Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
I have been saying, he is the happiest man in the world. I bowed to
him, but I could have wished him further, to make me sit so in the
notice of every one; which, for all I could do, dashed me not a little.
Mr. Martin said to my master, If you’ll come to church every Sunday
with your charming lady, I will never absent myself, and she’ll give a
good example to all the neighbourhood. O, my dear sir! said I to my
master, you know not how much I am obliged to good Mr. Martin! He has,
by his kind expressions, made me dare to look up with pleasure and
gratitude.
Said my master, My dear love, I am very much obliged, as well as you,
to my good friend Mr. Martin. And he said to him, We will constantly go
to church, and to every other place, where we can have the pleasure of
seeing Mr. Martin.
Mr. Martin said, Gad, sir, you are a happy man; and I think your lady’s
example has made you more polite and handsome too, than I ever knew you
before, though we never thought you unpolite, neither. And so he bowed,
and went to his own chariot; and, as we drove away, the people kindly
blessed us, and called us a charming pair.
As I have no other pride, I hope, in repeating these things, than in
the countenance the general approbation gives to my dear master, for
his stooping so low, you will excuse me for it, I know.
In the afternoon we went again to church, and a little early, at my
request; but the church was quite full, and soon after even crowded; so
much does novelty (the more’s the pity!) attract the eyes of mankind.
Mr. Martin came in after us, and made up to our seat; and said, If you
please, my dear friend, I will take my seat with you this afternoon.
With all my heart, said my master. I was sorry for it; but was resolved
my duty should not be made second to bashfulness, or any other
consideration; and when divine service began, I withdrew to the farther
end of the pew, and left the gentlemen in the front, and they behaved
quite suitably, both of them, to the occasion. I mention this the
rather, because Mr. Martin was not very noted for coming to church, or
attention when there, before.
The dean preached again, which he was not used to do, out of compliment
to us; and an excellent sermon he made on the relative duties of
Christianity: And it took my particular attention; for he made many
fine observations on the subject. Mr. Martin addressed himself twice or
thrice to me, during the sermon; but he saw me so wholly engrossed with
hearkening to the good preacher, that he forbore interrupting me; yet I
took care, according to the lessons formerly given me, to observe to
him a cheerful and obliging behaviour, as one of Mr. B——’s friends and
intimates. My master asked him to give him his company to supper; and
he said, I am so taken with your lady, that you must not give me too
much encouragement; for I shall be always with you, if you do. He was
pleased to say, You cannot favour us with too much of your company; and
as I have left you in the lurch in your single state, I think you will
do well to oblige us as much as you can; and who knows but my happiness
may reform another rake? Who knows? said Mr. Martin: Why, I know; for I
am more than half reformed already.
At the chariot door, Mrs. Arthur, Mrs. Brooks, and Mrs. Chambers, were
brought to me, by their respective spouses; and presently the witty
Lady Towers, who bantered me before, (as I once told you,) joined them;
and Mrs. Arthur said, she wished me joy; and that all the good ladies,
my neighbours, would collect themselves together, and make me a visit.
This, said I, will be an honour, madam, that I can never enough
acknowledge. It will be very kind so to countenance a person who will
always study to deserve your favour, by the most respectful behaviour.
Lady Towers said, My dear neighbour, you want no countenance; your own
merit is sufficient. I had a slight cold, that kept me at home in the
morning; but I heard you so much talked of, and praised, that I
resolved not to stay away in the afternoon; and I join in the joy every
one gives you. She turned to my master, and said, You are a sly thief,
as I always thought you. Where have you stolen this lady? And now, how
barbarous is it, thus unawares, in a manner, to bring her here upon us,
to mortify and eclipse us all?—You are very kind, madam, said he, that
you and all my worthy neighbours see with my eyes. But had I not known
she had so much excellency of mind and behaviour, as would strike every
body in her favour at first sight, I should not have dared to class her
with such of my worthy neighbours, as now so kindly congratulate us
both.
I own, said she, softly, I was one of your censurers; but I never liked
you so well in my life, as for this action, now I see how capable your
bride is of giving distinction to any condition.—And, coming to me, My
dear neighbour, said she, excuse me for having but in my thought, the
remembrance that I have seen you formerly, when, by your sweet air and
easy deportment, you so much surpass us all, and give credit to your
present happy condition.
Dear good madam, said I, how shall I suitably return my
acknowledgments! But it will never be a pain to me to look back upon my
former days, now I have the kind allowance and example of so many
worthy ladies to support me in the honours to which the most generous
of men has raised me.
Sweetly said! she was pleased to say. If I was in another place, I
would kiss you for that answer. Oh! happy, happy Mr. B——! said she to
my master; what reputation have you not brought upon your judgment! I
won’t be long before I see you, added she, I’ll assure you, if I come
by myself. That shall be your own fault, madam, said Mrs. Brooks.
