been in bed with thy master; and art sorry for it, and for the mischief
thou hast occasioned between him and me; and then I’ll pity thee, and
persuade him to pack thee off, with a hundred or two of guineas; and
some honest farmer may take pity of thee, and patch up thy shame, for
the sake of the money; and if nobody will have thee, thou must vow
penitence, and be as humble as I once thought thee.
I was quite sick at heart, at all this passionate extravagance, and to
be hindered from being where was the desire of my soul, and afraid too
of incurring my dear master’s displeasure; and, as I sat, I saw it was
no hard matter to get out of the window into the front yard, the
parlour being even with the yard, and so have a fair run for it; and
after I had seen my lady at the other end of the room again, in her
walks, having not pulled down the sash, when I spoke to Mrs. Jewkes, I
got upon the seat, and whipped out in a minute, and ran away as hard as
I could drive, my lady calling after me to return, and her woman at the
other window: But two of her servants appearing at her crying out, and
she bidding them to stop me, I said, Touch me at your peril, fellows!
But their lady’s commands would have prevailed on them, had not Mr.
Colbrand, who, it seems, had been kindly ordered, by Mrs. Jewkes, to be
within call, when she saw how I was treated, come up, and put on one of
his deadly fierce looks, the only time, I thought, it ever became him,
and said, He would chine the man, that was his word, who offered to
touch his lady; and so he ran alongside of me; and I heard my lady say,
The creature flies like a bird! And, indeed, Mr. Colbrand, with his
huge strides, could hardly keep pace with me; and I never stopped, till
I got to the chariot; and Robert had got down, seeing me running at a
distance, and held the door in his hand, with the step ready down; and
in I jumped, without touching the step, saying, Drive me, drive me, as
fast as you can, out of my lady’s reach! And he mounted; and Colbrand
said, Don’t be frightened, madam; nobody shall hurt you.—And shut the
door, and away Robert drove; but I was quite out of breath, and did not
recover it, and my fright, all the way.
Mr. Colbrand was so kind, but I did not know it till the chariot
stopped at Sir Simon’s, to step up behind the carriage, lest, as he
said, my lady should send after me; and he told Mrs. Jewkes, when he
got home, that he never saw such a runner as me in his life.
When the chariot stopped, which was not till six o’clock, so long did
this cruel lady keep me, Miss Darnford ran out to me: O madam, said
she, ten times welcome! but you’ll be beat, I can tell you! for here
has been Mr. B—— come these two hours, and is very angry with you.
That’s hard indeed, said I;—Indeed I can’t afford it;—for I hardly knew
what I said, having not recovered my fright. Let me sit down, miss, any
where, said I; for I have been sadly off. So I sat down, and was quite
sick with the hurry of my spirits, and leaned upon her arm.
Said she, Your lord and master came in very moody; and when he had
staid an hour, and you not come, he began to fret, and said, He did not
expect so little complaisance from you. And he is now sat down, with
great persuasion, to a game at loo.—Come, you must make your
appearance, lady fair; for he is too sullen to attend you, I doubt.
You have no strangers, have you miss? said I.—Only two women relations
from Stamford, replied she, and an humble servant of one of them.—Only
all the world, miss! said I.—What shall I do, if he be angry? I can’t
bear that.
Just as I had said so, came in Lady Darnford and Lady Jones to chide
me, as they said, for not coming sooner. And before I could speak, came
in my dear master. I ran to him. How dy’e Pamela? said he; and saluting
me, with a little more formality than I could well bear.—I expected
half a word from me, when I was so complaisant to your choice, would
have determined you, and that you’d have been here to dinner;—and the
rather, as I made my request a reasonable one, and what I thought would
be agreeable to you. O dear sir, said I, pray, pray, hear me, and
you’ll pity me, and not be displeased! Mrs. Jewkes will tell you, that
as soon as I had your kind commands, I said, I would obey you, and come
to dinner with these good ladies; and so prepared myself instantly,
with all the pleasure in the world. Lady Darnford and miss said I was
their dear!—Look you, said miss, did I not tell you, stately one, that
something must have happened? But, O these tyrants! these men!
