“My mother said, she had two reasons not to speak of it to Pamela:  one to oblige me:  the other and chief, because it would break the poor innocent girl’s heart, to be suspected.  ‘Poor dear child!’ said she, ’whither can she go, to be so happy as with me?  Would it not be inevitable ruin to her to leave me?  There is nobody comes after her:  she receives no letters, but now-and-then one from her father and mother, and those she shews me.’

“‘Well,’ replied I, ’I hope she can have no design; ’twould be strange if she had formed any to leave so good a mistress; but you can’t be sure all the letters she receives are from her father; and her shewing to you those he writes, looks like a cloak to others she may receive from another hand.  But it can be no harm to have an eye upon her.  You don’t know, Madam, what tricks there are in the world.’

“’Not I, indeed; but only this I know, that the girl shall be under no restraint, if she is resolved to leave me, well as I love her.’

“Mrs. Jervis said, she would have an eye upon Pamela, in obedience to my command, but she was sure there was no need; nor would she so much wound the poor child’s peace, as to mention the matter to her.

“This I suffered to blow off, and seemed to my mother to have so good an opinion of her Pamela, that I was sorry, as I told her, I had such a surmise:  saying, that though the fellow and the pillion were odd circumstances, yet I dared to say, there was nothing in it:  for I doubted not, the girl’s duty and gratitude would hinder her from doing a foolish or rash thing.

“This my mother heard with pleasure:  although my motive was but to lay Pamela on the thicker to her, when she was to be told she had escaped.

“She was glad I was not an enemy to the poor child.  ’Pamela has no friend but me,’ continued she; ’and if I don’t provide for her, I shall have done her more harm than good (as you and your aunt B. have often said,) in the accomplishments I have given her:  and yet the poor girl, I see that,’ added she, ’would not be backward to turn her hand to any thing for the sake of an honest livelihood, were she put to it; which, if it please God to spare me, and she continues good, she never shall be.’

“I wonder not, Pamela, at your tears on this occasion.  Your lady was an excellent woman, and deserved this tribute to her memory.  All my pleasure now is, that she knew not half my wicked pranks, and that I did not vex her worthy heart in the prosecution of this scheme; which would have given me a severe sting, inasmuch as I might have apprehended, with too much reason, that I had shortened her days by the knowledge of the one and the other.