Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
you? Yes, it is! it is!—O bless your happy daughter! I would have said,
and down I sunk.
My master seemed concerned—I feared, said he, that the surprise would
be too much for her spirits; and all the ladies ran to me, and made me
drink a glass of water; and I found myself encircled in the arms of my
dearest father.—O tell me, said I, every thing! How long have you been
here? When did you come? How does my honoured mother? And half a dozen
questions more, before he could answer one.
They permitted me to retire with my father; and then I poured forth all
my vows and thanksgivings to God for this additional blessing; and
confirmed all my master’s goodness to his scarce-believing amazement.
And we kneeled together, blessing God, and one another, for several
ecstatic minutes and my master coming in soon after, my dear father
said, O sir, what a change is this! May, God reward and bless you, both
in this world and the next!
May God bless us all! said he. But how does my sweet girl? I have been
in pain for you—I am sorry I did not apprise you beforehand.
O sir, said I, it was you; and all you do must be good—But this was a
blessing so unexpected!——
Well, said he, you have given pain to all the company. They will be
glad to see you, when you can: for you have spoiled all their
diversion; and yet painfully delighted them at the same time. Mr.
Andrews, added he, do you make this house your own; and the longer you
stay, the more welcome you’ll be. After you have a little composed
yourself, my dear girl, step in to us again. I am glad to see you so
well already. And so he left us.
See you, my dear father, said I, what goodness there is in this once
naughty master! O pray for him! and pray for me, that I may deserve it!
How long has this happy change been wrought, my dear child?—O, said I,
several happy days!—I have written down every thing; and you’ll see,
from the depth of misery, what God has done for your happy daughter!
Blessed be his name! said he. But do you say he will marry you? Can it
be, that such a brave gentleman will make a lady of the child of such a
poor man as I? O the divine goodness! How will your poor dear mother be
able to support these happy tidings? I will set out to-morrow, to
acquaint her with them: for I am but half happy, till the dear good
woman shares them with me!—To be sure, my dear child, we ought to go
into some far country to hide ourselves, that we may not disgrace you
by our poverty!
O, my dear father, said I, now you are unkind for the first time! Your
poverty has been my glory, and my riches; and I have nothing to brag
of, but that I ever thought it an honour, rather than a disgrace;
because you were always so honest, that your child might well boast of
such a parentage!
In this manner, my dear mother, did we pass the happy moments, till
Miss Darnford came to me, and said, How do you do, dear madam? I
rejoice to see you so well! Pray let us have your company. And yours
too, good Mr. Andrews, taking his hand.
This was very obliging, I told her; and we went to the great parlour;
and my master took my father by the hand, and made him sit down by him,
and drink a glass of wine with him. Mean-time, I made my excuses to the
ladies, as well as I could, which they readily granted me. But Sir
Simon, after his comical manner, put his hands on my shoulders: Let me
see, let me see, said he, where your wings grow; for I never saw any
body fly like you.—Why, said he, you have broken Lady Jones’s shins
with the table. Shew her else, madam.
His pleasantry made them laugh. And I said, I was very sorry for my
extravagancy: and if it had not been my master’s doings, I should have
said, it was a fault to permit me to be surprised, and put out of
myself, before such good company. They said, All was very excusable;
and they were glad I suffered no more by it.
They were so kind as to excuse me at cards, and played by themselves;
and I went by my master’s commands and sat on the other side, in the
happiest place I ever was blest with, between two of the dearest men in
the world to me, and each holding one of my hands:—my father, every now
and then, with tears, lifting up his eyes, and saying, Could I ever
have hoped this!
I asked him, If he had been so kind as to bring the papers with him? He
said, He had; and looked at me, as who should say, Must I give them to
you now?—I said, Be pleased to let me have them. He pulled them from
his pocket; and I stood up, and, with my best duty, gave them into my
master’s hands. He said, Thank you, Pamela. Your father shall take all
with him, so see what a sad fellow I have been, as well as the present
happier alteration. But I must have them all again, for the writer’s
sake.
The ladies and gentlemen would make me govern the tea-table, whatever I
could do; and Abraham attended me, to serve the company. My master and
my father sat together, and drank a glass or two of wine instead of
tea, and Sir Simon joked with my master, saying, I warrant you would
not be such a woman’s man, as to drink tea, for ever so much, with the
ladies. But your time’s coming, and I doubt not you’ll be made as
comfortable as I.
My master was very urgent with them to stay supper; and at last they
complied, on condition that I would grace the table, as they were
pleased to call it. I begged to be excused. My master said, Don’t be
excused, Pamela, since the ladies desire it: And besides, said he, we
won’t part with your father; and so you may as well stay with us.
I was in hopes my father and I might sup by ourselves, or only with
Mrs. Jewkes. And Miss Darnford, who is a most obliging young lady,
said, We will not part with you, indeed we won’t.
When supper was brought in, Lady Darnford took me by the hand, and said
to my master, Sir, by your leave; and would have placed me at the upper
end of the table. Pray, pray, madam, said I, excuse me; I cannot do it,
indeed I cannot. Pamela, said my master, to the great delight of my
good father, as I could see by his looks, oblige Lady Darnford, since
she desires it. It is but a little before your time, you know.