Why, what hindered it, my dear? said he: give yourself time; you seem
out of breath!—O sir, said I, out of breath! well I may!—For, just as I
was ready to come away, who should drive into the court-yard, but Lady
Davers!—Lady Davers! Nay, then, my sweet dear, said he, and saluted me
more tenderly, hast thou had a worse trial than I wish thee, from one
of the haughtiest women in England, though my sister!—For, she too, my
Pamela, was spoiled by my good mother!—But have you seen her?
Yes, sir, said I, and more than seen her!—Why sure, said he, she has
not had the insolence to strike my girl!—Sir, said I, but tell me you
forgive me; for indeed I could not come sooner; and these good ladies
but excuse me; and I’ll tell you all another time; for to take up the
good company’s attention now, will spoil their pleasantry, and be to
them, though more important to me, like the broken china you cautioned
me about.
That’s a dear girl! said he; I see my hints are not thrown away upon
you; and I beg pardon for being angry with you; and, for the future,
will stay till I hear your defence, before I judge you. Said Miss
Darnford, This is a little better! To own a fault is some reparation;
and what every lordly husband will not do. He said, But tell me, my
dear, did Lady Davers offer you any incivility? O sir, replied I, she
is your sister, and I must not tell you all; but she has used me very
severely! Did you tell her, said he, you were married? Yes, sir, I did
at last; but she will have it ’tis a sham-marriage, and that I am a
vile creature: and she was ready to beat me, when I said so: for she
could not have patience, that I should be deemed her sister, as she
said.
How unlucky it was, replied he, I was not at home?—Why did you not send
to me here? Send, sir! I was kept prisoner by force. They would not let
me stir, or do you think I would have been hindered from obeying you?
Nay, I told them, that I had a pre-engagement; but she ridiculed me,
and said, Waiting-maids talk of pre-engagements! And then I shewed her
your kind letter; and she made a thousand remarks upon it, and made me
wish I had not. In short, whatever I could do or say, there was no
pleasing her; and I was a creature and wench, and all that was naught.
But you must not be angry with her on my account.
Well, but, said he, I suppose she hardly asked you to dine with her;
for she came before dinner, I presume, if it was soon after you had
received my letter! No, sir, dine with my lady! no, indeed! Why, she
would make me wait at table upon her, with her woman, because she would
not expose herself and me before the men-servants; which you know, sir,
was very good of her ladyship.
Well, said he, but did you wait upon her? Would you have had me, sir?
said I.—Only, Pamela, replied he, if you did, and knew not what
belonged to your character, as my wife, I shall be very angry with you.
Sir, said I, I did not, but refused it, out of consideration to the
dignity you have raised me to; else, sir, I could have waited on my
knees upon your sister.
Now, said he, you confirm my opinion of your prudence and judgment. She
is an insolent woman, and shall dearly repent it. But, sir, she is to
be excused, because she won’t believe I am indeed married; so don’t be
too angry at her ladyship.
He said, Ladies, pray don’t let us keep you from the company; I’ll only
ask a question or two more, and attend you. Said Lady Jones, I so much
long to hear this story of poor madam’s persecution, that, if it was
not improper, I should be glad to stay. Miss Darnford would stay for
the same reason; my master saying, He had no secrets to ask; and that
it was kind of them to interest themselves in my grievances.
But Lady Darnford went into the company, and told them the cause of my
detention; for, it seems, my dear master loved me too well, to keep to
himself the disappointment my not being here to receive him, was to
him; and they had all given the two Misses Boroughs and Mr. Perry, the
Stamford guests, such a character of me, that they said they were
impatient to see me.
Said my master, But, Pamela, you said they and them: Who had my sister
with her besides her woman? Her nephew, sir, and three footmen on
horseback; and she and her woman were in her chariot and six.
That’s a sad coxcomb, said he: How did he behave to you?—Not
extraordinarily, sir; but I should not complain; for I was even with
him; because I thought I ought not to bear with him as with my lady.
By Heaven! said he, if I knew he behaved unhandsomely to my jewel, I’d
send him home to his uncle without his ears. Indeed, sir, returned I, I
was as hard upon him as he was upon me. Said he, ’Tis kind to say so;
but I believe I shall make them dearly repent their visit, if I find
their behaviour to call for my resentment.
