Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
both: But I don’t know what she should thank me for; for I was not
worth a fourth of them myself.
I’d have you, my dear, said he, in some handsome manner, as you know
how, oblige Longman to accept of the like present.
Mr. Longman returned from his office, and brought me the fifty pounds,
saying, I have entered this new article with great pleasure: ‘To my
Lady fifty pounds: to be paid the same sum quarterly.’ O sir! said I,
what will become of me, to be so poor in myself, and so rich in your
bounty!—It is a shame to take all that your profuse goodness would heap
upon me thus: But indeed it shall not be without account.—Make no
words, my dear, said he: Are you not my wife? And have I not endowed
you with my goods; and, hitherto, this is a very small part.
Mr. Longman, said I, and Mrs. Jervis, you both see how I am even
oppressed with unreturnable obligations. God bless the donor, and the
receiver too! said Mr. Longman: I am sure they will bring back good
interest; for, madam, you had ever a bountiful heart; and I have seen
the pleasure you used to take to dispense my late lady’s alms and
donations.
I’ll warrant, Mr. Longman, said I, notwithstanding you are so willing
to have me take large sums for nothing at all, I should affront you, if
I asked you to accept from me a pair of gloves only, on account of my
happy nuptials. He seemed not readily to know how to answer; and my
master said, If Longman refuse you, my dear, he may be said to refuse
your first favour. On that I put twenty guineas in his hand; but he
insisted upon it, that he would take but five. I said, I must desire
you to oblige me, Mr. Longman, or I shall think I have affronted you.
Well, if I must, said he, I know what I know. What is that, Mr.
Longman? said I.—Why, madam, said he, I will not lay it out till my
young master’s birth-day, which I hope will be within this twelvemonth.
Not expecting anything like this from the old gentleman, I looked at my
master, and then blushed so, I could not hold up my head. Charmingly
said, Longman! said my master, and clasped me in his arms: O, my dear
life! God send it may be so!—You have quite delighted me, Longman!
Though I durst not have said such a thing for the world.—Madam, said
the old gentleman, I beg your pardon; I hope no offence: but I’d speak
it ten times in a breath to have it so, take it how you please, as long
as my good master takes it so well. Mrs. Jervis, said my master, this
is an over-nice dear creature; you don’t know what a life I have had
with her, even on this side matrimony.—Said Mrs. Jervis, I think Mr.
Longman says very well; I am sure I shall hope for it too.
Mr. Longman, who had struck me of a heap, withdrawing soon after, my
master said, Why, my dear, you can’t look up! The old man said nothing
shocking. I did not expect it, though, from him, said I. I was not
aware but of some innocent pleasantry. Why, so it was, said he, both
innocent and pleasant: and I won’t forgive you, if you don’t say as he
says. Come, speak before Mrs. Jervis. May every thing happen, sir, said
I, that will give you delight!—That’s my dearest love, said he, and
kissed me with great tenderness.
When the servants had dined, I desired to see the maidens; and all four
came up together. You are welcome home, madam, said Rachel; we rejoice
all to see you here, and more to see you our lady. O my good old
acquaintances, said I, I joy to see you! How do you do, Rachel? How do
you all do? And I took each of them by the hand, and could have kissed
them. For, said I to myself, I kissed you all, last time I saw you, in
sorrow; why should I not kiss you all with joy? But I forbore, in
honour of their master’s presence.
They seemed quite transported with me: and my good master was pleased
with the scene. See here, my lasses, said he, your mistress! I need not
bid you respect her; for you always loved her; and she’ll have it as
much in her power as inclination to be kind to the deserving. Indeed,
said I, I shall always be a kind friend to you; and your dear master
has ordered me to give each of you this, that you may rejoice with me
on my happiness. And so I gave them five guineas a-piece, and said, God
bless you every one! I am overjoyed to see you! And they withdrew with
the greatest gratitude and pleasure, praying for us both.
I turned to my dear master: ’Tis to you, dear sir, said I, next to God,
who put it into your generous heart, that all my happiness is owing!
That my mind thus overflows with joy and gratitude! And I would have
kissed his hand; but he clasped me in his arms, and said, You deserve
it, my dear: You deserve it all. Mrs. Jervis came in. Said she, I have
seen a very affecting sight; you have made your maidens quite happy,
madam, with your kindness and condescension! I saw them all four, as I
came by the hall-door, just got up from their knees, praising and
praying for you both! Dear good bodies! said I; and did Jane pray too?
May their prayers be returned upon themselves, I say!
My master sent for Jonathan, and I held up all the fingers of my two
hands; and my master giving a nod of approbation as he came in, I said,
Well, Mr. Jonathan, I could not be satisfied without seeing you in
form, as it were, and thanking you for all your past good-will to me.
You’ll accept of that, for a pair of gloves, on this happy occasion;
and I gave him ten guineas, and took his honest hand between both mine:
God bless you, said I, with your silver hairs, so like my dear
father!—I shall always value such a good old servant of the best of
masters!—He said, O such goodness! Such kind words! It is balm to my
heart! Blessed be God I have lived to this day!—And his eyes swam in
tears, and he withdrew.—My dear, said my master, you make every one
happy!—O, sir, said I, ’tis you, ’tis you! And let my grateful heart
always spring to my lips, to acknowledge the blessings you heap upon
me.
