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Jane Douglas (1761)

The Covent Garden Calendar - Chapter XXXI.

Chapter XXXI.


Contains an account of an adventure, which turned out very little to Jenny's advantage.

            One day a sharper came to Jane's house and desired her to furnish him with a good clever country-girl, which she accordingly did. He was to pay two guineas for the night's lodging, with his spouse. So the sharper produced a bill of exchange for twenty guineas, and asked her whether she knew any one who would immediately let him have the money. Jane who had no suspicion of the matter, sent to a Jewish merchant of her acquaintance, who disbursed the sum, and the sharper above-mentioned having paid down the two guineas pocketed the rest.

            The next morning Jane found her house robbed of plate to the value of 20l. and it soon after appeared that the bill had been forged. The person who had played Jane this trick was soon after apprehended, Jane having caused strict enquiry to be made after him; he was the next sessions brought to his trial at the Old Baily, where Jane was the principal evidence against him and being cast was shortly after executed at Tyburn, but this Jane looked upon as very poor satisfaction for the loss of her plate which she could never recover. This was not the only cross accident that Jane met with in the course of business. She once was so unlucky as to deal with a certain Irish adventurer, who after having passed the night at her house, and spent to the value of 3 or 4 guineas, paid her in false money and never was heard of after. The reader may perhaps be puzzled to know how Jane could be thus imposed upon, but this was owing to her being at the time so intoxicated with liquor that she could hardly distinguish her right hand from her left.

            The most whimsical disappointment that ever happened to Jane was this, one day a rich tradesman of Bristol came to her house, and having agreed with her for a woman to pass the night with, Jane happened to bring him his own wife who having eloped about three years before, had been reduced to turn common street-walker and was at last taken in by Mother D––s. The husband upon this odd discovery insisted upon having the money returned, Mother D––s refused, asserting that it was a fair bargain, the wife flew out into reproaches, and even went so far to throw a candle-stick at her husband's head. The blow was so well aimed that it knocked him down, he thereupon cried out, "Murder!", and the watch entered, so that Jane found it a very difficult matter, to restore peace and quietness in the house.

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