But, sure, my dear, you might have got away when you went to your own
dinner? Indeed, sir, said I, her ladyship locked me in, and would not
let me stir.—So you ha’nt ate any dinner? No, indeed, sir, nor had a
stomach for any. My poor dear, said he. But then, how got you away at
last? O sir, replied I, I jumped out of the parlour window, and ran
away to the chariot, which had waited for me several hours, by the
elm-walk, from the time of my lady’s coming (for I was just going, as I
said); and Mr. Colbrand conducted me through her servants, whom she
called to, to stop me; and was so kind to step behind the chariot,
unknown to me, and saw me safe here.
I’m sure, said he, these insolent creatures must have treated you
vilely. But tell me, what part did Mrs. Jewkes act in this affair? A
very kind part, sir, said I, in my behalf; and I shall thank her for
it. Sweet creature! said he, thou lovest to speak well of every body;
but I hope she deserves it; for she knew you were married.—But come,
we’ll now join the company, and try to forget all you have suffered,
for two or three hours, that we may not tire the company with our
concerns and resume the subject as we go home: and you shall find I
will do you justice, as I ought. But you forgive me, sir, said I, and
are not angry? Forgive you, my dear! returned he—I hope you forgive me!
I shall never make you satisfaction for what you have suffered from me,
and for me! And with those words he led me into the company.
He very kindly presented me to the two stranger ladies, and the
gentleman, and them to me: and Sir Simon, who was at cards, rose from
table, and saluted me: Adad! madam, said he, I’m glad to see you here.
What, it seems you have been a prisoner! ’Twas well you was, or your
spouse and I should have sat in judgment upon you, and condemned you to
a fearful punishment for your first crime of laesae majestatis: (I had
this explained to me afterwards, as a sort of treason against my liege
lord and husband:) for we husbands hereabouts, said he, are resolved to
turn over a new leaf with our wives, and your lord and master shall
shew us the way, I can tell you that. But I see by your eyes, my sweet
culprit, added he, and your complexion, you have had sour sauce to your
sweet meat.
Miss Darnford said, I think we are obliged to our sweet guest, at last;
for she was forced to jump out at a window to come to us. Indeed! said
Mrs. Peters;—and my master’s back being turned, says she, Lady Davers,
when a maiden, was always vastly passionate; but a very good lady when
her passion was over. And she’d make nothing of slapping her maids
about, and begging their pardons afterwards, if they took it patiently;
otherwise she used to say the creatures were even with her.
Ay, said I, I have been a many creatures and wenches, and I know not
what; for these were the names she gave me. And I thought I ought to
act up to the part her dear brother has given me; and so I have but
just escaped a good cuffing.
Miss Boroughs said to her sister, as I overheard, but she did not
design I should, What a sweet creature is this! and then she takes so
little upon her, is so free, so easy, and owns the honour done her, so
obligingly! said Mr. Perry, softly, The loveliest person I ever saw!
Who could have the heart to be angry with her one moment?
Says Miss Darnford, Here, my dearest neighbour, these gentry are
admiring you strangely; and Mr. Perry says, you are the loveliest lady
he ever saw; and he says it to his own mistress’s face too, I’ll assure
you!—Or else, says Miss Boroughs, I should think he much flattered me.
O, madam, you are exceedingly obliging! but your kind opinion ought to
teach me humility, and to reverence so generous a worth as can give a
preference against yourself, where it is so little due. Indeed, madam,
said Miss Nanny Boroughs, I love my sister well; but it would be a high
compliment to any lady, to be deemed worthy a second or third place
after you.
There is no answering such politeness, said I: I am sure Lady Davers
was very cruel to keep me from such company. ’Twas our loss, madam,
says Miss Darnford. I’ll allow it, said I, in degree; for you have all
been deprived, several hours, of an humble admirer.
Mr. Perry said, I never before saw so young a lady shine forth with
such graces of mind and person. Alas! sir, said I, my master coming up,
mine is but a borrowed shine, like that of the moon. Here is the sun,
to whose fervent glow of generosity I owe all the faint lustre, that
your goodness is pleased to look upon with so much kind distinction.
Mr. Perry was pleased to hold up his hands; and the ladies looked upon
one another. And my master said, hearing part of the last sentence,
What’s the pretty subject, that my Pamela is displaying so sweetly her
talents upon?
Oh! sir, said Mr. Perry, I will pronounce you the happiest man in
England: and so said they all.
