CHAPTER TWENTY.
IN WHICH MR. VANSLYPERKEN PROVES FALSE TO THE WIDOW VANDERSLOOSH, ANDMANY STRANGE THINGS TAKE PLACE.
Mr Vanslyperken was awakened, the next morning, by the yelping of hisdog, who, having been shut out of the cabin, had ventured up the ladderin the morning when the men were washing the deck, and had a bucketshied at him by Jemmy Ducks, with such excellent precision, that itknocked him over, and nearly broke his hind leg, which he now carriedhigh up in the air as he howled upon the other three at the cabin door.Mr Vanslyperken rose, and tried to recollect what had passed; but itwas more than a minute before he could recall the circumstances of theday before. He then tried to call to mind how he had gone to bed, andby what means Snarleyyow was left outside, but he could make nothing ofit. He opened the cabin door, and let in the dog, whose lame leginstantly excited his indignation, and he then rang his bell forSmallbones, who soon made his appearance.
"How came the dog out of the cabin, sir?"
"I'm sure I don't know, sir; I never put him out."
"Who is it that has hurt him?"
"I'm sure I don't know, sir; I never touched him."
Vanslyperken was about to vent his anger, when Smallbones: said, "If youplease, I don't know what's a-going on. Why here, sir, the men washingthe decks have found your carving-knife abaft, by the taffrail.Somebody must have taken it there, that's sartain."
Vanslyperken turned pale.
"Who could have taken it?"
"That's what it said, sir. Who dare come in the cabin to take theknife? and what could they have taken it for, but unless it was to cutsummut?" And Smallbones looked his master full in the face. And thelieutenant quailed before his boy. He could not meet his gaze, butturned away.
"Very odd," continued Smallbones, perceiving the advantage he hadgained.
"Leave the cabin, sir," cried Vanslyperken.
"Sha'n't I make no inquiries how this ere knife came there, sir?"replied Smallbones.
"No, sir, mind your own business. I've a great mind to flog you for itsbeing found there--all your carelessness."
"That would be a pretty go," murmured Smallbones, as he shut the cabindoor.
The feeling of vengeance against Smallbones was now redoubled in thebreast of his master; and the only regret he felt at the transactions ofthe day before was, that the boy had not been drowned.
"I'll have him yet," muttered the lieutenant; but he forgot that he wasshaving himself, and the involuntary movements of his lips caused him tocut a large gash on his right cheek, from which the blood trickled fast.
"Curses on the--(razor he was going to say, but he changed to)--scoundrel!"
A slice with a razor is certainly a very annoying thing. After acertain time, Mr Vanslyperken finished his toilet, called for hisbreakfast, went on deck, and as the day was fine, ordered the paint tobe renewed, and then went on shore to ascertain if there were anycommands for him at the admiral's office.
As he walked up the street in a brown study, he at last observed that avery pretty woman dogged him, sometimes walking a-head and looking back,at others dropping astern, and then again ranging up alongside. Helooked her in the face, and she smiled sweetly; and then turned her headcoquettishly, and then looked again with eyes full of meaning. Now,although Mr Vanslyperken had always avoided amours on account of theexpense entailed upon them, yet he was like a dry chip, veryinflammable, and the extreme beauty of the party made him feel unusualemotions. Her perseverance too--and her whole appearance so veryrespectable--so superior to the class of people who generally accostedhim. He thought of the widow and her money-bags, and thought also, howinfinitely more desirable the widow would be, if she possessed but thebeauty of the present party.
"I do believe I've lost my way," exclaimed the young person. "Pray,sir, can you tell me the way to Castle Street? for I'm almost astranger. And," (added she, laughing) "I really don't know my way backto my own house."
Castle Street was, at that time, one of the best streets in Portsmouth,as Mr Vanslyperken well knew. This assured him of her respectability.He very gallantly offered his arm, which, after a little demur, wasaccepted, and Mr Vanslyperken conveyed her to her house. Of course shecould do no less than to ask him to walk up, and Mr Vanslyperken, whohad never been in anything approaching to good society, was inastonishment at the furniture. All appeared to denote wealth. He wassoon in an interesting conversation, and by degrees found out that thelady was a young widow of the name of Malcolm, whose husband had beenfactor to the new company, called the East India Company; that she hadcome down to Portsmouth expecting him home, and that she had learnt thathe had died on shore a few days before his intended embarkation forEngland. Since which, as she liked the place and the society, she hadthoughts of remaining here.
"They say that gold in India is to be had for nothing."
"It must be very plentiful," replied the widow, "if I am to judge by thequantity my poor husband sent me home, and he was not out more thanthree years. He left me a week after our marriage."
Here the lovely widow put her handkerchief up to her eyes, and MrVanslyperken attempted to console her.
"It's so very unpleasant to be left without any one to advise you, andexposed to be cheated so dreadfully! What can a poor lone woman do?Did you ever see me before, sir?"
"I never did," replied our lieutenant. "May I ask the same question?for I thought you appeared to know me."
"O yes! I've seen you very often, and wished to know who you were, butI was ashamed to ask. One cannot be too particular in my situation."
Mr Vanslyperken was much pleased, but he had remained some time, and hethought it right to depart, so he rose and made his adieus.
"I hope I shall see you again," cried the widow, earnestly. "You willcall again, sir, won't you?"
"Most certainly, and with the greatest pleasure," replied Vanslyperken.
