The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders

But things were not come to their height with him, and I observed he

became pensive and melancholy; and in a word, as I thought, a little

distempered in his head. I endeavoured to talk him into temper, and to

reason him into a kind of scheme for our government in the affair, and

sometimes he would be well, and talk with some courage about it; but

the weight of it lay too heavy upon his thoughts, and, in short, it

went so far that he made attempts upon himself, and in one of them had

actually strangled himself and had not his mother come into the room in

the very moment, he had died; but with the help of a Negro servant she

cut him down and recovered him.

Things were now come to a lamentable height in the family. My pity for

him now began to revive that affection which at first I really had for

him, and I endeavoured sincerely, by all the kind carriage I could, to

make up the breach; but, in short, it had gotten too great a head, it

preyed upon his spirits, and it threw him into a long, lingering

consumption, though it happened not to be mortal. In this distress I

did not know what to do, as his life was apparently declining, and I

might perhaps have married again there, very much to my advantage; it

had been certainly my business to have stayed in the country, but my

mind was restless too, and uneasy; I hankered after coming to England,

and nothing would satisfy me without it.

In short, by an unwearied importunity, my husband, who was apparently

decaying, as I observed, was at last prevailed with; and so my own fate

pushing me on, the way was made clear for me, and my mother concurring,

I obtained a very good cargo for my coming to England.

When I parted with my brother (for such I am now to call him), we

agreed that after I arrived he should pretend to have an account that I

was dead in England, and so might marry again when he would. He

promised, and engaged to me to correspond with me as a sister, and to

assist and support me as long as I lived; and that if he died before

me, he would leave sufficient to his mother to take care of me still,

in the name of a sister, and he was in some respects careful of me,

when he heard of me; but it was so oddly managed that I felt the

disappointments very sensibly afterwards, as you shall hear in its time.