Pamela, Or Virtue Rewarded

Said she, Did I not love you so well, as sister never loved a brother, I

should not have given you all this trouble. And did I not, said he, love

you better than you are resolved to deserve, I should be indifferent to

all you say. But this last instance, after the duelling story (which

you would not have mentioned, had you not known it is always matter

of concern for me to think upon), of poor Sally Godfrey, is a piece of

spite and meanness, that I can renounce you my blood for.

Well, said she, I am convinced it was wrong. I am ashamed of it myself.

'Twas poor, 'twas mean, 'twas unworthy of your sister: And 'tis for this

reason I stoop to follow you, to beg your pardon, and even to procure

one for my advocate, who I thought had some interest in you, if I might

have believed your own professions to her; which now I shall begin to

think made purposely to insult me.

I care not what you think!--After the meanness you have been guilty of,

I can only look upon you with pity: For, indeed, you have fallen very

low with me. 'Tis plain I have, said she. But I'll begone.--And so, brother, let me

call you for this once! God bless you! And Pamela, said her ladyship,

God bless you! and kissed me, and wept.

I durst say no more: And my lady turning from him, he said, Your sex

is the d---l! how strangely can you discompose, calm, and turn, as

you please, us poor weathercocks of men! Your last kind blessing to my

Pamela I cannot stand! Kiss but each other again. And then he took both

our hands, and joined them; and my lady saluting me again, with tears on

both sides, he put his kind arms about each of our waists, and saluted

us with great affection, saying, Now, God bless you both, the two

dearest creatures I have in the world!

Well, said she, you will quite forget my fault about Miss--He stopt her

before she could speak the name, and said, For ever forget it!--And,

Pamela, I'll forgive you too, if you don't again make my displeasure so

light a thing to you, as you did just now. Said my lady,

She did not make your displeasure a light thing to her;

but the heavier it was, the higher compliment she made me, that she

would bear it all, rather than not see you and me reconciled. No matter

for that, said he: It was either an absence of thought, or a slight

by implication, at least, that my niceness could not bear from her

tenderness: For looked it not presuming, that she could stand my

displeasure, or was sure of making her terms when she pleased? Which,

fond as I am of her, I assure her, will not be always, in wilful faults,

in her power. Nay, said my lady, I can tell you, Pamela, you have a gentleman here

in my brother; and you may expect such treatment from him, as that

character, and his known good sense and breeding, will always oblige him

to shew: But if you offend, the Lord have mercy upon you!--You see how

it is by poor me!--And yet I never knew him to forgive so soon.