no excursions; but one night in the neighbourhood of my governess's house they cried fire; my governess looked out, for we were all up, and cried immediately that such a gentlewoman's house was all of a light fire a-top, and so indeed it

was.

Here she gave me a jog, "Now, child," says she, "there is a rare opportunity, the fire being so near that you may go to it before the street is blocked up with the crowd." She presently gave me my cue. "Go, child," says she, "to the house, and run in and tell the lady, or anybody you see, that you come to help them, and that you came from such a gentlewoman (that is one of her acquaintance farther up the street.") She gave me the like cue to the next house, naming another name that was also an acquaintance of the gentlewoman of the house.

Away I went, and coming to the house I found them all in confusion, you may be sure. I ran in, and finding one of the maids, "Lord, sweetheart," said I, "how came this dismal accident? Where is your mistress, and how does she do? Is she safe? and where are the children? I come from Madam

to help you."

Away runs the maid—“ Madam, madam," says she, screaming as loud as she could yell, "here is a gentlewoman come from Madam to help

us."

The poor woman half out of her wits, with a bundle under her arm and two children, comes towards me.

"Lord, madam," says I, "let me carry the poor children to Madam ; she desires you to send them; she will take care of the poor lambs;" and immediately I takes one of them out of her hand, and she lifts the other up into my arms. "Ay, do, for God's sake," says she, "carry them to her. Oh thank her for her kindness." "Have you anything else to secure, madam?" says I," she will take care of it."

"Oh dear! ay," says she, "God bless her, and thank her; take this bundle of plate and carry it to her too. Oh, she is a good woman. Oh Lord! we are utterly ruined-utterly undone" and away she runs from me out of her wits and the maid after her, and away comes I with the two children and the bundle.

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pray tell her Mrs desires the favour of her to take the two children in. Poor lady! she will be undone, their house is all of a flame."

They took the children in very civilly, pitied the family in distress, and away came I with my bundle. One of the maids asked me if I was not to leave the bundle too? I said "No, sweetheart, it is to go to another place. It does not belong to them."

I was a great way out of the hurry now, and so I went on, clear of anybody's inquiry, and brought the bundle of plate, which was very considerable, straight home, and gave it to my old governess. She told me she would not look into it, but bade me go out again to look out for more.

She gave me the like cue to the gentlewoman at the next house to that which was on fire, and I did my endeavour to go; but by this time the alarm of fire was so great, and so many engines playing, and the street so thronged with people, that I could not get near the house, whatever I could do; so I came back again to my governess's, and taking the bundle up into my chamber, I began to examine it. It is with hor. ror that I tell what a treasure I found there; it is enough to say, that besides most of the family plate, which was considerable, I found a gold chain, an old-fashioned thing, the locket of which was broken, so that I suppose it had not been used for some years, but the gold was none the worse for that; also a little box of burying rings, the lady's wedding ring, and some broken bits of old lockets of gold, a gold watch, and a purse with about twenty-four pounds value in old pieces of gold coin, and several other things of value.

This was the greatest and the worst prize that ever I was concerned in; for indeed, though, as ! have said above, I was hardened now beyond the power of all reflection in other cases, yet it really touched me to the very soul when I looked into this treasure, to think of the poor disconso late gentlewoman, who had lost so much by the fire besides, and who would think, to be sure. | that she had saved her plate and best things. How she would be surprised and afflicted when she would find that she had been deceived, and should find that the person who had taken her children and her goods had not come, as was pretended from the gentlewoman at the farther end of the street.

I was no sooner got into the street but I saw another woman come to me. "Oh!" says she, "mistress," in a piteous tone, "you will let fall I say I confess the inhumanity of this action the child. Come, come, this is a sad time, let me moved me very much, and made me relent exhelp you;" and immediately lays hold of the bun-ceedingly, and tears stood in my eyes upon that dle to carry it for me.

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"No," says I; "if you will help me, take the child by the hand, and lead it for me but to the upper end of the street; I will go with you and satisfy you for your pains."

She could not avoid going after what I said; but the creature, in short, was one of the same business with me and wanted nothing but the bundle. However, she went with me to the door, for she could not help it. When we were come there I whispered to her-" Go, child,” said I, “I understand your trade, you may meet with purchase enough."

subject. But with all my sense of its being cruel and inhuman, I could never find in my heart to make any restitution. The reflection wore off, and I began quickly to forget the circumstances that attended the taking them.

