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surprise, 'what am I doing? I have trusted myself with a man alone, naked in bed; suppose you should have เ any wicked intentions upon my honour, how should I 'defend myself?' Joseph protested that he never had the least evil design against her. 'No,' says she, 'perhaps you may not call your designs wicked; and perhaps they are not so.' He swore they were not. • You misunderstand me,' says she; 'I mean, if they were against my honour, they may not be wicked; but the 'world calls them so. But then, say you, the world will 'never know any thing of the matter; yet would not that

be trusting to your secrecy? Must not my reputation 'be then in your power? Would you not then be my 'master?' Joseph begged her ladyship to be comforted; for that he would never imagine the least wicked thing against her, and that he had rather die a thousand deaths than give her any reason to suspect him. "Yes,' said she, 'I must have reason to suspect you. Are you not a man? and without vanity I may pretend to some charms. But perhaps you may fear I should prosecute you; indeed I hope you do; and yet heaven knows I should never have the confidence to appear before a court of 'justice; and you know, Joey, I am of a forgiving เ temper. Tell me, Joey, don't you think I should forgive you?'' Indeed, Madam,' says Joseph, 'I will never do anything to disoblige your ladyship.' 'How,' says she, do you think it would not disoblige me then? Do you think I would willingly suffer you?'-'I don't 'understand you, Madam,' says Joseph.-' Don't you?' said she, then you are either a fool, or pretend to be so; 'I find I was mistaken in you. So get you down stairs, ' and never let me see your face again; your pretended 'innocence cannot impose on me.'-' Madam,' said Joseph, I would not have your ladyship think any 'evil of me. I have always endeavoured to be a dutiful

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'servant both to you and my master.'-' O thou villain!' answered my lady; why didst thou mention the name of that dear man, unless to torment me, to bring his precious memory to my mind,' (and then she burst into a fit of tears). Get thee from my sight! I shall never 'endure thee more.' At which words she turned away from him; and Joseph retreated from the room in a most disconsolate condition, and writ that letter which the reader will find in the next chapter.

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CHAPTER VI.

How Joseph Andrews writ a letter to his sister Pamela. 'To Mrs. Pamela Andrews, living with Squire Booby. 'Dear Sister,

SINCE I received your letter of your good lady's death, เ we have had a misfortune of the same kind in our 'family. My worthy master Sir Thomas died about four days ago; and, what is worse, my poor lady is certainly gone distracted. None of the servants expected her to 'take it so to heart, because they quarrelled almost every 'day of their lives: but no more of that, because you 'know, Pamela, I never loved to tell the secrets of my 'master's family; but to be sure you must have known they never loved one another; and I have heard her 'ladyship wish his honour dead above a thousand times; 'but nobody knows what it is to lose a friend till they 'have lost him.

'Don't tell anybody what I write, because I should not 'care to have folks say I discover what passes in our family; but if it had not been so great a lady, I should

have thought she had had a mind to me.

Dear Pamela,

' don't tell any body: but she ordered me to sit down by her bed-side, when she was naked in bed; and she held my hand, and talked exactly as a lady does to her sweetheart in a stage-play, which I have seen in Covent 'Garden, while she wanted him to be no better than he 'should be.

'If Madam be mad, I shall not care for staying long in the family; so I heartily wish you could get me a place, either at the squire's or some other neighbouring gentleman's, unless it be true that you are going to be married 'to parson Williams, as folks talk, and then I should be very willing to be his clerk; for which you know I am . qualified, being able to read, and to set a psalm.

'I fancy I shall be discharged very soon; and the moment I am, unless I hear from you, I shall return to my old master's country seat, if it be only to see parson Adams, who is the best man in the world. London is a 'bad place, and there is so little good fellowship, that the 'next-door neighbours don't know one another. Pray give my service to all friends that inquire for me; so I

• rest

'Your loving brother,

เ JOSEPH ANDrews.'

As soon as Joseph had sealed and directed this letter he walked down stairs, where he met Mrs. Slipslop, with whom we shall take this opportunity to bring the reader a little better acquainted. She was a maiden gentlewoman of about forty-five years of age, who having made a small slip in her youth, had continued a good maid ever since. She was not at this time remarkably handsome; being very short, and rather too corpulent in body, and somewhat red, with the addition of pimples in the face. Her nose was likewise rather too large, and her

eyes too

little; nor did she resemble a cow so much in her breath, as in two brown globes which she carried before her; one of her legs was also a little shorter than the other, which occasioned her to limp as she walked. This fair creature had long cast the eyes of affection on Joseph, in which she had not met with quite so good success as she probably wished, though, beside the allurements of her native charms, she had given him tea, sweetmeats, wine, and many other delicacies, of which, by keeping the keys, she had the absolute command. Joseph, however, had not returned the least gratitude to all these favours, not even so much as a kiss; though I would not insinuate she was so easily to be satisfied; for surely then he would have been highly blameable. The truth is, she was arrived at an age when she thought she might indulge herself in any liberties with a man, without the danger of bringing a third person into the world to betray them. She imagined that by so long a self-denial she had not only made amends for the small slip in her youth above hinted at, but had likewise laid up a quantity of merit to excuse any future failings. In a word, she resolved to give a loose to her amorous inclinations, and to pay off the debt of pleasure which she found she owed herself, as fast as possible.

With these charms of person, and in this disposition of mind, she encountered poor Joseph at the bottom of the stairs, and asked him, if he would drink a glass of something good this morning. Joseph, whose spirits were not a little cast down, very readily and thankfully accepted the offer; and together they went into a closet, where, having delivered him a full glass of ratafia, and desired him to sit down, Mrs. Slipslop thus began :

'Sure nothing can be a more simple contract in a woman, than to place her affections on a boy. If I had ever thought it would have been my fate, I should have 'wished to die a thousand deaths rather than live to see

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'that day. If we like a man, the lightest hint sophis'ticates. Whereas a boy proposes upon us to break เ through all the regulations of modesty, before we can 'make any oppression upon him.' Joseph, who did not understand a word she said, answered, 'Yes, Madam.'— 'Yes, Madam!' replied Mrs. Slipslop with some warmth, 'Do you intend to result my passion? Is it not enough, ' ungrateful as you are, to make no return to all the 'favours I have done you; uut you must treat me with. ironing? Barbarous monster! how have I deserved that my passion should be resulted and treated with ironing?''Madam,' answered Joseph, 'I don't under'stand your hard words: but I am certain you have no 'occasion to call me ungrateful, for, so far from intending you any wrong, I have always loved you as well as if you had been my own mother.' 'How, Sirrah,' says Mrs. Slipslop in a rage: Your own mother? Do you 'assinuate that I am old enough to be your mother? I 'don't know what a stripling may think, but I believe a man would refer me to any green-sickness silly girl 'whatsomdever: but I ought to despise you rather than 'be angry with you for referring the conversation of girls to that of a woman of sense.'-'Madam,' says Joseph, 'I am sure I have always valued the honour you did me เ by your conversation, for I know you are a woman of 'learning.'-'Yes, but, Joseph,' said she, a little softened by the compliment to her learning, 'If you had a value ' for me, you certainly would have found some method of 'showing it me; for I am convicted you must see the ' value I have for you. Yes, Joseph, my eyes, whether 'I would or no, must have declared a passion I cannot conquer. -Oh! Joseph!'

As when a hungry tigress, who long has traversed the woods in fruitless search, sees within the reach of her claws a lamb, she prepares to leap on her

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