The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders
Page 31
conform to all theirgestures as they showed me the pattern, but I would not come too cheap;so that I only in the main encouraged them to expect that I would turnRoman Catholic, if I was instructed in the Catholic doctrine as theycalled it, and so the matter rested.
I stayed here about six weeks; and then my conductor led me back to acountry village, about six miles from Liverpool, where her brother (asshe called him) came to visit me in his own chariot, and in a very goodfigure, with two footmen in a good livery; and the next thing was tomake love to me. As it had happened to me, one would think I could nothave been cheated, and indeed I thought so myself, having a safe cardat home, which I resolved not to quit unless I could mend myself verymuch. However, in all appearance this brother was a match worth mylistening to, and the least his estate was valued at was #1000 a year,but the sister said it was worth #1500 a year, and lay most of it inIreland.
I that was a great fortune, and passed for such, was above being askedhow much my estate was; and my false friend taking it upon a foolishhearsay, had raised it from #500 to #5000, and by the time she cameinto the country she called it #15,000. The Irishman, for such Iunderstood him to be, was stark mad at this bait; in short, he courtedme, made me presents, and ran in debt like a madman for the expenses ofhis equipage and of his courtship. He had, to give him his due, theappearance of an extraordinary fine gentleman; he was tall,well-shaped, and had an extraordinary address; talked as naturally ofhis park and his stables, of his horses, his gamekeepers, his woods,his tenants, and his servants, as if we had been in the mansion-house,and I had seen them all about me.
He never so much as asked me about my fortune or estate, but assured methat when we came to Dublin he would jointure me in #600 a year goodland; and that we could enter into a deed of settlement or contracthere for the performance of it.
This was such language indeed as I had not been used to, and I was herebeaten out of all my measures; I had a she-devil in my bosom, everyhour telling me how great her brother lived. One time she would comefor my orders, how I would have my coaches painted, and how lined; andanother time what clothes my page should wear; in short, my eyes weredazzled. I had now lost my power of saying No, and, to cut the storyshort, I consented to be married; but to be the more private, we werecarried farther into the country, and married by a Romish clergyman,who I was assured would marry us as effectually as a Church of Englandparson.
I cannot say but I had some reflections in this affair upon thedishonourable forsaking my faithful citizen, who loved me sincerely,and who was endeavouring to quit himself of a scandalous whore by whomhe had been indeed barbarously used, and promised himself infinitehappiness in his new choice; which choice was now giving up herself toanother in a manner almost as scandalous as hers could be.
But the glittering shoe of a great estate, and of fine things, whichthe deceived creature that was now my deceiver represented every hourto my imagination, hurried me away, and gave me no time to think ofLondon, or of anything there, much less of the obligation I had to aperson of infinitely more real merit than what was now before me.
But the thing was done; I was now in the arms of my new spouse, whoappeared still the same as before; great even to magnificence, andnothing less than #1000 a year could support the ordinary equipage heappeared in.
After we had been married about a month, he began to talk of my goingto West Chester in order to embark for Ireland. However, he did nothurry me, for we stayed near three weeks longer, and then he sent toChester for a coach to meet us at the Black Rock, as they call it, overagainst Liverpool. Thither we went in a fine boat they call a pinnace,with six oars; his servants, and horses, and baggage going in theferry-boat. He made his excuse to me that he had no acquaintance inChester, but he would go before and get some handsome apartment for meat a private house. I asked him how long we should stay at Chester.He said, not at all, any longer than one night or two, but he wouldimmediately hire a coach to go to Holyhead. Then I told him he shouldby no means give himself the trouble to get private lodgings for onenight or two, for that Chester being a great place, I made no doubt butthere would be very good inns and accommodation enough; so we lodged atan inn in the West Street, not far from the Cathedral; I forget whatsign it was at.
