me if I would be ruled by her I should certainly get a husband of

fortune, without leaving him any room to reproach me with want of my

own. I told her, as I had reason to do, that I would give up myself

wholly to her directions, and that I would have neither tongue to speak

nor feet to step in that affair but as she should direct me, depending

that she would extricate me out of every difficulty she brought me

into, which she said she would answer for.

The first step she put me upon was to call her cousin, and to to a

relation's house of hers in the country, where she directed me, and

where she brought her husband to visit me; and calling me cousin, she

worked matters so about, that her husband and she together invited me

most passionately to come to town and be with them, for they now live

in a quite different place from where they were before. In the next

place, she tells her husband that I had at least #1500 fortune, and

that after some of my relations I was like to have a great deal more.