I kept close a great while upon the occasion of this woman's disaster.
I knew that if I should do anything that should miscarry, and should be
carried to prison, she would be there and ready to witness against me,
and perhaps save her life at my expense. I considered that I began to
be very well known by name at the Old Bailey, though they did not know
my face, and that if I should fall into their hands, I should be
treated as an old offender; and for this reason I was resolved to see
what this poor creature's fate should be before I stirred abroad,
though several times in her distress I conveyed money to her for her
relief.
At length she came to her trial. She pleaded she did not steal the
thing, but that one Mrs. Flanders, as she heard her called (for she did
not know her), gave the bundle to her after they came out of the shop,
and bade her carry it home to her lodging. They asked her where this
Mrs. Flanders was, but she could not produce her, neither could she
give the least account of me; and the mercer's men swearing positively
that she was in the shop when the goods were stolen, that they
immediately missed them, and pursued her, and found them upon her,
thereupon the jury brought her in guilty; but the Court, considering
that she was really not the person that stole the goods, an inferior
assistant, and that it was very possible she could not find out this
Mrs. Flanders, meaning me, though it would save her life, which indeed
was true--I say, considering all this, they allowed her to be
transported, which was the utmost favour she could obtain, only that
the Court told her that if she could in the meantime produce the said
Mrs. Flanders, they would intercede for her pardon; that is to say, if
she could find me out, and hand me, she should not be transported.
This I took care to make impossible to her, and so she was shipped off
in pursuance of her sentence a little while after.
I must repeat it again, that the fate of this poor woman troubled me
exceedingly, and I began to be very pensive, knowing that I was really
the instrument of her disaster; but the preservation of my own life,
which was so evidently in danger, took off all my tenderness; and
seeing that she was not put to death, I was very easy at her
transportation, because she was then out of the way of doing me any
mischief, whatever should happen.