The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

It was not long, you may be sure, before we had a second conference

upon the same subject; when, as if she had been willing to forget the

story she had told me of herself, or to suppose that I had forgot some

of the particulars, she began to tell them with alterations and

omissions; but I refreshed her memory and set her to rights in many

things which I supposed she had forgot, and then came in so opportunely

with the whole history, that it was impossible for her to go from it;

and then she fell into her rhapsodies again, and exclamations at the

severity of her misfortunes. When these things were a little over with

her, we fell into a close debate about what should be first done before

we gave an account of the matter to my husband. But to what purpose

could be all our consultations? We could neither of us see our way

through it, nor see how it could be safe to open such a scene to him.

It was impossible to make any judgment, or give any guess at what

temper he would receive it in, or what measures he would take upon it;

and if he should have so little government of himself as to make it

public, we easily foresaw that it would be the ruin of the whole

family, and expose my mother and me to the last degree; and if at last

he should take the advantage the law would give him, he might put me

away with disdain and leave me to sue for the little portion that I

had, and perhaps waste it all in the suit, and then be a beggar; the

children would be ruined too, having no legal claim to any of his

effects; and thus I should see him, perhaps, in the arms of another

wife in a few months, and be myself the most miserable creature alive.

My mother was as sensible of this as I; and, upon the whole, we knew

not what to do. After some time we came to more sober resolutions, but

then it was with this misfortune too, that my mother's opinion and mine

were quite different from one another, and indeed inconsistent with one

another; for my mother's opinion was, that I should bury the whole

thing entirely, and continue to live with him as my husband till some

other event should make the discovery of it more convenient; and that

in the meantime she would endeavour to reconcile us together again, and

restore our mutual comfort and family peace; that we might lie as we

used to do together, and so let the whole matter remain a secret as

close as death. 'For, child,' says she, 'we are both undone if it

comes out.' To encourage me to this, she promised to make me easy in my

circumstances, as far as she was able, and to leave me what she could

at her death, secured for me separately from my husband; so that if it

should come out afterwards, I should not be left destitute, but be able

to stand on my own feet and procure justice from him.