Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
than I am sure I would do them. Our John so often goes your way, that I
will always get him to call, that you may hear from me, either by
writing, (for it brings my hand in,) or by word of mouth.
LETTER IV
DEAR MOTHER,
For the last was to my father, in answer to his letter; and so I will
now write to you; though I have nothing to say, but what will make me
look more like a vain hussy, than any thing else: However, I hope I
shan’t be so proud as to forget myself. Yet there is a secret pleasure
one has to hear one’s self praised. You must know, then, that my Lady
Davers, who, I need not tell you, is my master’s sister, has been a
month at our house, and has taken great notice of me, and given me good
advice to keep myself to myself. She told me I was a pretty wench, and
that every body gave me a very good character, and loved me; and bid me
take care to keep the fellows at a distance; and said, that I might do,
and be more valued for it, even by themselves.
But what pleased me much was, what I am going to tell you; for at
table, as Mrs. Jervis says, my master and her ladyship talking of me,
she told him she thought me the prettiest wench she ever saw in her
life; and that I was too pretty to live in a bachelor’s house; since no
lady he might marry would care to continue me with her. He said, I was
vastly improved, and had a good share of prudence, and sense above my
years; and that it would be pity, that what was my merit should be my
misfortune.—No, says my good lady, Pamela shall come and live with me,
I think. He said, with all his heart; he should be glad to have me so
well provided for. Well, said she, I’ll consult my lord about it. She
asked how old I was; and Mrs. Jervis said, I was fifteen last February.
O! says she, if the wench (for so she calls all us maiden servants)
takes care of herself, she’ll improve yet more and more, as well in her
person as mind.
Now, my dear father and mother, though this may look too vain to be
repeated by me; yet are you not rejoiced, as well as I, to see my
master so willing to part with me?—This shews that he has nothing bad
in his heart. But John is just going away; and so I have only to say,
that I am, and will always be,
Your honest as well as dutiful DAUGHTER.
Pray make use of the money. You may now do it safely.
LETTER V
MY DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER,
John being to go your way, I am willing to write, because he is so
willing to carry any thing for me. He says it does him good at his
heart to see you both, and to hear you talk. He says you are both so
sensible, and so honest, that he always learns something from you to
the purpose. It is a thousand pities, he says, that such worthy hearts
should not have better luck in the world! and wonders, that you, my
father, who are so well able to teach, and write so good a hand,
succeeded no better in the school you attempted to set up; but was
forced to go to such hard labour. But this is more pride to me, that I
am come of such honest parents, than if I had been born a lady.
I hear nothing yet of going to Lady Davers; and I am very easy at
present here: for Mrs. Jervis uses me as if I were her own daughter,
and is a very good woman, and makes my master’s interest her own. She
is always giving me good counsel, and I love her next to you two, I
think, best of any body. She keeps so good rule and order, she is
mightily respected by us all; and takes delight to hear me read to her;
and all she loves to hear read, is good books, which we read whenever
we are alone; so that I think I am at home with you. She heard one of
our men, Harry, who is no better than he should be, speak freely to me;
I think he called me his pretty Pamela, and took hold of me, as if he
would have kissed me; for which, you may be sure, I was very angry: and
she took him to task, and was as angry at him as could be; and told me
she was very well pleased to see my prudence and modesty, and that I
kept all the fellows at a distance. And indeed I am sure I am not
proud, and carry it civilly to every body; but yet, methinks, I cannot
bear to be looked upon by these men-servants, for they seem as if they
would look one through; and, as I generally breakfast, dine, and sup,
with Mrs. Jervis, (so good she is to me,) I am very easy that I have so
little to say to them. Not but they are civil to me in the main, for
Mrs. Jervis’s sake, who they see loves me; and they stand in awe of
her, knowing her to be a gentlewoman born, though she has had
misfortunes. I am going on again with a long letter; for I love
writing, and shall tire you. But, when I began, I only intended to say,
that I am quite fearless of any danger now: and, indeed, cannot but
wonder at myself, (though your caution to me was your watchful love,)
that I should be so foolish as to be so uneasy as I have been: for I am
sure my master would not demean himself, so as to think upon such a
poor girl as I, for my harm. For such a thing would ruin his credit, as
well as mine, you know: who, to be sure, may expect one of the best
ladies in the land. So no more at present, but that I am
Your ever dutiful DAUGHTER.
LETTER VI
DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER,
My master has been very kind since my last; for he has given me a suit
of my late lady’s clothes, and half a dozen of her shifts, and six fine
handkerchiefs, and three of her cambric aprons, and four holland ones.
The clothes are fine silk, and too rich and too good for me, to be
sure. I wish it was no affront to him to make money of them, and send
it to you: it would do me more good.
You will be full of fears, I warrant now, of some design upon me, till
I tell you, that he was with Mrs. Jervis when he gave them me; and he
gave her a mort of good things, at the same time, and bid her wear them
in remembrance of her good friend, my lady, his mother. And when he
gave me these fine things, he said, These, Pamela, are for you; have
them made fit for you, when your mourning is laid by, and wear them for
your good mistress’s sake. Mrs. Jervis gives you a very good word; and
I would have you continue to behave as prudently as you have done
hitherto, and every body will be your friend.
