Moll is indicted for felony and burglary for the alleged stealing of two pieces of silk valued at £46. She pleads not guilty at the arraignment, yet Moll's comments regarding the situation lend themselves to speculation as to the validity of her argument. Moll addresses the reader and justifies, "I pleaded that I stole nothing, they had lost nothing" (215). Moll's language is interesting because she chooses the word "pleaded" which can be read in different ways, both positive and negative, but, in this case, Moll begs forgiveness in order to rid the charges she faces. As Moll's integrity is constantly in debate, her history as a thief suggests that she is lying to save herself. The word "pleaded," however, also demonstrates Moll's desperate attempt to convince her accusers that she is, in fact, telling the truth. Moll continues to establish her innocence by declaring that she "went in with design to buy," stating that she entered the shop to buy herself two clothes silk. Her reputation as a thief, however, suggests otherwise. The fact that she entered with "design" to buy is suspect in that a "design" does not rule out the possibility that she did, indeed, intend to purchase the silk, but later decides that it is easier to leave free of charge. Here Moll's diction is questionable because she uses words that can be easily interpreted the wrong way, yet her argument has no holes and is persuasive at the same time.
             Moll's language continues to be open to discussion, yet credible, as she pleads further in her own defense. She presents a hypothetical situation, "If, seeing nobody in the house, I had taken any of them up in my hand, it could not be concluded that I intended to steal them" (215). This statement appears to be wary since she begins her explanation with "if," a word that often implies the beginnings of a lie. Coming from the mouth of Moll, an infam
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