They turned away with tears; and Mrs. Worden would have said something to me, but could not.—­Only both taking Mrs. Jervis by the hand, “Happy Mrs. Jervis!” said they, almost in a breath.  “And happy I too,” repeated I, “in my Mrs. Jervis, and in such kind well-wishers as Mrs. Worden and Mrs. Lesley.  Wear this, Mrs. Worden;—­wear this, Mrs. Lesley, for my sake:”  and to each I gave a ring, with a crystal and brilliants set about it, which Mr. B. had bought a week before for this purpose:  he has a great opinion of both the good folks, and often praised their prudence, and quiet and respectful behaviour to every body, so different from the impertinence (that was his word) of most ladies’ women who are favourites.

Mrs. Jervis said, “I have enjoyed many happy hours in your conversation, Mrs. Worden and Mrs. Lesley:  I shall miss you very much.”

“I must endeavour,” said I, taking her hand, “to make it up to you, my good friend, as well as I can.  And of late we have not had so many opportunities together as I should have wished, had I not been so agreeably engaged as you know.  So we must each try to comfort the other, when we have lost, I such noble, and you such worthy companions.”

Mrs. Jervis’s honest heart, before touched by the parting, shewed itself at her eyes.  “Wonder not,” said I, to the two gentlewomen, wiping with my handkerchief her venerable cheeks, “that I always thus endeavour to dry up all my good Mrs. Jervis’s tears;” and then I kissed her, thinking of you, my dear mother; and I was forced to withdraw a little abruptly, lest I should be too much moved myself; for had our departing company enquired into the occasion, they would perhaps have thought it derogatory (though I should not) to my present station, and too much retrospecting to my former.

I could not, in conversation between Mr. B. and myself, when I was gratefully expatiating upon the amiable characters of our noble guests, and of their behaviour and kindness to me, help observing, that I had little expected, from some hints which formerly dropt from Mr. B., to find my good Lord Davers so polite and so sensible a man.

“He is a very good-natured man,” replied Mr. B.  “I believe I might once or twice drop some disrespectful words of him.  But it was the effect of passion at the time, and with a view to two or three points of his conduct in public life; for which I took the liberty to find fault with him, and received very unsatisfactory excuses.  One of these, I remember, was in a conference between a committee of each house of parliament, in which he behaved in a way I could not wish from a man so nearly allied to me by marriage; for all he could talk of, was the dignity of their house, when the reason of the thing was strong with the other; and it fell to my lot to answer what he said; which I did with some asperity; and this occasioned a coolness between us for some time.

“But no man makes a better figure in private life than Lord Davers; especially now that my sister’s good sense has got the better of her passions, and she can behave with tolerable decency towards him.  For once, Pamela, it was not so:  the violence of her spirit making him appear in a light too little advantageous either to his quality or merit.  But now he improves upon me every time I see him.