Nor was this all, for though by this job I was become considerably richer than before, yet the resolution I had formerly taken of leaving off this horrid trade, when I had gotten a little more, did not return; but I must still get farther and more; and the avarice joined so with the success, that I had no more thoughts of coming to a timely alteration of life; though without it I could exShe understood me, and walked off. I thun-pect no safety, no tranquillity in the possession of dered at the door with the children, and as the what I had so wickedly gained; but a little more people were raised before by the noise of the fire and a little more was the case still. I was soon let in, and I said, " Is madam awake?

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At length, yielding to the importunities of my

crime, I cast off all remorse and repentance; and || all the reflections on that head turned to no more than this, that I might perhaps come to have one booty more that might complete my desires; but though I certainly had that one booty, yet every hit looked towards another, and was so encouraging to me to go on with the trade, that I had no gust to the thoughts of laying it down.

In this condition, hardened by success, and resolving to go on, I fell into the snare in which I was appointed to meet with my last reward for this kind of life. But even this was not yet, for I met with several successful adventures more in this way of being undone.

I remained still with my governess, who was for a while really concerned for the misfortune of my comrade that had been hanged, and who, it seems, knew enough of my governess to have sent her the same way, and which made her very uneasy; indeed she was in a very great fright.

It is true, that when she was gone, and had not opened her mouth to tell what she knew, my governess was easy as to that point, and perhaps glad she was hanged; for it was in her power to have obtained a pardon at the expense of her friends: but, on the other hand, the loss of her, and the sense of her kindness in not making her market of what she knew, moved my governess to mourn her very sincerely. I comforted her as well as I could, and she in return hardened me to merit more completely the same fate.

However, as I have said, it made me the more weary, and particularly I was very shy of shoplifting, especially among the mercers and drapers, who are a set of fellows that have their eyes very much about them. I made a venture or two among the lace folks and the milliners, and particularly at one shop, where I got notice of two young women who were newly set up, and had not been bred to the trade. There, I think, I carried off a piece of bone-lace worth six or seven pounds, and a paper of thread; but this was but once, it was a trick that would not serve again.

It was always reckoned a safe job when we heard of a new shop, and especially when the people were such as were not bred to shops; such may depend upon it that they will be visited once or twice at their beginning, and they must be very sharp indeed if they can prevent it.

I made another adventure or two, but they were but trifles too, though sufficient to live on. After this nothing considerable offering for a good while, I began to think that I must give over the trade in earnest; but my governess, who was not willing to lose me, and expected great things of me, brought me one day into the company with a young woman and a fellow that went for her husband, though, as appeared afterwards, she was not his wife; but they were partners, it seems, in the trade they carried on, and partners in something else too. In short, they robbed together, lay together, were taken together, and at last were hanged together.

them successful; so I resolved from that time forward to be very cautious how I adventured upon anything with them; and indeed when two or three unlucky projects were proposed by them, I declined the offer, and persuaded them against it.

One time they particularly proposed robbing a watchmaker of three gold watches, which they had eyed in the daytime, and found the place where he laid them; one of them had so many keys of all kinds, that he made no question to open the place where the watchmaker had laid them, and so we made a kind of an appointment; but when I came to look narrowly into the thing, I found they proposed breaking into the house, and this, is a thing out of my way, I would not embark in; so they went without me. They did get into the house by main force, and broke up the locked place where the watches were, but found but one of the gold watches and a silver one, which they took, and got out of the house again very clear; but the family being alarmed cried out thieves, and the man was pursued and taken; the young woman had got off too, but unhappily was taken at a distance, and the watches found upon her; and thus I had a second escape, for they were convicted and both hanged, being old offenders, though but young people; as I said before, that they robbed together and lay together, so now they hanged together, and there ended my new partnership.