And so they took leave; and I gave my hand to my dear master, and said,
How happy have you made me, generous sir!—And the dean, who had just
come up, heard me, and said, And how happy you have made your spouse,
I’ll venture to pronounce, is hard to say, from what I observe of you
both. I courtesied, and blushed, not thinking any body heard me. And my
master telling him he should be glad of the honour of a visit from him;
he said, He would pay his respects to us the first opportunity, and
bring his wife and daughter to attend me. I said, That was doubly kind;
and I should be very proud of cultivating so worthy an acquaintance. I
thanked him for his kind discourse; and he thanked me for my attention,
which he called exemplary: and so my dear master handed me into the
chariot; and we were carried home, both happy, and both pleased, thank
God.
Mr. Martin came in the evening, with another gentleman, his friend, one
Mr. Dormer; and he entertained us with the favourable opinion, he said,
every one had of me, and of the choice my good benefactor had made.
This morning the poor came, according to my invitation; and I sent them
away with glad hearts to the number of twenty-five. There were not
above twelve or fourteen on Sunday, that John divided the silver among,
which I gave him for that purpose; but others got hold of the matter,
and made up to the above number.
Tuesday.
My generous master has given me, this morning, a most considerate, but
yet, from the nature of it, melancholy instance of his great regard for
my unworthiness, which I never could have wished, hoped for, or even
thought of.
He took a walk with me, after breakfast, into the garden; and a little
shower falling, he led me, for shelter, into the little summer-house,
in the private garden, where he formerly gave me apprehensions; and,
sitting down by me, he said, I have now finished all that lies on my
mind, my dear, and am very easy: For have you not wondered, that I have
so much employed myself in my library? Been so much at home, and yet
not in your company?—No, sir, said I; I have never been so impertinent
as to wonder at any thing you please to employ yourself about; nor
would give way to a curiosity that should be troublesome to you: And,
besides, I know your large possessions; and the method you take of
looking yourself into your affairs, must needs take up so much of your
time, that I ought to be very careful how I intrude upon you.
Well, said he, but I’ll tell you what has been my last work I have
taken it into my consideration, that, at present, my line is almost
extinct; and that the chief part of my maternal estate, in case I die
without issue, will go to another line, and great part of my personal
will fall into such hands, as I shall not care my Pamela should be at
the mercy of. I have, therefore, as human life is uncertain, made such
a disposition of my affairs, as will make you absolutely independent
and happy; as will secure to you the power of doing a great deal of
good, and living as a person ought to do, who is my relict; and shall
put it out of any body’s power to molest your father and mother, in the
provision I design them, for the remainder of their days: And I have
finished all this very morning, except to naming trustees for you; and
if you have any body you would confide in more than another, I would
have you speak.
I was so touched with this mournful instance of his excessive goodness
to me, and the thoughts necessarily flowing from the solemn occasion,
that I was unable to speak; and at last relieved my mind by a violent
fit of weeping; and could only say, clasping my arms around the dear
generous man, How shall I support this! So very cruel, yet so very
kind!
Don’t, my dear, said he, be concerned at what gives me pleasure. I am
not the nearer my end, for having made this disposition; but I think
the putting off these material points, when so many accidents every day
happen, and life is so precarious, is one of the most inexcusable
things in the world. And there are many important points to be thought
of, when life is drawing to its utmost verge; and the mind may be so
agitated and unfit, that it is a most sad thing to put off, to that
time, any of those concerns, which more especially require a
considerate and composed frame of temper, and perfect health and
vigour, to give directions about. My poor friend, Mr. Carlton, who died
in my arms so lately; and had a mind disturbed by worldly
considerations on one side; a weakness of body, through the violence of
his distemper, on another; and the concerns of still as much more
moment, as the soul is to the body, on a third; made so great an
impression upon me then, that I was the more impatient to come to this
house, where were most of my writings, in order to make the disposition
I have now perfected: And since it is grievous to my dear girl, I will
myself think of such trustees as shall be most for her benefit. I have
only, therefore, to assure you, my dear, that in this instance, as I
will do in any other I can think of, I have studied to make you quite
easy, free, and independent. And because I shall avoid all occasions,
for the future, which may discompose you, I have but one request to
make; which is, that if it please God, for my sins, to separate me from
my dearest Pamela, you will only resolve not to marry one person; for I
would not be such a Herod, as to restrain you from a change of
condition with any other, however reluctantly I may think of any other
person’s succeeding me in your esteem.
I could not answer, and thought my heart would have burst: And he
continued, To conclude at once a subject that is so grievous to you, I
will tell you, my Pamela, that this person is Mr. Williams. And now I
will acquaint you with my motive for this request; which is wholly
owing to my niceness, and to no dislike I have for him, or apprehension
of any likelihood that it will be so: but, methinks it would reflect a
little upon my Pamela, if she was to give way to such a conduct, as if