Compensation from the Bailiff
After the turnkey and bailiff disagree on Miss Williams’ identity, Miss Williams sends the narrator to fetch two of her acquaintances who can confirm she is Nancy Williams, not Elizabeth Cary. The two women arrive, embrace Miss Williams, and offer to swear under oath that she is not the wanted woman. The bailiff, now convinced of his mistake, offers to buy them wine to part as friends, but Miss Williams refuses, stating wine is no compensation for the harm to her reputation and health from the wrongful arrest. The turnkey rules the bailiff must pay for all consumed liquor, coach hire, and two guineas in compensation for Miss Williams. She shares half the money with her two witnesses, keeps the remainder, and the pair return to their lodgings, while the bailiff grumbles about his loss but is relieved to avoid more severe consequences for the error.
Removal to New Lodgings
Resentful that their landlady misled the bailiff leading to the wrongful arrest, Miss Williams and the narrator move to new lodgings the next day. They intend to live as quietly as possible while the narrator continues his recovery.
Miss Williams Continues Her Story
Settled in their new lodgings, the narrator asks Miss Williams to finish the story of her life that had been interrupted by the bailiff’s arrival. She agrees, and begins recounting her experiences after her former directress abandoned her for a new scheme.
Life with the Tavern Porters
Miss Williams explains that after her early deceitful schemes with her directress ended, she took lodgings near Charing Cross and began working openly as a sex worker. Her income was insufficient to cover her expenses, so she entered an agreement with tavern porters who would find her clients in exchange for a share of her earnings. She was regularly subjected to abuse, brutality, and humiliation from drunk clients, and her reserved, haughty temperament made her unpopular with the porters and clients alike. She was frequently kicked out of taverns, neglected by the porters, and forced to sell her watch, jewelry, and most of her clothes to support herself.
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