I began now to be weary, having so narrowly escaped a scurring, and having such an example before me ; but I had a new tempter, who prompted me every day, I mean my governess; and now. a prize presented, which, as it came by her management, so she expected a good share of the booty. There was a great quantity of Flanders lace lodged in a private house, where she had got intelligence of it; and Flanders lace being then prohibited, it was a good booty to any customhouse officer that could come at it. I had a full account from my governess, as well of the quantity, as of the very place where it was concealed; and I went to a custom-house officer, and told him I had such a discovery to make to him of such a quantity of lace, if he would assure me that I should have my due share of the reward. This was so just an offer that nothing could be fairer ; so he agreed, and taking a constable and me with him, we beset the house. As I told him I could go directly to the place, he left it to me; and the hole being very dark, I squeezed myself into it with a candle in my hand, and so reached the pieces out to him, taking care, as I gave him some, to secure as much about myself as I could conveniently dispose of. There was near three hundred pounds' worth of lace in the hole, and I secured about fifty pounds' worth of it to myself. The people of the house were not owners of the lace, but a merchant who had entrusted them with it, so that they were not so surprised as I thought they would be.

I came into a kind of league with these two, I left the officer overjoyed with his prize, and by the help of my governess, and they carried me fully satisfied with what he had got, and appointed out into three or four adventures, where I saw to meet him at a house of his own directing, them commit some coarse and unhandy robberies, where I came after I had disposed of the cargo I in which nothing but a great stock of impudence had about me, of which he had not the least suson their side, and gross negligence on the peopicion. When I came to him he began to capiple's side who were robbed, could have made tulate with me, believing I did not understand

sure to have gone to wreck. Here she set up the same trade she followed in Ireland, in which she soon, by her admirable management and a good tongue, arrived to the height which I have already described; and, indeed, began to be rich, though her trade fell off afterwards.

see carelessly laid anywhere, and we made several very good bargains, as we called them, at this work. And as we kept always together, so we grew very intimate, yet he never knew that I was not a man; nay, though I several times went home with him to his lodgings, according I mention thus much of the history of this as our business directed, and four or five times woman here, the better to account for the con- lay with him all night. But our design lay ancern she had in the wicked life I was now lead-other way, and it was absolutely necessary to ing, into all the particulars of which she led me, as it were, by the hand, and gave me such directions, and I so well followed them, that I grew the greatest artist of my time, and worked my. self out of every danger with such dexterity, that when several more of my comrades ran themselves into Newgate by a time they had been half a year at the trade, I had now practised upwards of five years, and the people at Newgate did not so much as know me; they had heard much of me indeed, and often expected to see me there; but I always got off, though many times in the extremest danger.

me to conceal my sex from him, as appeared afterwards. The circumstances of our living, coming in late, and having such and such business to do as required that nobody should be trusted with coming into our lodgings, were such as made it impossible to me to refuse lying with him, unless I would have owned my sex, and, as it was, I effectually concealed myself.

But his ill and my good fortune soon put an end to this life, which I must own I was sick of, too, on several other accounts. We had made several prizes in this new way of business, but the last would have been extraordinary. There One of the greatest dangers I was now in was was a shop in a certain street which had a warethat I was too well known among the trade, and house behind it that looked into another street, some of them whose hatred was owing rather to the house making the corner of the turning. envy than to any injury I had done them, began Through the window of the warehouse we saw to be angry that I should always escape when lying on the counter or show-board which was they were always catched and hurried to New-just before it, five pieces of silks, besides other gate. These were they that gave me the name of MOLL FLANDERS, for it had no more affinity with my real name, or with any of the names I had ever gone by, than black is of kin to white, except that once, as before, I called myself Mrs Flanders when I sheltered myself in the Mint; but that these rogues never knew, nor could I ever learn how they came to give me the name, or what the occasion of it was.

stuffs; and though it was almost dark, yet the people being busy in the fore shop with customers, had not had time to shut up those windows, or else had forgot it.

This the young fellow was so overjoyed with that he could not restrain himself. It lay all within his reach, he said, and he swore violently to me that he would have it, if he broke down the house for it. I dissuaded him a little, but saw there was no remedy, so he ran rashly upon

I was soon informed that some of these who were gotten fast into Newgate had vowed to im-it, slipped a square out of the sash window peach me; and as I knew that two or three of them were but too able to do it, I was under a great concern about it, and kept within doors for a good while; but my governess, who I always made partner in my success, and who now played a sure game with me, for that she had a share of the gain, and no share in the hazard, I say my governess was something impatient of my leading such a useless, unprofitable life, as she called it; and she laid a new contrivance for my going abroad, and this was to dress me up in men's clothes, and so put me into a new kind of prac

tice.

It was

I was tall and personable, but a little too smooth-faced for a man; however, as I seldom went abroad but in the night, it did well enough; but it was a long time before I could behave in my new clothes; I mean as to my craft. impossible to be so nimble, so ready, so dexterous at these things in a dress so contrary to nature; and as I did everything clumsily, so I had neither the success nor the easiness of escape that I had before, and I resolved to leave it off; but that resolution was confirmed soon after by the following accident.

