real thief, and took the very goods they had lost upon her, and all
the particulars as before.

Then the constable related his case: his dialogue with the mercer
about discharging me, and at last his servant's refusing to go with
him, when he had charged him with him, and his master encouraging him
to do so, and at last his striking the constable, and the like, all as
I have told it already.

The justice then heard the mercer and his man. The mercer indeed made
a long harangue of the great loss they have daily by lifters and
thieves; that it was easy for them to mistake, and that when he found
it he would have dismissed me, etc., as above. As to the journeyman,
he had very little to say, but that he pretended other of the servants
told him that I was really the person.

Upon the whole, the justice first of all told me very courteously I was
discharged; that he was very sorry that the mercer's man should in his
eager pursuit have so little discretion as to take up an innocent
person for a guilty person; that if he had not been so unjust as to
detain me afterward, he believed I would have forgiven the first
affront; that, however, it was not in his power to award me any
reparation for anything, other than by openly reproving them, which he
should do; but he supposed I would apply to such methods as the law
directed; in the meantime he would bind him over.

But as to the breach of the peace committed by the journeyman, he told
me he should give me some satisfaction for that, for he should commit
him to Newgate for assaulting the constable, and for assaulting me also.

Accordingly he sent the fellow to Newgate for that assault, and his
master gave bail, and so we came away; but I had the satisfaction of
seeing the mob wait upon them both, as they came out, hallooing and
throwing stones and dirt at the coaches they rode in; and so I came
home to my governess.

After this hustle, coming home and telling my governess the story, she
falls a-laughing at me. 'Why are you merry?' says I; 'the story has
not so much laughing room in it as you imagine; I am sure I have had a
great deal of hurry and fright too, with a pack of ugly rogues.'
'Laugh!' says my governess; 'I laugh, child, to see what a lucky
creature you are; why, this job will be the best bargain to you that
ever you made in your life, if you manage it well. I warrant you,'
says she, 'you shall make the mercer pay you #500 for damages, besides
what you shall g