Letter VI
DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER,
My master has been very kind since my last; for he has given me a suit
of my late lady's clothes, and half a dozen of her shifts, and six fine
handkerchiefs, and three of her cambric aprons, and four holland ones.
The clothes are fine silk, and too rich and too good for me, to be sure.
I wish it was no affront to him to make money of them, and send it to
you: it would do me more good.
You will be full of fears, I warrant now, of some design upon me, till I
tell you, that he was with Mrs. Jervis when he gave them me; and he gave
her a mort of good things, at the same time, and bid her wear them in
remembrance of her good friend, my lady, his mother. And when he gave me
these fine things, he said, These, Pamela, are for you; have them made
fit for you, when your mourning is laid by, and wear them for your good
mistress's sake. Mrs. Jervis gives you a very good word; and I would
have you continue to behave as prudently as you have done hitherto, and
every body will be your friend.
I was so surprised at his goodness, that I could not tell what to say.
I courtesied to him, and to Mrs. Jervis for her good word; and said, I
wished I might be deserving of his favour, and her kindness: and nothing
should be wanting in me, to the best of my knowledge.
O how amiable a thing is doing good!--It is all I envy great folks for.
I always thought my young master a fine gentleman, as every body says he
is: but he gave these good things to us both with such a graciousness,
as I thought he looked like an angel.
Mrs. Jervis says, he asked her, If I kept the men at a distance? for, he
said, I was very pretty; and to be drawn in to have any of them, might
be my ruin, and make me poor and miserable betimes. She never is wanting
to give me a good word, and took occasion to launch out in my praise,
she says. But I hope she has said no more than I shall try to deserve,
though I mayn't at present. I am sure I will always love her, next to
you and my dear mother. So I rest
Your ever dutiful DAUGHTER.
Letter VII
DEAR FATHER,
Since my last, my master gave me more fine things. He called me up to my
late lady's closet, and, pulling out her drawers, he gave me two suits
of fine Flanders laced headclothes, three pair of fine silk shoes, two
hardly the worse, and just fit for me, (for my lady had a very little
foot,) and the other with wrought silver buckles in them; and several
ribands and top-knots of all colours; four pair of white fine cotton
stockings, and three pair of fine silk ones; and two pair of rich stays.
I was quite astonished, and unable to speak for a while; but yet I was
inwardly ashamed to take the stockings; for Mrs. Jervis was not there:
If she had, it would have been nothing. I believe I received them very
awkwardly; for he smiled at my awkwardness, and said, Don't blush,
Pamela: Dost think I don't know pretty maids should wear shoes and
stockings? I was so confounded at these words, you might have beat me down with a
feather. For you must think, there was no answer to be made to this: So,
like a fool, I was ready to cry; and went away courtesying and blushing,
I am sure, up to the ears; for, though there was no harm in what he
said, yet I did not know how to take it. But I went and told all to Mrs.
Jervis, who said, God put it into his heart to be good to me; and I must
double my diligence. It looked to her, she said, as if he would fit me
in dress for a waiting-maid's place on Lady Davers's own person.