darest."

I do confess that this parting shot went home to my conscience, and
troubled my mind considerably; for feeling that he was in the right of
it as regarded our relative honesty, I was constrained to think that his
prophecy might come true also to our shame and undoing. But Moll was
afflicted with no such qualms, her spirit being very combative and high,
and her conscience (such as it was) being hardened by our late
discussion to resist sharper slaps than this. Nay, maintaining that
Simon must be dishonest by the proof we had of his hypocrisy and double
dealing, she would have me enter upon my office at once by sending
letters to all her tenants, warning them to pay no rent to any one
lately in her service, but only to me; and these letters (which kept my
pen going all that afternoon) she signed with the name of Judith Godwin,
which seemed to me a very bold, dangerous piece of business; but she
would have it so, and did her signature with a strong hand and a
flourish of loops beneath like any queen.

Nor was this all; for the next morning she would have me go to that Mr.
Goodman, who had offered to buy her farm for ready money, and get what I
could from him, seeing that she must furnish herself with fresh gowns
and make other outlay for her coming marriage. So to him I go, and after
much haggling (having learnt from Simon that the land was worth more
than he offered for it), I brought him to give six thousand pounds
instead of five, and this was clearly better business on his side than
on mine at that, for that the bargain might not slip from his hands he
would have me take three thousand pounds down as a handsell, leaving the
rest to be paid when the deed of transference was drawn up.

And now as I jogged home with all this gold chinking in my pockets, I
did feel that I had thrust my head fairly into a halter, and no chance
left of drawing it out. Look at it how I might, this business wore a
most curst aspect, to be sure; nor could I regard myself as anything but
a thoroughpaced rogue.

"For," thinks I, "if old Simon's prayer be answered, what will become of
this poor Mr. Goodman? His title deeds will be wrested from him, for
they are but stolen goods he is paying for, and thus an innocent, honest
man will be utterly ruined. And for doing this villany I may count
myself lucky if my heels save my neck."

With this weight on my mind, I resolved to be very watchful and careful
of my safety, and before I fell a