I was no sooner got into the street but I saw another woman come to me.  ‘Oh!’ says she, ‘mistress,’ in a piteous tone, ’you will let fall the child.  Come, this is a sad time; let me help you’; and immediately lays hold of my bundle to carry it for me.  ‘No,’ says I; ’if you will help me, take the child by the hand, and lead it for me but to the upper end of the street; I’ll go with you and satisfy you for your pains.’

She could not aviod going, after what I said; but the creature, in short, was one of the same business with me, and wanted nothing but the bundle; however, she went with me to the door, for she could not help it.  When we were come there I whispered her, ‘Go, child,’ said I, ’I understand your trade; you may meet with purchase enough.’

She understood me and walked off.  I thundered at the door with the children, and as the people were raised before by the noise of the fire, I was soon let in, and I said, ’Is madam awake?  Pray tell her Mrs. ——­ desires the favour of her to take the two children in; poor lady, she will be undone, their house is all of a flame,’ They took the children in very civilly, pitied the family in distress, and away came I with my bundle.  One of the maids asked me if I was not to leave the bundle too.  I said, ’No, sweetheart, ’tis to go to another place; it does not belong to them.’

I was a great way out of the hurry now, and so I went on, clear of anybody’s inquiry, and brought the bundle of plate, which was very considerable, straight home, and gave it to my old governess.  She told me she would not look into it, but bade me go out again to look for more.

She gave me the like cue to the gentlewoman of the next house to that which was on fire, and I did my endeavour to go, but by this time the alarm of fire was so great, and so many engines playing, and the street so thronged with people, that I could not get near the house whatever I would do; so I came back again to my governess’s, and taking the bundle up into my chamber, I began to examine it.  It is with horror that I tell what a treasure I found there; ’tis enough to say, that besides most of the family plate, which was considerable, I found a gold chain, an old-fashioned thing, the locket of which was broken, so that I suppose it had not been used some years, but the gold was not the worse for that; also a little box of burying-rings, the lady’s wedding-ring, and some broken bits of old lockets of gold, a gold watch, and a purse with about #24 value in old pieces of gold coin, and several other things of value.

This was the greatest and the worst prize that ever I was concerned in; for indeed, though, as I have said above, I was hardened now beyond the power of all reflection in other cases, yet it really touched me to the very soul when I looked into this treasure, to think of the poor disconsolate gentlewoman who had lost so much by the fire besides; and who would think, to be sure, that she had saved her plate and best things; how she would be surprised and afflicted when she should find that she had been deceived, and should find that the person that took her children and her goods, had not come, as was pretended, from the gentlewoman in the next street, but that the children had been put upon her without her own knowledge.