My master said, most generously, Thank ye, thank ye, thank ye, all
round, my dear friends. I know not your subject; but if you believe me
so, for a single instance of this dear girl’s goodness, what must I
think myself, when blessed with a thousand instances, and experiencing
it in every single act and word! I do assure you my Pamela’s person,
all lovely as you see it, is far short of her mind: That, indeed, first
attracted my admiration, and made me her lover: but they were the
beauties of her mind, that made me her husband; and proud, my sweet
dear, said he, pressing my hand, am I of that title.
Well, said Mr. Perry, very kindly and politely, excellent as your lady
is, I know not the gentleman that could deserve her, but that one who
could say such just and such fine things.
I was all abashed; and took Miss Darnford’s hand, and said, Save me,
dear miss, by your sweet example, from my rising pride. But could I
deserve half these kind things, what a happy creature should I be! said
Miss Darnford, You deserve them all, indeed you do.
The greatest part of the company having sat down to loo, my master
being pressed, said he would take one game at whist; but had rather be
excused too, having been up all night: and I asked how his friend did?
We’ll talk of that, said he, another time; which, and his seriousness,
made me fear the poor gentleman was dead, as it proved.
We cast in, and Miss Boroughs and my master were together, and Mr.
Perry and I; and I had all four honours the first time, and we were up
at one deal. Said my master, An honourable hand, Pamela, should go with
an honourable heart; but you’d not have been up, if a knave had not
been one. Whist, sir, said Mr. Perry, you know, was a court game
originally; and the knave, I suppose, signified always the prime
minister.
’Tis well, said my master, if now there is but one knave in a court,
out of four persons, take the court through.
The king and queen, sir, said Mr. Perry, can do no wrong, you know. So
there are two that must be good out of four; and the ace seems too
plain a card to mean much hurt.
We compliment the king, said my master, in that manner; and ’tis well
to do so, because there is something sacred in the character. But yet,
if force of example be considered, it is going a great way; for
certainly a good master makes a good servant, generally speaking.
One thing, added he, I will say, in regard to the ace: I have always
looked upon that plain and honest looking card in the light you do: and
have considered whist as an English game in its original; which has
made me fonder of it than of any other. For by the ace I have always
thought the laws of the land denoted; and as the ace is above the king
or queen, and wins them, I think the law should be thought so too;
though, may be, I shall be deemed a Whig for my opinion.
I shall never play whist, said Mr. Perry, without thinking of this, and
shall love the game the better for the thought; though I am no
party-man. Nor I, said my master; for I think the distinctions of whig
and tory odious; and love the one or the other only as they are honest
and worthy men; and have never (nor never shall, hope) given a vote,
but according to what I thought was for the public good, let either
whig or tory propose it.
I wish, sir, replied Mr. Perry, all gentlemen in your station would act
so. If there was no undue influence, said my master, I am willing to
think so well of all mankind, that I believe they generally would.
But you see, said he, by my Pamela’s hand, when all the court-cards get
together, and are acted by one mind, the game is usually turned
accordingly: Though now and then, too, it may be so circumstanced, that
honours will do them no good, and they are forced to depend altogether
upon tricks.
I thought this way of talking prettier than the game itself. But I
said, Though I have won the game, I hope I am no trickster. No, said my
master, God forbid but court-cards should sometimes win with honour!
But you see, for all that, your game is as much owing to the knave as
the king; and you, my fair-one, lost no advantage, when it was put into
your power.
Else, sir, said I, I should not have done justice to my partner. You
are certainly right, Pamela, replied he; though you thereby beat your
husband. Sir, said I, you may be my partner next, and I must do
justice, you know. Well, said he, always choose so worthy a friend, as
chance has given you for a partner, and I shall never find fault with
you, do what you will.
Mr. Perry said, You are very good to me, sir; and Miss Boroughs, I
observed, seemed pleased with the compliment to her humble servant; by
which I saw she esteemed him, as he appears to deserve. Dear sir! said
I, how much better is this, than to be locked in by Lady Davers!
The supper was brought in sooner on my account, because I had had no
dinner; and there passed very agreeable compliments on the occasion.
Lady Darnford would help me first, because I had so long fasted, as she
said. Sir Simon would have placed himself next me: And my master said,
He thought it was best, where there was an equal number of ladies and
gentlemen, that they should sit, intermingled, that the gentlemen might
be employed in helping and serving the ladies. Lady Darnford said, She
hoped Sir Simon would not sit above any ladies at his own table
especially. Well, said he, I shall sit over-against her, however, and
that’s as well.