Here my spouse, talking of my going to Ireland, asked me if I had noaffairs to settle at London before we went off. I told him No, not ofany great consequence, but what might be done as well by letter fromDublin. 'Madam,' says he, very respectfully, 'I suppose the greatestpart of your estate, which my sister tells me is most of it in money inthe Bank of England, lies secure enough, but in case it requiredtransferring, or any way altering its property, it might be necessaryto go up to London and settle those things before we went over.'
I seemed to look strange at it, and told him I knew not what he meant;that I had no effects in the Bank of England that I knew of; and Ihoped he could not say that I had ever told him I had. No, he said, Ihad not told him so, but his sister had said the greatest part of myestate lay there. 'And I only mentioned it, me dear,' said he, 'thatif there was any occasion to settle it, or order anything about it, wemight not be obliged to the hazard and trouble of another voyage backagain'; for he added, that he did not care to venture me too much uponthe sea.
I was surprised at this talk, and began to consider very seriously whatthe meaning of it must be; and it presently occurred to me that myfriend, who called him brother, had represented me in colours whichwere not my due; and I thought, since it was come to that pitch, that Iwould know the bottom of it before I went out of England, and before Ishould put myself into I knew not whose hands in a strange country.
Upon this I called his sister into my chamber the next morning, andletting her know the discourse her brother and I had been upon theevening before, I conjured her to tell me what she had said to him, andupon what foot it was that she had made this marriage. She owned thatshe had told him that I was a great fortune, and said that she was toldso at London. 'Told so!' says I warmly; 'did I ever tell you so?' No,she said, it was true I did not tell her so, but I had said severaltimes that what I had was in my own disposal. 'I did so,' returned Ivery quickly and hastily, 'but I never told you I had anything called afortune; no, not that I had #100, or the value of #100, in the world.Any how did it consist with my being a fortune,' said I, 'that I shouldcome here into the north of England with you, only upon the account ofliving cheap?' At these words, which I spoke warm and high, my husband,her brother (as she called him), came into the room, and I desired himto come and sit down, for I had something of moment to say before themboth, which it was absolutely necessary he should hear.
He looked a little disturbed at the assurance with which I seemed tospeak it, and came and sat down by me, having first shut the door; uponwhich I began, for I was very much provoked, and turning myself to him,'I am afraid,' says I, 'my dear' (for I spoke with kindness on hisside), 'that you have a very great abuse put upon you, and an injurydone you never to be repaired in your marrying me, which, however, as Ihave had no hand in it, I desire I may be fairly acquitted of it, andthat the blame may lie where it ought to lie, and nowhere else, for Iwash my hands of every part of it.'
'What injury can be done me, my dear,' says he, 'in marrying you. Ihope it is to my honour and advantage every way.' 'I will soon explainit to you,' says I, 'and I fear you will have no reason to thinkyourself well used; but I will convince you, my dear,' says I again,'that I have had no hand in it'; and there I stopped a while.
He looked now scared and wild, and began, I believe, to suspect whatfollowed; however, looking towards me, and saying only, 'Go on,' he satsilent, as if to hear what I had more to say; so I went on. 'I askedyou last night,' said I, speaking to him, 'if ever I made any boast toyou of my estate, or ever told you I had any estate in the Bank ofEngland or anywhere else, and you owned I had not, as is most true; andI desire you will tell me here, before your sister, if ever I gave youany reason from me to think so, or that ever we had any discourse aboutit';
and he owned again I had not, but said I had appeared always as awoman of fortune, and he depended on it that I was so, and hoped he wasnot deceived. 'I am not inquiring yet whether you have been deceivedor not,' said I; 'I fear you have, and I too; but I am clearing myselffrom the unjust charge of being concerned in deceiving you.
'I have been now asking your sister if ever I told her of any fortuneor estate I had, or gave her any particulars of it; and she owns Inever did. Any pray, madam,' said I, turning myself to her, 'be sojust to me, before your brother, to charge me, if you can, if ever Ipretended to you that I had an estate; and why, if I had, should I comedown into this country with you on purpose to spare that little I had,and live cheap?' She could not deny one word, but said she had beentold in London that I had a