第55章
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  lap,outofwhichIeverynowandthenconveyedsomeinto

  mypocket,butinsuchamanner,andatsuchconvenienttimes,

  asIwassurehecouldnotseeit。

  Iplayedagreatwhile,andhadverygoodluckforhim;but

  thelasttimeIheldthebox,theysetmehigh,andIthrew

  boldlyatall;IheldtheboxtillIgainednearfourscoreguineas,

  butlostabovehalfofitbackinthelastthrow;soIgotup,for

  IwasafraidIshouldloseitallbackagain,andsaidtohim,

  ’Praycome,sir,now,andtakeitandplayforyourself;Ithink

  Ihavedoneprettywellforyou。’

  Hewouldhavehadmeplay

  on,butitgrewlate,andIdesiredtobeexcused。

  WhenIgave

  ituptohim,ItoldhimIhopedhewouldgivemeleavetotell

  itnow,thatImightseewhatIhadgained,andhowluckyI

  hadbeenforhim;whenItoldthem,therewerethreescore

  andthreeguineas。

  ’Ay,’saysI,’ifithadnotbeenforthat

  unluckythrow,Ihadgotyouahundredguineas。’

  SoIgave

  himallthemoney,buthewouldnottakeittillIhadputmy

  handintoit,andtakensomeformyself,andbidmeplease

  myself。

  Irefusedit,andwaspositiveIwouldnottakeit

  myself;ifhehadamindtoanythingofthatkind,itshould

  beallhisowndoings。

  Therestofthegentlemenseeingusstrivingcried,’Giveit

  herall’;butIabsolutelyrefusedthat。

  Thenoneofthemsaid,

  ’D——nye,jack,halveitwithher;don’tyouknowyoushould

  bealwaysuponeventermswiththeladies。’

