sleep that night I had devised a dozen
schemes for making good my escape as soon as I perceived danger;
nevertheless, I could dream of nothing but prisons, scourgings, etc.,
and in every vision I perceived old Simon in his leather skull-cap
sitting on the top of Tyburn tree, with his handkercher a-hanging down
ready to strangle me.

CHAPTER XXV.

_A table of various accidents._

As your guide, showing you an exhibition of paintings, will linger over
the first room, and then pass the second in hurried review to come the
quicker to a third of greater interest, so I, having dwelt, may be, at
undue length upon some secondary passages in this history, must
economise my space by touching lightly on the events that came
immediately before Moll's marriage, and so get to those more moving
accidents which followed. Here, therefore, will I transcribe certain
notes (forming a brief chronicle) from that secret journal which, for
the clearer understanding of my position, I began to keep the day I took
possession of Simon's lodge and entered upon my new office.

_December 8._ Very busy all this forenoon setting my new house in order,
conveying, with the help of the gardener, all those domestic and
personal goods that belong to Simon into the attick; but Lord! so few
these things, and they so patched and worn, that altogether they are not
worth ten shillings of anybody's money. I find the house wondrous neat
and clean in every part, but so comfortless and prison-like, that I look
forward with little relish to living here when the time comes for me to
leave the Court. After this to examining books, papers, etc., and the
more closely I look into these, the more assured I am that never was any
servant more scrupulous, exact, and honest in his master's service than
this old steward, which puts me to the hope that I may be only half as
faithful to my trust as he, but I do fear I shall not.

Conversing privily with Don Sanchez after dinner, he gave me his opinion
that we had done a very unwise thing in turning out old Simon, showing
how by a little skill I might have persuaded Moll to leave this business
to Mr. Godwin as the proper ruler of her estate; how by such delay Mr.
Godwin's resentment would have abated and he willing to listen to good
argument in the steward's favour; how then we should have made Simon
more eager than ever to serve us in order to condone his late offence,
and how by abusing our opportunities we had ch