I was tall and personable, but a little too smooth-faced for a man;
however, I seldom went abroad but in the night, it did well enough; but
it was a long time before I could behave in my new clothes--I mean, as
to my craft. It was impossible to be so nimble, so ready, so dexterous
at these things in a dress so contrary to nature; and I did everything
clumsily, so I had neither the success nor the easiness of escape that
I had before, and I resolved to leave it off; but that resolution was
confirmed soon after by the following accident.
As my governess disguised me like a man, so she joined me with a man, a
young fellow that was nimble enough at his business, and for about
three weeks we did very well together. Our principal trade was
watching shopkeepers' counters, and slipping off any kind of goods we
could see carelessly laid anywhere, and we made several good bargains,
as we called them, at this work. And as we kept always together, so we
grew very intimate, yet he never knew that I was not a man, nay, though
I several times went home with him to his lodgings, according as our
business directed, and four or five times lay with him all night. But
our design lay another way, and it was absolutely necessary to me to
conceal my sex from him, as appeared afterwards. The circumstances of
our living, coming in late, and having such and such business to do as
required that nobody should be trusted with the coming into our
lodgings, were such as made it impossible to me to refuse lying with
him, unless I would have owned my sex; and as it was, I effectually
concealed myself. But his ill, and my good fortune, soon put an end to
this life, which I must own I was sick of too, on several other
accounts. We had made several prizes in this new way of business, but
the last would be extraordinary. There was a shop in a certain street
which had a warehouse behind it that looked into another street, the
house making the corner of the turning.
Through the window of the warehouse we saw, lying on the counter or
showboard, which was just before it, five pieces of silks, besides
other stuffs, and though it was almost dark, yet the people, being busy
in the fore-shop with customers, had not had time to shut up those
windows, or else had forgot it.
This the young fellow was so overjoyed with, that he could not restrain
himself. It lay all within his reach he said, and he swore violently
to me that he would have it, if he broke down the house for it. I
dissuaded him a little, but saw there was no remedy; so he ran rashly
upon it, slipped out a square of the sash window dexterously enough,
and without noise, and got out four pieces of the silks, and came with
them towards me, but was immediately pursued with a terrible clutter
and noise. We were standing together indeed, but I had not taken any
of the goods out of his hand, when I said to him hastily, 'You are
undone, fly, for God's sake!' He ran like lightning, and I too, but
the pursuit was hotter after him because he had the goods, than after
me. He dropped two of the pieces, which stopped them a little, but the
crowd increased and pursued us both. They took him soon after with the
other two pieces upon him, and then the rest followed me. I ran for it
and got into my governess's house whither some quick-eyed people
followed me to warmly as to fix me there. They did not immediately
knock, at the door, by which I got time to throw off my disguise and
dress me in my own clothes; besides, when they came there, my
governess, who had her tale ready, kept her door shut, and called out
to them and told them there was no man come in there. The people
affirmed there did a man come in there, and swore they would break open
the door.