, and the farther I was out of danger, the
faster I went, till, tired and out of breath, I was forced to sit down
on a little bench at a door, and then I began to recover, and found I
was got into Thames Street, near Billingsgate. I rested me a little
and went on; my blood was all in a fire; my heart beat as if I was in a
sudden fright. In short, I was under such a surprise that I still knew
not wither I was going, or what to do.

After I had tired myself thus with walking a long way about, and so
eagerly, I began to consider and make home to my lodging, where I came
about nine o'clock at night.

When the bundle was made up for, or on what occasion laid where I found
it, I knew not, but when I came to open it I found there was a suit of
childbed-linen in it, very good and almost new, the lace very fine;
there was a silver porringer of a pint, a small silver mug and six
spoons, with some other linen, a good smock, and three silk
handkerchiefs, and in the mug, wrapped up in a paper, 18s. 6d. in money.

All the while I was opening these things I was under such dreadful
impressions of fear, and I such terror of mind, though I was perfectly
safe, that I cannot express the manner of it. I sat me down, and cried
most vehemently. 'Lord,' said I, 'what am I now? a thief! Why, I
shall be taken next time, and be carried to Newgate and be tried for my
life!' And with that I cried again a long time, and I am sure, as poor
as I was, if I had durst for fear, I would certainly have carried the
things back again; but that went off after a while. Well, I went to
bed for that night, but slept little; the horror of the fact was upon
my mind, and I knew not what I said or did all night, and all the next
day. Then I was impatient to hear some news of the loss; and would
fain know how it was, whether they were a poor body's goods, or a rich.
'Perhaps,' said I, 'it may be some poor widow like me, that had packed
up these goods to go and sell them for a little bread for herself and a
poor child, and are now starving and breaking their hearts for want of
that little they would have fetched.' And this thought tormented me
worse than all the rest, for three or four days' time.

But my own distresses silenced all these reflections, and the prospect
of my own starving, which grew every day more frightful to me, hardened
my heart by degrees. It was then particularly heavy upon my mind, that
I had been reformed, and had, as I hoped, repen