Shamela | Page 6

some of his Warmth to thee my little
Angel; I heard him last Night at our Door, trying if it was open, now
to-night I will take care it shall be so; I warrant that he makes the
second Trial; which if he doth, he shall find us ready to receive him. I
will at first counterfeit Sleep, and after a Swoon; so that he will have
you naked in his Possession: and then if you are disappointed, a Plague
of all young Squires, say I. And so, Mrs. Jervis, says I, you would have
me yield myself to him, would you; you would have me be a second
Time a Fool for nothing. Thank you for that, Mrs. Jervis. For nothing!
marry forbid, says she, you know he hath large Sums of Money,
besides abundance of fine Things; and do you think, when you have
inflamed him, by giving his Hand a Liberty with that charming Person;
and that you know he may easily think he obtains against your Will, he
will not give any thing to come at all . This will not do, Mrs. Jervis,
answered I. I have heard my Mamma say, (and so you know, Madam, I
have) that in her Youth, Fellows have often taken away in the Morning,
what they gave over Night. No, Mrs. Jervis, nothing under a regular
taking into Keeping, a settled Settlement, for me, and all my Heirs, all
my whole Lifetime, shall do the Business or else cross-legged, is the
Word, faith, with Sham; and then I snapt my Fingers.
Thursday Night, Twelve o'Clock.
Mrs. Jervis and I are just in Bed, and the Door unlocked; if my Master
should come Odsbobs! I hear him just coming in at the Door. You see I
write in the present Tense, as Parson Williams says. Well, he is in Bed
between us, we both shamming a Sleep, he steals his Hand into my
Bosom, which I, as if in my Sleep, press close to me with mine, and
then pretend to awake. I no sooner see him, but I scream out to Mrs.
Jervis, she feigns likewise but just to come to herself; we both begin,
she to becall, and I to bescratch very liberally. After having made a
pretty free Use of my Fingers, without any great Regard to the Parts I
attack'd, I counterfeit a Swoon. Mrs. Jervis then cries out, O, Sir, what
have you done, you have murthered poor Pamela: she is gone, she is
gone.
O what a Difficulty it is to keep one's Countenance, when a violent

Laugh desires to burst forth.
The poor Booby frightned out of his Wits, jumped out of Bed, and, in
his Shirt, sat down by my Bed-Side, pale and trembling, for the Moon
shone, and I kept my Eyes wide open, and pretended to fix them in my
Head. Mrs. Jervis apply'd Lavender Water, and Hartshorn, and this, for
a full half Hour; when thinking I had carried it on long enough, and
being likewise unable to continue the Sport any longer, I began by
Degrees to come to my self.
The Squire who had sat all this while speechless, and was almost really
in that Condition, which I feigned, the Moment he saw me give
Symptoms of recovering my Senses, fell down on his Knees; and O
Pamela, cryed he, can you forgive me, my injured Maid? by Heaven, I
know not whether you are a Man or a Woman, unless by your swelling
Breasts. Will you promise to forgive me: I forgive you! D n you (says I)
and d n you says he, if you come to that. I wish I had never seen your
bold Face, saucy Sow, and so went out of the Room.
O what a silly Fellow is a bashful young Lover!
He was no sooner out of hearing, as we thought, than we both burst into
a violent Laugh. Well, says Mrs. Jervis, I never saw any thing better
acted than your Part: But I wish you may not have discouraged him
from any future Attempt; especially since his Passions are so cool, that
you could prevent his Hands going further than your Bosom. Hang him,
answer'd I, he is not quite so cold as that I assure you; our Hands, on
neither side, were idle in the Scuffle, nor have left us any Doubt of each
other as to that matter.
Friday Morning.
My Master sent for Mrs. Jervis, as soon as he was up, and bid her give
an Account of the Plate and Linnen in her Care; and told her, he was
resolved that both she and the little Gipsy (I'll assure him) should set
out together. Mrs. Jervis made him a saucy Answer; which any Servant
of