my own, when he was told, upon inquiry, that I was in my closet.

I heard his welcome step, as he came up stairs; which generally, after a longer absence than I expect, has such an effect upon my fond heart, that it gives a responsive throb for every step he takes towards me, and beats quicker and faster, as he comes nearer and nearer, till tapping my breast, I say to it sometimes, Lie still, busy fool as thou art! Canst thou not forbear letting thy discerning lord see thy nonsensical emotions? I love to indulge thee in them, myself, it is true, but then let nobody else observe them; for, generous as thy master is, thou may'st not perhaps meet with such favourable interpretations as thou deservest, when thou art always fluttering thus as he approaches, and playest off all thy little joyful frolics into the glowing cheek and brightened eye of thy mistress; which makes her look as if she were conscious of some misdemeanour; when, all the time, it is nothing in the world but grateful joy, and a love so innocent that the purest mind might own it.

This little flutter and chiding of the busy simpleton made me meet him but at the closet door, instead of the entrance of my chamber, as sometimes I do. So, my dear love, how do you? folding his kind arms about me, and saluting me with ardour. Whenever I have been but a few hours from you, my impatience to see my beloved will not permit me to stand upon the formality of a message to know how you are engaged; but I break in upon you, even in my ridingdress, as you see.

Dear sir, you are very obliging. But I have no notion of mere formalities of this kind (how unpolite this, my dear, in your friend!) in a married state, since 'tis impossible a virtuous wife can be employed about anything that her husband may not know: and so need not fear surprises.

I am glad to hear you say this, my Pamela; for I have always thought the extraordinary civilities and distances of this kind, which I have observed among several persons of rank, altogether unaccountable. For, if they are exacted

by the lady, I should suspect she had reserves, which she herself believed I could not approve of. If not exacted, but practised of choice by the gentleman, it carries with it, in my opinion, a false air of politeness, little less than affrontive to the lady, and dishonourable to himself; for does it not look as if he supposed, and allowed, that probably she might be so employed that it was necessary to apprise her of his visit, lest he should make discoveries not to her credit, or his own?

One would not, sir (for I thought his conclusion too severe), make such a harsh supposition as this neither: for there are little delicacies and moments of retirement, no doubt, in which a modest lady would be glad to be indulged by the tenderest husband.

It may be so, in an early matrimony, before the lady's confidence in the honour and discretion of the man she has chosen, has disengaged her from her bridal reserves.

Bridal reserves! dear sir; permit me to give it, as my humble opinion, that a wife's behaviour ought to be as pure and circumspect, in degree, as that of a bride, or even of a maiden lady, be her confidence in her husband's honour and discretion ever so great. For indeed I think a gross or a careless demeanour little becomes that modesty which is the peculiar excellency and distinction of our

sex.

You account very well, my dear, by what you now say, for your own over-nice behaviour, as I have sometimes thought it. But are we not all apt to argue for a practice we make our own, because we do make it our own, rather than from the reason of the thing?

I hope, sir, that is not the present case with me; for, permit me to say, that an over-free or negligent behaviour of a lady in the married state, must be a mark of disrespect to her consort; and would show, as if she was very little solicitous about what appearance she made in his eye. And must not this beget in him a slight opinion of her, and her sex too, as if, supposing the gentleman had been a free liver, she would convince him there was no other

difference in the sex, but as they were within or without the pale; licensed by the law, or acting in defiance of it?

I understand the force of your argument, Pamela. But you were going to say something more.

Only, sir, permit me to add, that when, in my particular case, you enjoin me to appear before you always dressed,* even in the early part of the day, it would be wrong if I was less regardful of my behaviour and actions than of

my appearance.

I believe you are right, my dear, if a precise or unnecessary scrupulousness be avoided, and where all is unaffected, easy, and natural, as in my Pamela: for I have seen married ladies, both in England and France, who have kept a husband at greater distance than they have exacted from some of his sex, who have been more entitled to his resentment than to his wife's intimacies.

