overing his great face with
tender kisses, and whispering words of hope and good cheer (with the
tears on her cheek). And one day when Jack seemed more than usual
downhearted, she offered him to give up everything and return to her old
ways, if he would. But this spurring his courage, he declared he would
live in hell rather than she should fall from her high estate, and
become a mere vagabond wench again, adding that 'twas but the first
effort gave him so much pain, that with practice 'twould all be as
nothing; that such sweet kisses as hers once a week did amply compensate
him for his fast, etc. Then her tears being brushed away, she would quit
him with noiseless step and all precautions, and maybe five minutes
afterwards, whilst Jack was sitting pensive at his window pondering her
sweetness and love, he would hear her laughing lightly below, as if he
were already forgotten.

CHAPTER XVII.

_How Dawson for Moll's good parts company with us, and goes away a
lonely man._

On the eve of Michaelmas day old Simon returned from London, whither he
had gone two days before, to raise the money he had promised; and
calling upon him in the afternoon I found him seated at his table, with
a most woe-begone look in his face, and his eyes streaming more
copiously than usual. And with most abject humility he told me that
doing the utmost that lay in his power, he had not been able to persuade
his goldsmith to lend more than ten thousand pounds on the title deeds.
Nor had he got that, he declared, but that the goldsmith knew him for an
honest and trustworthy man whom he would credit beyond any other in the
world; for the seal not yet being given to Judith Godwin's succession,
there was always peril of dispute and lawsuits which might make these
papers of no value at all (the king's ministers vying one with another
to please their master by bringing money rightly or wrongly into the
treasury), and this, indeed, may have been true enough.

"But," says he, "all will go well if thee wilt have but a little
patience for a while. To-morrow my rents will come in, and I will exact
to the last farthing; and there is a parcel of land I may sell, mayhap,
for instant payment, though 'twill be at a fearsome loss" (mopping his
eyes), "yet I will do it rather than put thee to greater incommodity;
and so, ere the end of the week, thee mayst safely count on having yet
another three thousand, which together makes nigh upon half the sum
pr