as he sat down.

It was some time before he would communicate to his mother all that
happened. At last the truth, which even he felt ashamed of, was drawn
out of him.

"Now may all the curses that ever befell a man fall on his head!"
exclaimed Vanslyperken as he finished. "I would give soul and body to be
revenged on him."

"That's my own child--that is what I have done, Cornelius, but I shall
not die yet awhile. I like to hear you say that; but it must not be yet.
Let them plot and plot, and when they think that all is ripe, and all is
ready, and all will succeed--then--then is the time to revenge
yourself--not yet--but for that revenge, death on the gallows would
be sweet."

Vanslyperken shuddered:--he did not feel how death could in any way be
sweet;--for some time he was wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"Have you brought the gold at last?" inquired the old woman.

"I have," replied Vanslyperken, who raised himself and produced it. "I
ought to have had more,--but I'll be revenged."

"Yes, yes, but get more gold first. Never kill the goose that lays the
golden egg, my child," replied the old woman, as she turned the key.

So many sudden and mortifying occurrences had taken place in forty-eight
hours that Vanslyperken's brain was in a whirl. He felt goaded to do
something, but he did not know what. Perhaps it would have been suicide
had he not been a coward. He left his mother without speaking another
word, and walked down to the boat, revolving first one and then another
incident in his mind. At last, his ideas appeared to concentrate
themselves into one point, which was a firm and raging animosity against
Smallbones; and with the darkest intentions he hastened on board and
went down into his cabin.

What was the result of these feelings will be seen in the ensuing
chapter.

Chapter XXVI

In which Mr Vanslyperken sees a ghost.

Before we acquaint the reader with the movements of Mr Vanslyperken, we
must again revert to the history of the period in which we are writing.
The Jacobite faction had assumed a formidable consistency, and every
exertion was being made by them for an invasion of England. They knew
that their friends were numerous, and that many who held office under
the ruling government were attached to their cause, and only required
such a demonstration to fly to arms with their numerous partisans.

Up to the present, all the machinations of the Jacobites had been
carried on with sec