Bab Bab 44 · 第44章

This was indeed probable enough, and the justice satisfied himself with

giving her an oath that she had not received or admitted any man into

her house to conceal him, or protect or hide him from justice. This

oath she might justly take, and did so, and so she was dismissed.

It is easy to judge what a fright I was in upon this occasion, and it

was impossible for my governess ever to bring me to dress in that

disguise again; for, as I told her, I should certainly betray myself.

My poor partner in this mischief was now in a bad case, for he was

carried away before my Lord Mayor, and by his worship committed to

Newgate, and the people that took him were so willing, as well as able,

to prosecute him, that they offered themselves to enter into

recognisances to appear at the sessions and pursue the charge against

him.

However, he got his indictment deferred, upon promise to discover his

accomplices, and particularly the man that was concerned with him in

his robbery; and he failed not to do his endeavour, for he gave in my

name, whom he called Gabriel Spencer, which was the name I went by to

him; and here appeared the wisdom of my concealing my name and sex from

him, which, if he had ever known I had been undone.

He did all he could to discover this Gabriel Spencer; he described me,

he discovered the place where he said I lodged, and, in a word, all the

particulars that he could of my dwelling; but having concealed the main

circumstances of my sex from him, I had a vast advantage, and he never

could hear of me. He brought two or three families into trouble by his

endeavouring to find me out, but they knew nothing of me, any more than

that I had a fellow with me that they had seen, but knew nothing of.

And as for my governess, though she was the means of his coming to me,

yet it was done at second-hand, and he knew nothing of her.

This turned to his disadvantage; for having promised discoveries, but

not being able to make it good, it was looked upon as trifling with the

justice of the city, and he was the more fiercely pursued by the

shopkeepers who took him.

I was, however, terribly uneasy all this while, and that I might be

quite out of the way, I went away from my governess’s for a while; but

not knowing wither to wander, I took a maid-servant with me, and took

the stage-coach to Dunstable, to my old landlord and landlady, where I

had lived so handsomely with my Lancashire husband. Here I told her a

formal story, that I expected my husband every day from Ireland, and

that I had sent a letter to him that I would meet him at Dunstable at

her house, and that he would certainly land, if the wind was fair, in a

few days, so that I was come to spend a few days with them till he

should come, for he was either come post, or in the West Chester coach,

I knew not which; but whichsoever it was, he would be sure to come to

that house to meet me.

My landlady was mighty glad to see me, and my landlord made such a stir

with me, that if I had been a princess I could not have been better

used, and here I might have been welcome a month or two if I had

thought fit.

But my business was of another nature. I was very uneasy (though so

well disguised that it was scarce possible to detect me) lest this

fellow should somehow or other find me out; and though he could not

charge me with this robbery, having persuaded him not to venture, and

having also done nothing in it myself but run away, yet he might have

charged me with other things, and have bought his own life at the

expense of mine.

This filled me with horrible apprehensions. I had no recourse, no

friend, no confidante but my old governess, and I knew no remedy but to

put my life in her hands, and so I did, for I let her know where to

send to me, and had several letters from her while I stayed here. Some

of them almost scared me out my wits but at last she sent me the joyful

news that he was hanged, which was the best news to me that I had heard

a great while.

I had stayed here five weeks, and lived very comfortably indeed (the

secret anxiety of my mind excepted); but when I received this letter I

looked pleasantly again, and told my landlady that I had received a

letter from my spouse in Ireland, that I had the good news of his being

very well, but had the bad news that his business would not permit him

to come away so soon as he expected, and so I was like to go back again

without him.

My landlady complimented me upon the good news however, that I had

heard he was well. “For I have observed, madam,” says she, “you hadn’t

been so pleasant as you used to be; you have been over head and ears in

care for him, I dare say,” says the good woman; “’tis easy to be seen

there’s an alteration in you for the better,” says she. “Well, I am

sorry the esquire can’t come yet,” says my landlord; “I should have

been heartily glad to have seen him. But I hope, when you have certain

news of his coming, you’ll take a step hither again, madam,” says he;

“you shall be very welcome whenever you please to come.”

