Well, well, says she; as he seems very desirous you should not stay, I
hope it is from a good motive; for fear he should be tempted to disgrace
himself as well as you. No, no, Mrs. Jervis, said I; I have thought
of that too; for I would be glad to consider him with that duty that
becomes me: but then he would have let me go to Lady Davers, and not
have hindered my preferment: and he would not have said, I should return
to my poverty and distress, when, by his mother's goodness, I had been
lifted out of it; but that he intended to fright me, and punish me, as
he thought, for not complying with his wickedness: And this shews me
well enough what I have to expect from his future goodness, except I
will deserve it at his own dear price.
She was silent; and I added, Well, there's no more to be said; I must
go, that's certain: All my concern will be how to part with you: and,
indeed, after you, with every body; for all my fellow-servants have
loved me, and you and they will cost me a sigh, and a tear too, now and
then, I am sure. And so I fell a crying: I could not help it. For it
is a pleasant thing to one to be in a house among a great many
fellow-servants, and be beloved by them all.
Nay, I should have told you before now, how kind and civil Mr. Longman
our steward is; vastly courteous, indeed, on all occasions! And he said
once to Mrs. Jervis, he wished he was a young man for my sake; I should
be his wife, and he would settle all he had upon me on marriage; and,
you must know, he is reckoned worth a power of money.
I take no pride in this; but bless God, and your good examples, my dear
parents, that I have been enabled so to carry myself, as to have every
body's good word; Not but our cook one day, who is a little snappish and
cross sometimes, said once to me, Why this Pamela of ours goes as fine
as a lady. See what it is to have a fine face!--I wonder what the girl
will come to at last!
She was hot with her work; and I sneaked away; for I seldom go down into
the kitchen; and I heard the butler say, Why, Jane, nobody has your good
word: What has Mrs. Pamela done to you? I am sure she offends nobody.
And what, said the peevish wench, have I said to her, foolatum; but that
she was pretty? They quarrelled afterwards, I heard: I was sorry for it,
but troubled myself no more about it. Forgive this silly prattle, from