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dear good lady departed, could have so forfeited his honour, as to
endeavour to destroy a virtue he ought to protect. No more of this, Mrs.
Jervis! said he; I will not hear it. As for Pamela, she has a lucky
knack of falling into fits, when she pleases. But the cursed yellings of
you both made me not myself. I intended no harm to her, as I told you
both, if you'd have left your squallings: And I did no harm neither, but
to myself; for I raised a hornet's nest about my ears, that, as far as I
know, may have stung to death my reputation. Sir, said Mrs. Jervis, then
I beg Mr. Longman may take my accounts, and I will go away as soon as I
can. As for Pamela, she is at her liberty, I hope, to go away next
Thursday, as she intends?
I sat still; for I could not speak nor look up, and his presence
discomposed me extremely; but I was sorry to hear myself the unhappy
occasion of Mrs. Jervis's losing her place, and hope that may be still
made up.
Well, said he, let Mr. Longman make up your accounts, as soon as you
will; and Mrs. Jewkes (who is his housekeeper in Lincolnshire) shall come
hither in your place, and won't be less obliging, I dare say, than you
have been. Said she, I have never disobliged you till now; and let me
tell you, sir, if you knew what belonged to your own reputation or
honour--No more, no more, said he, of these antiquated topics. I have
been no bad friend to you; and I shall always esteem you, though you have
not been so faithful to my secrets as I could have wished, and have laid
me open to this girl, which has made her more afraid of me than she had
occasion. Well, sir, said she, after what passed yesterday, and last
night, I think I went rather too far in favour of your injunctions than
otherwise; and I should have deserved every body's censure, as the basest
of creatures, had I been capable of contributing to your lawless
attempts. Still, Mrs. Jervis, still reflecting upon me, and all for
imaginary faults! for what harm have I done the girl?--I won't bear it,
I'll assure you. But yet, in respect to my mother, I am willing to part
friendly with you though you ought both of you to reflect on the freedom
of your conversation, in relation to me; which I should have resented
more than I do, but that I am conscious I had no business to demean
myself so as to be in your closet, where I might have expected to hear a
multitude of impertinence between you.
Well, sir, said she, you have no objection, I hope, to Pamela's going
away on Thursday next? You are mighty solicitous, said he, about Pamela:
But no, not I; let her go as soon as she will: She is a naughty girl, and
has brought all this upon herself; and upon me more trouble than she can
have had from me: But I have overcome it all, and will never concern
myself about her.
I have a proposal made me, added he, since I have been out this morning,
that I shall go near to embrace; and so wish only, that a discreet use
may be made of what is past; and there's an end of every thing with me,
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