mfortable. But we leave him and return to Corporal Van Spitter.

Corporal Van Spitter had had wisdom enough to dupe Vanslyperken, and
persuade him that he was very much in love with Babette; and
Vanslyperken, who was not at all averse to this amour, permitted the
corporal to go on shore and make love. As Vanslyperken did not like the
cutter and Snarleyyow to be left without the corporal or himself, he
always remained on board when the corporal went, so that the widow had
enough on hand--pretending love all the morning with the lieutenant, and
indemnifying herself by real love with the corporal after dusk. Her fat
hand was kissed and slobbered from morning to night, but it was half for
love and half for revenge.

But we must leave the corporal, and return to Jemmy Ducks. Jemmy was
two days in the cave before the arrival of the boat, during which he
made himself a great favourite, particularly with Lilly, who sat down
and listened to his fiddle and his singing. It was a novelty in the
cave, anything like amusement. On the third night, however, Sir R.
Barclay came back from Cherbourg, and as he only remained one hour,
Jemmy was hastened on board, taking leave of his wife, but not parting
with his fiddle. He took his berth as steersman, in lieu of Ramsay, and
gave perfect satisfaction. The intelligence brought over by Sir Robert
rendered an immediate messenger to Portsmouth necessary; and, as it
would create less suspicion, Moggy was the party now entrusted in lieu
of Nancy, who had been lately seen too often, and, it was supposed, had
been watched, Moggy was not sorry to receive her instructions, which
were, to remain at Portsmouth until Lazarus the Jew should give her
further orders; for there was one point which Moggy was most anxious to
accomplish, now that she could do it without risking a retaliation upon
her husband, which was, to use her own expression, to pay off that
snivelling old rascal, Vanslyperken.

But we must leave Moggy and the movements of individuals, and return to
our general history. The Yungfrau was detained a fortnight at
Amsterdam, and then received the despatches of the States General and
those of Ramsay, with which Vanslyperken returned to Portsmouth. On his
arrival, he went through his usual routine at the admiral's and the
Jew's, received his douceur, and hastened to his mother's house, when he
found the old woman, as she constantly prophesied, not dead yet.

"Well, child, what have