his devout wish, his arm was touched by a
neatly-dressed little girl, who courtesied, and asked if he was not
Lieutenant Vanslyperken, belonging to the cutter? Vanslyperken replied
in the affirmative, and the little girl then said that a lady, her
mistress, wished to speak to him.

"Your mistress, my little girl?" said Vanslyperken, suspiciously; "and
pray, who is your mistress?"

"She is a lady, sir," replied the latter; "she was married to Major
Williams, but he is dead."

"Huh! a widow; well, what does she want? I don't know her."

"No, sir, and she don't know you; but she told me if you did not come at
once, to give you this paper to read."

Vanslyperken took the paper, and walking to the window of a shop in
which there was a light, contrived to decipher as follows:--

"Sir,

"The lady who lived in Castle Street has sent me a letter and a
parcel, to deliver up into your own hands, as the parcel is of value.
The bearer of this will bring you to my house.

"Your very obedient,

"JANE WILLIAMS."

"Two o'clock."

"Where does your mistress live, little girl?" inquired Vanslyperken, who
immediately anticipated the portrait of the fair widow set in diamonds.

"She lives in one of the publics on the Hard, sir, on the first floor,
while she is furnishing her lodgings."

"One of the publics on the Hard! Well, my little girl, I will go with
you."

"I have been looking for you everywhere, sir," said the little girl,
walking, or rather trotting, by the side of Vanslyperken, who strided
along.

"Did your mistress know the lady who lived in Castle Street?"

"O yes, sir; my mistress then lived next door to her in Castle Street;
but her lease was out, and now she has a much larger house in William
Street, but she is painting and furnishing all so handsome, sir, and so
now she has taken the first floor of the Wheatsheaf till she can get in
again."

And Mr Vanslyperken thought it would be worth his while to reconnoitre
this widow before he closed with the Frau Vandersloosh. How selfish men
are!

In a quarter of an hour Mr Vanslyperken and the little girl had arrived
at the public-house in question. Mr Vanslyperken did not much admire
the exterior of the building, but it was too dark to enable him to take
an accurate survey. It was, however, evident, that it was a pot-house,
and nothing more; and Mr Vanslyperken thought that lodgings must be
very scarce in Portsmouth. He entered the first a