As my governess had disguised me like a man, so she joined me with a man, a young fellow that was nimble enough at his business, and for about three weeks we did very well together. Our principal trade was watching shopkeepers' counters, and slipping off any kind of goods we could

dexterously enough, and without noise, and got out four pieces of the silks, and came with them towards me, but was immediately pursued with a terrible clatter and noise. We were standing together indeed, but I had not taken any of the goods out of his hand, when I said to him hastily, "You are undone ! fly, for God's sake!" He ran like lightning and I too, but the pursuit was hotter after him, because he had the goods, than after me He dropt two of the pieces, which stopped them a little, but the crowd in|| creased and pursued us both. They took him soon after with the other two pieces upon him, and then the rest followed me. I ran for it, and got into my governess's house, whither some quick-eyed people followed me so warmly as to fix me there. They did not immediately knock at the door, by which I got time to throw off my disguise, and dress me in my own clothes; besides, when they came there, my governess, who had her tale ready, kept the door shut, and called out to them and told them there was no man come in there; the people affirmed there did a man come in there, and swore they would break open the door.

My governess, not at all surprised, spoke calmly to them; told them they should very freely come and search her house, if they would bring a constable, and let none in but such as the constable would admit, for it was unreasonable to let in the whole crowd. This they could not refuse, though

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they were a crowd; so a constable was fetched immediately, and she very freely opened the door. The constable kept the door, and the men he appointed searched the house, my governess going with them from room to room. When she came to my room she called to me, and said aloud," Cousin, pray open the door; here are some gentlemen that must come and look into your room."

I had a little girl with me, which was my governess's grand-child, as she called her; and I bade her open the door, and there sat I at work with a great litter of things about me, as if I had been at work all day, being myself quite undressed, with only night clothes on my head, and a loose morning gown wrapt about me. My governess made a kind of excuse for their disturbing me, telling me partly the occasion of it, and that she had no remedy but to open the door to them, and let them satisfy themselves, for all she could say to them would not satisfy them. I sat still and bid them search the room if they pleased, for if there was anybody in the house, I was sure they were not in my room; and as for the rest of the house, I had nothing to say to that; I did not understand what they looked for.

Everything looked so innocent and so honest about me, that they treated me civiller than I expected; but it was not till they had searched the room to a nicety, even under the bed, in the bed, and everywhere else where it was possible anything could be hid; when they had done this, and could find nothing, they asked my pardon for troubling me, and went down.

When they had thus searched the house from bottom to top, and then from top to bottom, and could find nothing, they appeased the mob pretty well; but they carried my governess before the justice. Two men swore that they saw the man whom they pursued go into her house. My governess rattled and made a great noise that her house should be insulted, and that she should be used thus for nothing; that if a man did come in he might go out again presently for aught she knew, for she was ready to make oath that no man had been within her doors all that day as she knew of, and that was very true indeed; that it might be indeed that as she was above stairs any fellow in a fright might find the door open, and run in for shelter when he was pursued, but that she knew nothing of it; and if it had been so he certainly went out again, perhaps at the other door, for she had another door into an alley, and so had made his escape and cheated them all.

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.

as able, to prosecute him, that they offered themselves to enter into recognizances 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 this 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 ine-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, 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, and not being able to make it good, it was looked upon as a 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 whither to wander, I took a maid servant with me, and took the stage coach to Brickill to my old landlord and landlady, where I was married to my late husband the banker. Here I told them a formal story, that I expected iny husband every day from Ireland, and that I had sent a letter to him that I would meet him at Brickill at their 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 would 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 some how 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.

It is easy to judge what a fright I was in upon this occasion, and it was impossible for my This filled me with horrible apprehensions; I governess ever to bring me to dress in that dis-had no resource, no friend, no confidant but my guise again; for, as I told her, I should certainly old governess, and I knew no remedy but to put betray myself. my life in her hands, and so I did, for I let her My poor partner in this mischief was now in a know where to send to me, and had several bad case, for he was carried before my lord mayor,letters from her while I stayed here; some of and by his worship committed to Newgate, and them almost scared me out of my wits; but at last the people that took him were so willing, as well she sent me the joyful news that he was hanged,