No sooner had day arrived than she sent for her nearest relation, to tell him that I was a complete rogue; that I had not been content with robbing her and putting all her affairs into disorder, but had dishonoured her house; in short, that she was determined no longer to overlook my knaveries, and only wished that I might be punished according to my deserts. She could not possibly have selected a more fit person to promote her wishes in this respect than this relation of her’s, who, hoping one day or other to be her heir, had more interest than any one to remove me from the testatrix. He was, therefore, highly delighted at so favourable an opportunity, and made haste to profit by it, lest the lady should change her mind. He knew her well, and saw plainly that she only acted this part out of some jealous pique; and accordingly exerted himself with such effect that in less than two hours he obtained a warrant against me, so that before I had risen from my bed, an Alguazil entered my chamber, and led me off to prison. I was at first inclined to consider this as a token of remembrance, either from my relations at Genoa, or my creditors at Madrid; and it, was upwards two hours before I learnt the real cause of my imprisonment. At first I did but laugh at it, flattering myself that my mistress loved me too well to leave me to the severity of the laws: and I expected every moment to receive a message that she was no longer irritated against me, and had obtained my pardon. Buoyed up with this hope, I bore without impatience or complaint those fetters which I felt convinced love would shortly break for me; and I considered myself more like a lover punished for infidelity, than a steward imprisoned for robbing his mistress. I was, however, most grievously mistaken, for I was required forthwith to render an account of my administration, which had lasted two years. I now began to grow uneasy, for the manner in which I had dissipated the widow’s money to my own purposes left so large a balance between the receipts and expenditure, that I would have defied any steward in the most noble family to have filled up the gap. It was in vain for me to puzzle my brain; for, to make the best of it, I was four thousand crowns short. To complete my ruin, the honest man whom I had employed as under-steward, while I thought of nothing but my pleasure, no sooner saw me thrown into gaol, than, to save himself from the same fate, which he knew he equally well deserved, he made off with all the ready money he could lay his fingers on. Being answerable for this man’s behaviour, the whole was laid at my door. How then was it possible for me to escape with impunity? I had neither money nor credit; while, on the contrary, my prosecutors were so powerful, that I could entertain no hope of leaving prison, except _to serve the King upon the seas_.