  So,inshort,he

  divideditwithme,andIbroughtawaythirtyguineas,besides

  aboutforty-threewhichIhadstoleprivately,whichIwas

  sorryforafterward,becausehewassogenerous。

  ThusIbroughthomeseventy-threeguineas,andletmyold

  governessseewhatgoodluckIhadatplay。

  However,itwas

  heradvicethatIshouldnotventureagain,andItookher

  counsel,forIneverwentthereanymore;forIknewaswell

  asshe,iftheitchofplaycamein,Imightsoonlosethat,and

  alltherestofwhatIhadgot。

  Fortunehadsmileduponmetothatdegree,andIhadthriven

  somuch,andmygovernesstoo,forshealwayshadashare

  withme,thatreallytheoldgentlewomanbegantotalkof

  leavingoffwhilewewerewell,andbeingsatisfiedwithwhat

  wehadgot;but,Iknownotwhatfateguidedme,Iwasas

  backwardtoitnowasshewaswhenIproposedittoher

  before,andsoinanillhourwegaveoverthethoughtsofit

  forthepresent,and,inaword,Igrewmorehardenedand

  audaciousthanever,andthesuccessIhadmademynameas

  famousasanythiefofmysorteverhadbeenatNewgate,and

  intheOldBailey。

  Ihadsometimetakenthelibertytoplaythesamegaveover

  again,whichisnotaccordingtopractice,whichhowever

  succeedednotamiss;butgenerallyItookupnewfigures,and

  contrivedtoappearinnewshapeseverytimeIwentabroad。

  Itwasnotarumblingtimeoftheyear,andthegentlemen

  beingmostofthemgoneoutoftown,Tunbridge,andEpsom,

  andsuchplaceswerefullofpeople。

  Butthecitywasthin,

  andIthoughtourtradefeltitalittle,aswellasother;sothat

  atthelatterendoftheyearIjoinedmyselfwithagangwho

  usuallygoeveryyeartoStourbridgeFair,andfromthenceto

  BuryFair,inSuffolk。

  Wepromisedourselvesgreatthings

  there,butwhenIcametoseehowthingswere,Iwasweary

  ofitpresently;forexceptmerepickingofpockets,therewas

  littleworthmeddlingwith;neither,ifabootyhadbeenmade,

  wasitsoeasycarryingitoff,norwastheresuchavarietyof

  occasionforbusinessinourway,asinLondon;allthatImade

  ofthewholejourneywasagoldwatchatBuryFair,anda

  smallparceloflinenatCambridge,whichgavemeanoccasion

  totakeleaveoftheplace。

  Itwasonoldbite,andIthough

  mightdowithacountryshopkeeper,thoughinLondonit

  wouldnot。

  Iboughtatalinen-draper’sshop,notinthefair,butinthe

  townofCambridge,asmuchfinehollandandotherthingsas

  cametoaboutsevenpounds;whenIhaddone,Ibadethem

  besenttosuchaninn,whereIhadpurposelytakenupmy

  beingthesamemorning,asifIwastolodgetherethatnight。

  Iorderedthedrapertosendthemhometome,aboutsuchan

  hour,totheinnwhereIlay,andIwouldpayhimhismoney。

  Atthetimeappointedthedrapersendsthegoods,andIplaced

  oneofourgangatthechamberdoor,andwhentheinnkeeper’s

  maidbroughtthemessengertothedoor,whowasayoung

  fellow,anapprentice,almostaman,shetellshimhermistress

  wasasleep,butifhewouldleavethethingsandcallinabout

  anhour,Ishouldbeawake,andhemighthavethemoney。

  He

  lefttheparcelveryreadily,andgoeshisway,andinabout

  halfanhourmymaidandIwalkedoff,andthatveryevening

  Ihiredahorse,andamantoridebeforeme,andwentto

  Newmarket,andfromthencegotmypassageinacoachthat

  wasnotquitefulltoSt。Edmund’sBury,where,asItoldyou,

  Icouldmakebutlittleofmytrade,onlyatalittlecountry

  opera-housemadeashifttocarryoffagoldwatchfroma

  lady’sside,whowasnotonlyintolerablymerry,but,asI

  thought,alittlefuddled,whichmademyworkmucheasier。

  ImadeoffwiththislittlebootytoIpswich,andfromthence

  toHarwich,whereIwentintoaninn,asifIhadnewlyarrived

  fromHolland,notdoubtingbutIshouldmakesomepurchase

  amongtheforeignersthatcameonshorethere;butIfound

  themgenerallyemptyofthingsofvalue,exceptwhatwasin

  theirportmanteauxandDutchhampers,whichweregenerally

  guardedbyfootmen;however,Ifairlygotoneoftheir

  portmanteauxoneeveningoutofthechamberwherethe

  gentlemanlay,thefootmanbeingfastasleeponthebed,and

  Isupposeverydrunk。

  TheroominwhichIlodgedlaynexttotheDutchman’s,and

  havingdraggedtheheavythingwithmuchadooutofthe

  chamberintomine,Iwentoutintothestreet,toseeifIcould

  findanypossibilityofcarryingitoff。

  Iwalkedaboutagreat

  while,butcouldseenoprobabilityeitherofgettingoutthe

  thing,orofconveyingawaythegoodsthatwereinitifIhad

  openedit,thetownbeingsosmall,andIaperfectstrangerin

  it;soIwasreturningwitharesolutiontocarryitbackagain,

  andleaveitwhereIfoundit。

  JustinthatverymomentIheard

  amanmakeanoisetosomepeopletomakehaste,fortheboat

  wasgoingtoputoff,andthetidewouldbespent。

  Icalledto

  thefellow,’Whatboatisit,friend,’saysI,’thatyoubelongto?’

  ’TheIpswichwherry,madam,’sayshe。

  ’Whendoyougooff?’

  saysI。

  ’Thismoment,madam,’sayshe;’doyouwanttogo

  thither?’

