You must know then, that my dearest spouse commands me, with his kind respects, to tell you, he has thought of a method to make your worthy hearts easy; those were his words:  “And this is,” said he, “by putting that whole estate, with the new purchase, under your father’s care, as I at first intended:  he shall receive and pay, and order every thing as he pleases:  and Longman, who grows in years, shall be eased of that burden.  Your father writes a very legible hand, and shall take what assistants he pleases; and do you, Pamela, see that this new task be made as easy and pleasant to him as possible.  He shall make up his accounts only to you, my dear.  And there will be several pleasures arise to me upon it:  first, that it will be a relief to honest Longman, who has business enough on his hands.  Next, it will make the good couple easy, to have an opportunity of enjoying that as their due, which now their too grateful hearts give them so many causeless scruples about.  Thirdly, it will employ your father’s time, more suitably to your liking and mine, because with more ease to himself; for you see his industrious will cannot be satisfied without doing something.  In the fourth place, the management of this estate will gain him more respect and reverence among the tenants and his neighbours:  and yet be all in his own way.  For,” added he, “you’ll see, that it is always one point in view with me, to endeavour to convince every one, that I esteem and value them for their own intrinsic merit, and want not any body to distinguish them in any other light than that in which they have been accustomed to appear.”

So, my dear father, the instrument will be drawn, and brought you by honest Mr. Longman, who will be with you in a few days to put the last hand to the new purchase, and to give you possession of your new commission, if you accept it, as I hope you will; and the rather, for my dear Mr. B.’s third reason; and knowing that this trust will be discharged as worthily and as sufficiently, after you are used to it, as if Mr. Longman himself was in it—­and better it cannot be.  Mr. Longman is very fond of this relief, and longs to be down to settle every thing with you, as to the proper powers, the method, &c.  And he says, in his usual phrase, that he’ll make it as easy to you as a glove.

If you do accept it, my dear Mr. B. will leave every thing to you, as to rent, where not already fixed, and, likewise, as to acts of kindness and favour to be done where you think proper; and he says, that, with his bad qualities, he was ever deemed a kind landlord; and that I can confirm in fifty instances to his honour:  “So that the old gentleman,” said he, “need not be afraid of being put upon severe or harsh methods of proceeding, where things will do without; and he can always befriend an honest man; by which means the province will be entirely such a one as suits with his inclination.  If any thing difficult or perplexing arises,” continued he,