With all these fine compliments we parted, and I came merry enough to

London, and found my governess as well pleased as I was. And now she

told me she would never recommend any partner to me again, for she

always found, she said, that I had the best luck when I ventured by

myself. And so indeed I had, for I was seldom in any danger when I was

by myself, or if I was, I got out of it with more dexterity than when I

was entangled with the dull measures of other people, who had perhaps

less forecast, and were more rash and impatient than I; for though I

had as much courage to venture as any of them, yet I used more caution

before I undertook a thing, and had more presence of mind when I was to

bring myself off.

I have often wondered even at my own hardiness another way, that when

all my companions were surprised and fell so suddenly into the hand of

justice, and that I so narrowly escaped, yet I could not all this while

enter into one serious resolution to leave off this trade, and

especially considering that I was now very far from being poor; that

the temptation of necessity, which is generally the introduction of all

such wickedness, was now removed; for I had near £500 by me in ready

money, on which I might have lived very well, if I had thought fit to

have retired; but I say, I had not so much as the least inclination to

leave off; no, not so much as I had before when I had but £200

beforehand, and when I had no such frightful examples before my eyes as

these were. From hence ’tis evident to me, that when once we are

hardened in crime, no fear can affect us, no example give us any

warning.

I had indeed one comrade whose fate went very near me for a good while,

though I wore it off too in time. That case was indeed very unhappy. I

had made a prize of a piece of very good damask in a mercer’s shop, and

went clear off myself, but had conveyed the piece to this companion of

mine when we went out of the shop, and she went one way and I went

another. We had not been long out of the shop but the mercer missed his

piece of stuff, and sent his messengers, one one way and one another,

and they presently seized her that had the piece, with the damask upon

her. As for me, I had very luckily stepped into a house where there was

a lace chamber, up one pair of stairs, and had the satisfaction, or the

terror indeed, of looking out of the window upon the noise they made,

and seeing the poor creature dragged away in triumph to the justice,

who immediately committed her to Newgate.

I was careful to attempt nothing in the lace chamber, but tumbled their

goods pretty much to spend time; then bought a few yards of edging and

paid for it, and came away very sad-hearted indeed for the poor woman,

who was in tribulation for what I only had stolen.

Here again my old caution stood me in good stead; namely, that though I

often robbed with these people, yet I never let them know who I was, or

where I lodged, nor could they ever find out my lodging, though they

often endeavoured to watch me to it. They all knew me by the name of

Moll Flanders, though even some of them rather believed I was she than

knew me to be so. My name was public among them indeed, but how to find

me out they knew not, nor so much as how to guess at my quarters,

whether they were at the east end of the town or the west; and this

wariness was my safety upon all these occasions.

I kept close a great while upon the occasion of this woman’s disaster.

I knew that if I should do anything that should miscarry, and should be

carried to prison, she would be there and ready to witness against me,

and perhaps save her life at my expense. I considered that I began to

be very well known by name at the Old Bailey, though they did not know

my face, and that if I should fall into their hands, I should be

treated as an old offender; and for this reason I was resolved to see

what this poor creature’s fate should be before I stirred abroad,

though several times in her distress I conveyed money to her for her

relief.

At length she came to her trial. She pleaded she did not steal the

thing, but that one Mrs. Flanders, as she heard her called (for she did

not know her), gave the bundle to her after they came out of the shop,

and bade her carry it home to her lodging. They asked her where this

Mrs. Flanders was, but she could not produce her, neither could she

give the least account of me; and the mercer’s men swearing positively

that she was in the shop when the goods were stolen, that they

immediately missed them, and pursued her, and found them upon her,

thereupon the jury brought her in guilty; but the Court, considering

that she was really not the person that stole the goods, an inferior

assistant, and that it was very possible she could not find out this

Mrs. Flanders, meaning me, though it would save her life, which indeed

was true—I say, considering all this, they allowed her to be

transported, which was the utmost favour she could obtain, only that

the Court told her that if she could in the meantime produce the said

Mrs. Flanders, they would intercede for her pardon; that is to say, if

she could find me out, and hand me, she should not be transported. This

I took care to make impossible to her, and so she was shipped off in

pursuance of her sentence a little while after.