The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

He replied generously, he did not ask what my fortune was; he had told

me from the beginning he would not, and he would be as good as his

word; but whatever it was, he assured me he would never desire me to go

to Virginia with him, or go thither himself without me, unless I was

perfectly willing, and made it my choice.

All this, you may be sure, was as I wished, and indeed nothing could

have happened more perfectly agreeable. I carried it on as far as this

with a sort of indifferency that he often wondered at, more than at

first, but which was the only support of his courtship; and I mention

it the rather to intimate again to the ladies that nothing but want of

courage for such an indifferency makes our sex so cheap, and prepares

them to be ill-used as they are; would they venture the loss of a

pretending fop now and then, who carries it high upon the point of his

own merit, they would certainly be less slighted, and courted more.

Had I discovered really and truly what my great fortune was, and that

in all I had not full #500 when he expected #1500, yet I had hooked him

so fast, and played him so long, that I was satisfied he would have had

me in my worst circumstances; and indeed it was less a surprise to him

when he learned the truth than it would have been, because having not

the least blame to lay on me, who had carried it with an air of

indifference to the last, he would not say one word, except that indeed

he thought it had been more, but that if it had been less he did not

repent his bargain; only that he should not be able to maintain me so

well as he intended.

In short, we were married, and very happily married on my side, I

assure you, as to the man; for he was the best-humoured man that every

woman had, but his circumstances were not so good as I imagined, as, on

the other hand, he had not bettered himself by marrying so much as he

expected.

When we were married, I was shrewdly put to it to bring him that little

stock I had, and to let him see it was no more; but there was a

necessity for it, so I took my opportunity one day when we were alone,

to enter into a short dialogue with him about it. 'My dear,' said I,

'we have been married a fortnight; is it not time to let you know

whether you have got a wife with something or with nothing?' 'Your own

time for that, my dear,' says he; 'I am satisfied that I have got the

wife I love; I have not troubled you much,' says he, 'with my inquiry

after it.' 'That's true,' says I, 'but I have a great difficulty upon me about it,

which I scarce know how to manage.' 'What's that, m' dear?' says he.