Then in came Harry, and Isaac, and Benjamin, and the two grooms of this
house, and Arthur the gardener; for my dear master had ordered them, by
Mrs. Jervis, thus to be marshalled out: and he said, Where’s John? Poor
John was ashamed, and did not come in till he heard himself called for.
I said to them, How do you do, my old friends and fellow-servants? I am
glad to see you all.
My master said, I have given you a mistress, my lads, that is the joy
of my heart: You see her goodness and condescension! Let your respects
to her be but answerable, and she’ll be proportionately as great a
blessing to you all, as she is to me. Harry said, In the names of all
your servants, sir, I bless your honour, and your good lady: and it
shall be all our studies to deserve her ladyship’s favours, as well as
your honour’s. And so I gave every one five guineas, to rejoice, as I
said, in my happiness.
When I came to John, I said, I saw you before, John; but I again tell
you, I am glad to see you. He said, he was quite ashamed and
confounded. O, said I, forget every thing that’s past, John!—Your dear
good master will, and so will I. For God has wonderfully brought about
all these things, by the very means I once thought most grievous. Let
us, therefore, look forward, and be only ashamed to commit faults for
the time to come: for they may not always be attended with like happy
consequences.
Arthur, said my master, I have brought you a mistress that is a great
gardener. She’ll shew you a new way to plant beans: And never any body
had such a hand at improving a sun-flower as she!—O sir, sir, said I,
(but yet a little dashed,) all my improvements in every kind of thing
are owing to you, I am sure!—And so I think I was even with the dear
man, and yet appeared grateful before his servants. They withdrew,
blessing us both, as the rest had done. And then came in the postilion,
and two helpers, (for my master has both here, and at Lincolnshire,
fine hunting horses; and it is the chief sport he takes delight in,) as
also the scullion-boy: And I said, How do all of you? And how dost do,
Tommy? I hope you’re very good. Here your dear master has ordered you
something a-piece, in honour of me. And my master holding three fingers
to me, I gave the postilion and helpers three guineas each, and the
little boy two; and bid him let his poor mother lay it out for him, for
he must not spend it idly. Mr. Colbrand, Abraham, and Thomas, I had
before presented at t’other house.
And when they were all gone but Mrs. Jervis, I said, And now, dearest
sir, permit me, on my knees, thus to bless you, and pray for you. And
oh, may God crown you with length of days, and increase of honour; and
may your happy, happy Pamela, by her grateful heart, appear always
worthy in your dear eyes, though she cannot be so in her own, nor in
those of any others!
Mrs. Jervis, said my master, you see the excellency of this sweet
creature! And when I tell you that the charms of her person, all lovely
as she is, bind me not so strongly to her, as the graces of her mind;
congratulate me, that my happiness is built on so stable a basis.
Indeed I do, most sincerely, sir, said she: This is a happy day to me!
I stept into the library, while he was thus pouring out his kindness
for me to Mrs. Jervis; and blessed God there on my knees, for the
difference I now found to what I had once known in it.—And when I have
done the same in the first scene of my fears, the once frightful
summer-house, I shall have gone through most of my distressful scenes
with gratitude; but shall never forbear thanking God in my mind, for
his goodness to me in every one. Mrs. Jervis, I find, had whispered him
what I had done above, and he saw me upon my knees, with my back
towards him, unknown to me; but softly put to the door again, as he had
opened it a little way. And I said, not knowing he had seen me, You
have some charming pictures here, sir.—Yes, said he, my dear life, so I
have; but none equal to that which your piety affords me; And may the
God you delight to serve, bless more and more my dear angel!—Sir, said
I, you are all goodness!—I hope, replied he, after your sweet example,
I shall be better and better.
Do you think, my dear father and mother, there ever was so happy a
creature as I? To be sure it would be very ungrateful to think with
uneasiness, or any thing but compassion, of poor Miss Sally Godfrey.
He ordered Jonathan to let the evening be passed merrily, but wisely,
as he said, with what every one liked, whether wine or October.
He was pleased afterwards to lead me up stairs, and gave me possession
of my lady’s dressing-room and cabinet, and her fine repeating-watch
and equipage; and, in short, of a complete set of diamonds, that were
his good mother’s; as also of the two pair of diamond ear-rings, the
two diamond rings, and diamond necklace, he mentioned in his naughty
articles, which her ladyship had intended for presents to Miss Tomlins,
a rich heiress, that was proposed for his wife, when he was just come
from his travels; but which went off, after all was agreed upon on both
the friends’ sides, because he approved not her conversation; and she
had, as he told his mother, too masculine an air; and he never could be
brought to see her but once, though the lady liked him very well. He
presented me also with her ladyship’s books, pictures, linen, laces,
etc. that were in her apartments; and bid me call those apartments
mine. O give me, my good God! humility and gratitude.
Sunday night.
This day, as matters could not be ready for our appearance at a better
place, we staid at home; and my dear master employed himself a good
deal in his library: And I have been taken up pretty much, I hope, as I
ought to be, in thankfulness, prayer and meditation, in my
newly-presented closet And I hope God will be pleased to give a