But to wave a subject, in which, as I can with pleasure say, neither of us have much concern, tell me, my dearest, how you were employed before I came up? Here are pen and ink: here too is paper; but it is as spotless as your mind. To whom were you directing your favours now? May I not know your subject?

Mr. H's letter was a part of it; and so I had put it by at his approach; and not choosing he should see that, I am writing, replied I, to Miss Darnford: but I think you must not ask me to see what I have written this time. I put it aside, that you should not, when I heard your welcome step. The subject is our parting with our noble guests; and a little of my apprehensiveness on an occasion upon which our sex may write to one another; but, for some of the reasons we have been mentioning, gentlemen should not desire to see.

Then I will not, my dearest love-(So here, my dear, is another instance-I could give you an hundred such-of his receding from his own will, in complaisance to mine) -only, continued he, let me warn you against too much apprehensiveness, for your own sake, as well as mine; for *See vol. ii. pp. 2 and 7.

such a mind as my Pamela's I cannot permit to be habitually overclouded. And yet there now hangs upon your brow an over-thoughtfulness which you must not indulge.

Indeed, sir, I was a little too thoughtful, from my subject, before you came; but your presence, like the sun, has dissipated the mists that hung upon my mind. See you not, and I pressed his hand with my lips, they are all gone already? smiling upon him, with a delight unfeigned.

Not quite, my dearest Pamela; and therefore, if you have no objection, I will change my dress, and attend you in the chariot for an hour or two, whither you please, that not one shadow may remain visible in this dear face; tenderly saluting me.

Whithersoever you please, sir. A little airing with you will be highly agreeable to me.

The dear obliger went and changed his dress in an instant; and he led me to the chariot, with his usual tender politeness, and we had a charming airing of several miles; returning quite happy, cheerful, and delighted, with each other's conversation: without calling in upon any of our good neighbours: for what need of that, my dear, when we could be the best company in the world to each other?

Do these instances come up to your questions, my dear? or, do they not?-If you think not, I could give you our conversation in the chariot; for I wrote it down, at my first leisure, so highly was I delighted with it: for the subject was my dearest parents; a subject started by himself, because he knew it would oblige me. But being tired with writing, I may reserve it till I have the pleasure of seeing you, if you think it worth asking for. And so I will hasten to a conclusion of this long letter.

You will perceive, my dear, by what I have written, in what sense it may be justly said, that Mr. B— is most complaisant to me before company; perhaps politically, as you say, to do credit to his own generous choice:-But that he is more tender, yea, respectfully tender (for that

is the word with you), and not less polite to me, in our retired hours, you will have no doubt, from what I have related; and could further relate, if it were necessary: for every day produces instances equal to what I have given you.

Then, my dear, let me say to you, what I could not so freely say to any other young lady; that I never could have hoped I should be so happy as I am, in other particulars, from a gentleman who has given himself the liberties Mr. B has done: for I never hear from him, in company, or when alone, the least shocking expression, or such frothy jests as tend to convey impure ideas to the most apprehensive mind. There is indeed the less wonder in this, and that we can glory in a true conjugal chastity, as I have the vanity to think his love, as well as my own, is the love of the mind, rather than that of person; and our tenderest and most affecting moments are those which lift us up above sense, and all that sense can imagine. But this is a subject too delicate to be dwelt upon, even to you and you will better comprehend all I mean, when your pure mind meets with a gentleman of exalted sense, like Mr. B——, whom, if you find him not so good as you wish, your example will make so.

Permit me to add, for the sake of you, my dear parents, as well as for the sakes of my much respected friends, who have joined in the kind caution you so obligingly give me, against getting into too thoughtful and gloomy a way, that there is no great fear I should continue long in it, when I have so kind and so generous a comforter as Mr. B——. For, at his presence, all my fearful apprehensions are dissipated, and vanish like a morning dream. And, depend upon it, that so sure as the day succeeds to the night, so sure will my mind, while capable of the least sense of gratitude, be illuminated the moment he shines out upon me, let it be ever so overcast in his absence, through imaginary doubts, and apprehended evils.

I have only farther to add, for my comfort, that next Thursday se'nnight, if nothing hinders, we are to set out

VOL. III.

C