Daniel Defoe

“ I do not understand thee,” says the Quaker.
“Oh!” says she, “stand my friend, if you have any charity, or if you have any compassion for the miserable, for I am utterly undone!”
“Thou terrifiest me,” says the Quaker, “with such passionate expressions, for verily I cannot comprehend thee.”
“Oh!” says she, “she is my mother; she is my mother, and she does not own me.”
“Thy mother!” says the Quaker, and began to be greatly moved indeed; “I am astonished at thee; what dost thou mean?”
“I mean nothing but what I say,” says she, “I say again she is my mother! and will not own me “ ”

“ She has never seen me.”
“And hast thou never seen her?” says the Quaker.
“Yes,” says she, “I have seen her, often enough I saw her, for when she was the Lady Roxana I was her housemaid, being a servant, but I did not know her then, nor she me, but it has all come out since; has she not a maid named Amy?” (Note, the honest Quaker was nonplussed, and greatly surprised at that question.) “Truly,” says she, “the Lady —— has several women-servants, but I do not know all their names.”
“But her woman, her favourite,” adds the girl; “is not her name Amy?” ”

“ She insisted upon the slender evidence she had of the fact itself, and the rudeness of claiming so near a relation of one so much above her, and of whose concern in it she had no knowledge, at least not sufficient proof; that as the lady at her house was a person above any disguises, so she could not believe that she would deny her being her daughter if she was really her mother ”