It is peculiar to vice to tremble at the enquiries of
justice; and Mrs. Brown, whose conscience was not entirely
clear upon my account, as knowing as she was of the town,
as hackney's as she was in bluffing through all the dangers
of her vocation, could not help being alarm'd at the ques-
tion, especially when he went on to talk of a Justice of
peace, Newgate, the Old Bailey, indictments for keeping a
disorderly house, pillory, carting, and the whole process
of that nature. She, who, it is likely, imagin'd I had
lodg'd an information against her house, look'd extremely
blank, and began to make a thousand protestations and
excuses. However, to abridge, they brought away trium-
phantly my box of things, which, had she not been under an
awe, she might have disputed with them; and not only that;
but a clearance and discharge of any demands on the house,
at the expense of no more than a bowl of arrack-punch, the
treat of which, together with the choice of the house con-
veniences, was offer'd and not accepted. Charles all the
time acted the chance-companion of the lawyer, who had
brought him there, as he knew the house, and appear'd in
no wise interested in the issue; but he had the collateral
pleasure of hearing all that I had told him verified, so
far as the bawd's fears would give her leave to enter into
my history, which, if one may guess by the composition she
so readily came into, were not small.
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