Dear, good sir, said I, pray don’t command it! Let me sit by my father,
pray! Why, said Sir Simon, here’s ado indeed! Sit down at the upper
end, as you should do; and your father shall sit by you, there. This
put my dear father upon difficulties. And my master said, Come, I’ll
place you all: and so put Lady Darnford at the upper end, Lady Jones at
her right hand, and Mrs. Peters on the other; and he placed me between
the two young ladies; but very genteelly put Miss Darnford below her
younger sister; saying, Come, miss, I put you here, because you shall
hedge in this little cuckow; for I take notice, with pleasure, of your
goodness to her; and, besides, all you very young ladies should sit
together. This seemed to please both sisters; for had the youngest miss
been put there, it might have piqued her, as matters have been
formerly, to be placed below me; whereas Miss Darnford giving place to
her youngest sister, made it less odd she should to me; especially with
that handsome turn of the dear man, as if I was a cuckow, and to be
hedged in.
My master kindly said, Come, Mr. Andrews, you and I will sit together.
And so took his place at the bottom of the table, and set my father on
his right hand; and Sir Simon would sit on his left. For, said he,
parson, I think the petticoats should sit together; and so do you sit
down by that lady (his sister). A boiled turkey standing by me, my
master said, Cut up that turkey, Pamela, if it be not too strong work
for you, that Lady Darnford may not have too much trouble. So I carved
it in a trice, and helped the ladies. Miss Darnford said, I would give
something to be so dexterous a carver. O madam, said I, my late good
lady would always make me do these things, when she entertained her
female friends, as she used to do on particular days.
Ay, said my master, I remember my poor mother would often say, if I, or
any body at table, happened to be a little out in carving, I’ll send up
for my Pamela, to shew you how to carve. Said Lady Jones, Mrs. Andrews
has every accomplishment of her sex. She is quite wonderful for her
years. Miss Darnford said, And I can tell you, madam, that she plays
sweetly upon the spinnet, and sings as sweetly to it; for she has a
fine voice. Foolish! said Sir Simon; who, that hears her speak, knows
not that? And who that sees her fingers, believes not that they were
made to touch any key? O, parson! said he, ’tis well you’re by, or I
should have had a blush from the ladies. I hope not, Sir Simon, said
Lady Jones; for a gentleman of your politeness would not say any thing
that would make ladies blush.—No, no, said he, for the world: but if I
had, it would have been, as the poet says,
‘They blush, because they understand.’
When the company went away, Lady Darnford, Lady Jones, and Mrs. Peters,
severally invited my master, and me with him, to their houses; and
begged he would permit me, at least, to come before we left those
parts. And they said, We hope, when the happy knot is tied, you will
induce Mr. B—— to reside more among us. We were always glad, said Lady
Darnford, when he was here; but now shall have double reason. O what
grateful things were these to the ears of my good father!
When the company was gone, my master asked my father, if he smoked? He
answered, No. He made us both sit down by him, and said, I have been
telling this sweet girl, that in fourteen days, and two of them are
gone, she must fix on one to make me happy. And have left it to her to
choose either one of the first or last seven. My father held up his
hands, and eyes; God bless your honour! said he, is all I can say. Now,
Pamela, said my master, taking my hand, don’t let a little wrong-timed
bashfulness take place, without any other reason, because I should be
glad to go to Bedfordshire as soon as I could; and I would not return
till I carry my servants there a mistress, who should assist me to
repair the mischiefs she has made in it.
I could not look up for confusion. And my father said, My dear child, I
need not, I am sure, prompt your obedience in whatever will most oblige
so good a gentleman. What says my Pamela? said my master: She does not
use to be at a loss for expressions. Sir, said I, were I too sudden, it
would look as if I doubted whether you would hold in your mind, and was
not willing to give you time for reflection: but otherwise, to be sure
I ought to resign myself implicitly to your will. Said he, I want not
time for reflection: for I have often told you, and that long ago, I
could not live without you: and my pride of condition made me both
tempt and terrify you to other terms; but your virtue was proof against
all temptations, and was not to be awed by terrors: Wherefore, as I
could not conquer my passion for you, I corrected myself, and resolved,
since you would not be mine upon my terms, you should upon your own:
and now I desire you not on any other, I assure you: and I think the
sooner it is done, the better. What say you, Mr. Andrews? Sir, said he,
there is so much goodness on your side, and, blessed be God! so much
prudence on my daughter’s, that I must be quite silent. But when it is
done, I and my poor wife shall have nothing to do, but to pray for you
both, and to look back, with wonder and joy, on the ways of Providence.
This, said my master, is Friday night; and suppose, my girl, it be next
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning?—Say, my Pamela.
Will you, sir, said I, excuse me till to-morrow for an answer? I will,
said he; and touched the bell, and called for Mrs. Jewkes. Where, said
he, does Mr. Andrews lie to-night? You’ll take care of him. He’s a very