_Pamela Censured_, nevertheless, casually makes a provocative comparison which, if developed, might easily have thrown light on the artistic reasons behind Pamela's morally questionable actions. In its opening pages, _Pamela Censured_ indicates that _Pamela_, at least in its title, is less "modest" than Chevalier de Mouhy's _La Paysanne parvenue_ (1735-37), published in English as _The Fortunate Country Maid. Being the Entertaining Memoirs of the Present Celebrated Marchioness of L---- V----: Who from a Cottage, through a Great Variety of Diverting Adventures, Became a Lady of the First Quality in the Court of France_ (1741). One can only wish that _Pamela Censured_ had developed its comparison in a thorough and sophisticated fashion, indicating the moral implications of the differences between these two stories. _The Fortunate Country Maid_, first of all, bears a striking resemblance to _Pamela_: in both works the heroines, almost identical in social position, face similar trials and ultimately are rewarded in the same fashion. A brief description of the plot of _The Fortunate Country Maid_ should adequately indicate these similarities to anyone already familiar with _Pamela_. Jenny, the heroine of _The Fortunate Country Maid_, comes from the lower social ranks, her father a common woodcutter in the forest of Fountainbleau. The young Marquis of L---- V----, son of Jenny's godfather, singles her out for his special attention because of her beauty and charm. Though conscious of the social distinctions which bar her marriage to the Marquis, Jenny nonetheless falls in love with him, all the while uneasy that she might be "ruined." Her fears indeed are not ill-founded. After learning social amenities in the household of the Countess of N----, her godmother, Jenny embarks on a series of trials, including an attempted rape, an offer to be set up as a kept woman, threats of an arranged marriage, and even proposals for a clandestine wedding. Held a virtual prisoner, Jenny ponders the advisability of escape; ultimately she decides that it would be better to forfeit her life rather than loose her reputation. One of her last conflicts involves a menacing Swiss soldier who tries to take her into his custody. When the Marquis appears to be on the point of death, Jenny clearly recognizes the genuine depth of her love for him. At the conclusion of the story, Jenny and the Marquis are married, the Marquis' father finally accepting this unconventional alliance only after having been convinced of Jenny's virtue. Everyone seems to live happily ever after, including Jenny's parents, who move from their cottage to the Estate de F---- A----, property which they will one day own. This happiness, however, is tempered somewhat by the realization that Jenny and the Marquis must carefully justify their marriage to the society in which they live.