I was so surprised at his goodness, that I could not tell what to say.
I courtesied to him, and to Mrs. Jervis for her good word; and said, I
wished I might be deserving of his favour, and her kindness: and
nothing should be wanting in me, to the best of my knowledge.
O how amiable a thing is doing good!—It is all I envy great folks for.
I always thought my young master a fine gentleman, as every body says
he is: but he gave these good things to us both with such a
graciousness, as I thought he looked like an angel.
Mrs. Jervis says, he asked her, If I kept the men at a distance? for,
he said, I was very pretty; and to be drawn in to have any of them,
might be my ruin, and make me poor and miserable betimes. She never is
wanting to give me a good word, and took occasion to launch out in my
praise, she says. But I hope she has said no more than I shall try to
deserve, though I mayn’t at present. I am sure I will always love her,
next to you and my dear mother. So I rest
Your ever dutiful DAUGHTER.
LETTER VII
DEAR FATHER,
Since my last, my master gave me more fine things. He called me up to
my late lady’s closet, and, pulling out her drawers, he gave me two
suits of fine Flanders laced head-clothes, three pair of fine silk
shoes, two hardly the worse, and just fit for me, (for my lady had a
very little foot,) and the other with wrought silver buckles in them;
and several ribands and top-knots of all colours; four pair of white
fine cotton stockings, and three pair of fine silk ones; and two pair
of rich stays. I was quite astonished, and unable to speak for a while;
but yet I was inwardly ashamed to take the stockings; for Mrs. Jervis
was not there: If she had, it would have been nothing. I believe I
received them very awkwardly; for he smiled at my awkwardness, and
said, Don’t blush, Pamela: Dost think I don’t know pretty maids should
wear shoes and stockings?
I was so confounded at these words, you might have beat me down with a
feather. For you must think, there was no answer to be made to this:
So, like a fool, I was ready to cry; and went away courtesying and
blushing, I am sure, up to the ears; for, though there was no harm in
what he said, yet I did not know how to take it. But I went and told
all to Mrs. Jervis, who said, God put it into his heart to be good to
me; and I must double my diligence. It looked to her, she said, as if
he would fit me in dress for a waiting-maid’s place on Lady Davers’s
own person.
But still your kind fatherly cautions came into my head, and made all
these gifts nothing near to me what they would have been. But yet, I
hope, there is no reason; for what good could it do to him to harm such
a simple maiden as me? Besides, to be sure no lady would look upon him,
if he should so disgrace himself. So I will make myself easy; and,
indeed, I should never have been otherwise, if you had not put it into
my head; for my good, I know very well. But, may be, without these
uneasinesses to mingle with these benefits, I might be too much puffed
up: So I will conclude, all that happens is for our good; and God bless
you, my dear father and mother; and I know you constantly pray for a
blessing upon me; who am, and shall always be,
Your dutiful DAUGHTER.
LETTER VIII
DEAR PAMELA,
I cannot but renew my cautions on your master’s kindness, and his free
expression to you about the stockings. Yet there may not be, and I hope
there is not, any thing in it. But when I reflect, that there possibly
may, and that if there should, no less depends upon it than my child’s
everlasting happiness in this world and the next; it is enough to make
one fearful for you. Arm yourself, my dear child, for the worst; and
resolve to lose your life sooner than your virtue. What though the
doubts I filled you with, lessen the pleasure you would have had in
your master’s kindness; yet what signify the delights that arise from a
few paltry fine clothes, in comparison with a good conscience?
These are, indeed, very great favours that he heaps upon you, but so
much the more to be suspected; and when you say he looked so amiably,
and like an angel, how afraid I am, that they should make too great an
impression upon you! For, though you are blessed with sense and
prudence above your years, yet I tremble to think, what a sad hazard a
poor maiden of little more than fifteen years of age stands against the
temptations of this world, and a designing young gentleman, if he
should prove so, who has so much power to oblige, and has a kind of
authority to command, as your master.
I charge you, my dear child, on both our blessings, poor as we are, to
be on your guard; there can be no harm in that. And since Mrs. Jervis
is so good a gentlewoman, and so kind to you, I am the easier a great
deal, and so is your mother; and we hope you will hide nothing from
her, and take her counsel in every thing. So, with our blessings, and
assured prayers for you, more than for ourselves, we remain,
Your loving FATHER AND MOTHER.
Be sure don’t let people’s telling you, you are pretty, puff you up;
for you did not make yourself, and so can have no praise due to you for
it. It is virtue and goodness only, that make the true beauty. Remember
that, Pamela.
LETTER IX
DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER,
I am sorry to write you word, that the hopes I had of going to wait on
Lady Davers, are quite over. My lady would have had me; but my master,
as I heard by the by, would not consent to it. He said her nephew might
be taken with me, and I might draw him in, or be drawn in by him; and