My dearest sir could not keep his eyes off me, and seemed generously
delighted with all I did, and all I said; and every one was pleased to
see his kind and affectionate behaviour to me.
Lady Jones brought up the discourse about Lady Davers again; and my
master said, I fear, Pamela, you have been hardly used, more than
you’ll say. I know my sister’s passionate temper too well, to believe
she could be over-civil to you, especially as it happened so unluckily
that I was out. If, added he, she had no pique to you, my dear, yet
what has passed between her and me, has so exasperated her, that I know
she would have quarrelled with my horse, if she had thought I valued
it, and nobody else was in her way. Dear sir, said I, don’t say so of
good Lady Davers.
Why, my dear, said he, I know she came on purpose to quarrel; and had
she not found herself under a very violent uneasiness, after what had
passed between us, and my treatment of her lord’s letter, she would not
have offered to come near me. What sort of language had she for me,
Pamela? O sir, very good, only her well-mannered brother, and such as
that!
Only, said he, ’tis taking up the attention of the company
disagreeably, or I could tell you almost every word she said. Lady
Jones wished to hear a further account of my lady’s conduct, and most
of the company joined with her, particularly Mrs. Peters; who said,
that as they knew the story, and Lady Davers’s temper, though she was
very good in the main, they could wish to be so agreeably entertained,
if he and I pleased; because they imagined I should have no
difficulties after this.
Tell me, then, Pamela, said he, did she lift up her hand at you? Did
she strike you? But I hope not! A little slap of the hand, said I, or
so.—Insolent woman! She did not, I hope, offer to strike your face?
Why, said I, I was a little saucy once or twice; and she would have
given me a cuff on the ear, if her woman and Mrs. Jewkes had not
interposed. Why did you not come out at the door? Because, said I, her
ladyship sat in the chair against it, one while, and another while
locked it; else I offered several times to get away.
She knew I expected you here: You say, you shewed her my letter to you?
Yes, sir, said I; but I had better not; for she as then more
exasperated, and made strange comments upon it. I doubt it not, said
he; but, did she not see, by the kind epithets in it, that there was no
room to doubt of our being married? O, sir, replied I, and made the
company smile, she said, For that very reason she was sure I was not
married.
That’s like my sister! said he; exactly like her; and yet she lives
very happily herself: for her poor lord never contradicts her. Indeed
he dares not.
You were a great many wenches, were you not, my dear? for that’s a
great word with her.—Yes, sir, said I, wenches and creatures out of
number; and worse than all that. What? tell me, my dear. Sir, said I, I
must not have you angry with Lady Davers; while you are so good to me,
’tis all nothing; only the trouble I have that I cannot be suffered to
shew how much I honoured her ladyship, as your sister.
Well, said he, you need not be afraid to tell me: I must love her after
all; though I shall not be pleased with her on this occasion. I know it
is her love for me, though thus oddly expressed, that makes her so
uneasy: and, after all, she comes, I’m sure, to be reconciled to me;
though it must be through a good hearty quarrel first: for she can shew
a good deal of sunshine; but it must be always after a storm; and I’ll
love her dearly, if she has not been, and will not be, too hard upon my
dearest.
Mr. Peters said, Sir, you are very good, and very kind; I love to see
this complaisance to your sister, though she be in fault, so long as
you can shew it with so much justice to the sweetest innocence and
merit in the world. By all that’s good, Mr. Peters, said he, I’d
present my sister with a thousand pounds, if she would kindly take my
dear Pamela by the hand, and wish her joy, and call her sister!—And yet
I should be unworthy of the dear creature that smiles upon me there, if
it was not principally for her sake, and the pleasure it would give
her, that I say this: for I will never be thoroughly reconciled to my
sister till she does; for I most sincerely think, as to myself, that my
dear wife, there she sits, does me more honour in her new relation,
than she receives from me.
Sir, said I, I am overwhelmed with your goodness!—And my eyes were
filled with tears of joy and gratitude: and all the company with one
voice blessed him. And Lady Jones was pleased to say, The behaviour of
you two happy ones, to each other, is the most edifying I ever knew. I
am always improved when I see you. How happy would every good lady be
with such a gentleman, and every good gentleman with such a lady!—In
short, you seem made for one another.