  ’Yes,’saidI,’ifyoucanstaytillIfetchmythings。’

  ’Whereareyour

  things,madam?’sayshe。

  ’Atsuchaninn,’

  saidI。

  ’Well,I’llgowithyou,madam,’sayshe,verycivilly,

  ’andbringthemforyou。’’Comeaway,then,’saysI,andtakes

  himwithme。

  Thepeopleoftheinnwereinagreathurry,thepacket-boat

  fromHollandbeingjustcomein,andtwocoachesjustcome

  alsowithpassengersfromLondon,foranotherpacket-boat

  thatwasgoingoffforHolland,whichcoachesweretogoback

  nextdaywiththepassengersthatwerejustlanded。

  Inthis

  hurryitwasnotmuchmindedthatIcametothebarandpaid

  myreckoning,tellingmylandladyIhadgottenmypassageby

  seainawherry。

  Thesewherriesarelargevessels,withgoodaccommodation

  forcarryingpassengersfromHarwichtoLondon;andthough

  theyarecalledwherries,whichisawordusedintheThames

  forasmallboatrowedwithoneortwomen,yettheseare

  vesselsabletocarrytwentypassengers,andtenorfifteentons

  ofgoods,andfittedtobearthesea。

  AllthisIhadfoundout

  byinquiringthenightbeforeintotheseveralwaysofgoing

  toLondon。

  Mylandladywasverycourteous,tookmymoneyformy

  reckoning,butwascalledaway,allthehousebeinginahurry。

  SoIlefther,tookthefellowuptomychamber,gavehimthe

  trunk,orportmanteau,foritwaslikeatrunk,andwrappedit

  aboutwithanoldapron,andhewentdirectlytohisboatwith

  it,andIafterhim,nobodyaskingustheleastquestionabout

  it;asforthedrunkenDutchfootmanhewasstillasleep,and

  hismasterwithotherforeigngentlemenatsupper,andvery

  merrybelow,soIwentcleanoffwithittoIpswich;andgoing

  inthenight,thepeopleofthehouseknewnothingbutthatI

  wasgonetoLondonbytheHarwichwherry,asIhadtoldmy

  landlady。

  IwasplaguedatIpswichwiththecustom-houseofficers,who

  stoppedmytrunk,asIcalledit,andwouldopenandsearchit。

  Iwaswilling,Itoldthem,theyshouldsearchit,buthusband

  hadthekey,andhewasnotyetcomefromHarwich;thisI

  said,thatifuponsearchingittheyshouldfindallthethings

  besuchasproperlybelongedtoamanratherthanawoman,

  itshouldnotseemstrangetothem。

  However,theybeing

  positivetoopenthetrunkIconsentedtohaveitbebroken

  open,thatistosay,tohavethelocktakenoff,whichwasnot

  difficult。

  Theyfoundnothingfortheirturn,forthetrunkhadbeen

  searchedbefore,buttheydiscoveredseveralthingsverymuch

  tomysatisfaction,asparticularlyaparcelofmoneyinFrench

  pistols,andsomeDutchducatoonsorrix-dollars,andtherest

  waschieflytwoperiwigs,wearing-linen,andrazors,wash-balls,

  perfumes,andotherusefulthingsnecessaryforagentleman,

  whichallpassedformyhusband’s,andsoIwasquittothem。

  Itwasnowveryearlyinthemorning,andnotlight,andI

  knewnotwellwhatcoursetotake;forImadenodoubtbutI

  shouldbepursuedinthemorning,andperhapsbetakenwith

  thethingsaboutme;soIresolvedupontakingnewmeasures。

  Iwentpubliclytoaninninthetownwithmytrunk,asIcalled

  it,andhavingtakenthesubstanceout,Ididnotthinkthe

  lumberofitworthmyconcern;however,Igaveitthelandlady

  ofthehousewithachargetotakegreatcareofit,andlayit

  upsafetillIshouldcomeagain,andawayIwalkedintothe

  street。

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