The lady extended her gloved hand, and as it was closed in that ofVanslyperken, he thought he felt a slight, a very slight pressure, whichmade his heart leap. And then, as he shut the door, she gave him such alook--O those eyes!--they pierced right through the heart ofVanslyperken.
The reader may not, perhaps, be aware who this gay widow might be. Itwas Nancy Corbett, who had, by the advice of Lady Alice, taken this stepto entrap Mr Vanslyperken. Nancy had obtained from Moggy all theparticulars of the lieutenant's wooing of the widow Vandersloosh, andhis character as a miser and a coward. Had he been a miser only, shewould have attacked by gold alone, but being a coward, it was decidedthat he should have some further stimulus to betray his country, andenlist himself among the partisans of King James.
Beauty, joined with wealth, the chance of possessing both, with theattractive arts of Nancy, were considered necessary to sway him. Indeedthey were so far right, that had any one made the bold proposal toVanslyperken of joining the other party, and offered him at the sametime ample remuneration, he would have been too suspicions or tootimorous to run the risk. It was necessary to win him over by meanswhich appeared accidental rather than otherwise. The difficulty ofcorrespondence was very great; and as the cutter constantly wasdispatched to the Hague, and the French had agents there, not onlyletters, but even messengers, might be sent over without risk andwithout suspicion; for open boats being then the only means ofcommunication, during the wintry part of the year, the correspondencewas very precarious, and at long intervals.
Thus was Nancy Corbett changed into a buxom widow, all for the goodcause, and well did she perform her part; for there was no lack of moneywhen such services were required. Vanslyperken left the house quiteenchanted. "This will do," thought he; "and if I succeed, FrauVandersloosh may go to the devil." He returned on board, unlocked hiscabin, where Snarleyyow had been secured from the machinations ofSmallbones and other malcontents, and sat down to enjoy thecastle-building which he had commenced after he left the house. Hepatted his dog, and apostrophised it. "Yes, my poor brute," saidVanslyperken, "your master will get a rich wido
w, without it beingnecessary that you should be laid dead at her porch. Damn FrauVandersloosh."
The widow was more enchanting when Vanslyperken called on the ensuingday, than she was on the first. Her advances to the lieutenant were nolonger doubtful to him. She entered freely into the state of heraffairs, asked his advice upon money matters, and fully proved to hissatisfaction that, independent of her beauty, she would be a muchgreater catch than Frau Vandersloosh. She spoke about her family; saidthat she expected her brother over, but that he must come _incognito_,as he was attached to the court of the exiled king, lamented thedifficulty of receiving letters from him, and openly expressed heradherence to the Stuart family. Vanslyperken appeared to make verylittle objection to her political creed; in fact, he was so fascinatedthat he fell blindly into the snare; he accepted an invitation to dinewith her on that very day, and went on board to dress himself as finefor her as he had for the widow Vandersloosh. The lovely widow admiredhis uniform, and gave him many gentle hints upon which he might speak:but this did not take place until a tete-a-tete after dinner, when hewas sitting on a sofa with her (not on such a fubsy sofa as that of FrauVandersloosh, but one worked in tapestry); much in the same position aswe once introduced him to the reader, to wit, with the lady's hand inhis. Vanslyperken was flushed with wine, for Nancy had pushed thebottle, and, at last, he spoke out clearly what his aspirations were.The widow blushed; laughed, wiped her eyes as if to brush away a fallingtear, and eventually, with a slight pressure of the hand, stammered thatshe did not know what to say, the acquaintance was so short--it was sounexpected--she must reflect a little: at the same time, she could notbut acknowledge that she had been taken with him when she first saw him;and then she laughed and said, that she did really begin to believe thatthere was such a thing as love at first sight, and then--he had bettergo now, she wished to be alone--she really had a headache. Oh! NancyCorbett! you were, indeed, an adept in the art of seduction--no wonderthat your name has been handed down to posterity. Mr Vanslyperkenperceived his advantage, and pressed still more, until the blushingwidow declared that she would really think seriously about the matter,if, on further acquaintance, she found that her good opinion of him wasnot overrated.
Vanslyperken returned on board intoxicated with his success. On hisarrival, he was informed that a messenger had been sent for him, but noone knew where to find him, and that he must be at the admiral's earlythe next morning, and have all ready for immediate sailing. This wasrather annoying, but there was no help for it. The next dayVanslyperken went, to the admiral's, and received orders to sailimmediately to the Hague with despatches of consequence, being no lessthan an answer from King William to the States General. MrVanslyperken proceeded from the admiral's to the charming widow, to whomhe imparted this unwelcome intelligence. She, of course, was grave, andlistened to his protestations with her little finger in her mouth, and apensive downcast eye.
"How long will you be away?" inquired she.
"But a week or ten days at the furthest. I shall fly back to see youagain."
"But tell me the truth, have you no acquaintances there?--now, tell thetruth. I don't mean men."
"Upon my honour, fair widow, I don't know a single woman there," repliedVanslyperken, pleased with this little appearance of jealousy; "but I'mafraid that I must leave you, for the admiral is very severe."
"Will you do me one favour, Mr Vanslyperken?"
"Anything:--ask what you will."
"I want this letter forwarded to my brother--I am very anxious about it.The French agent there will send it on;--it is enclosed to him. Willyou do me that favour, my dear sir?--I'm sure you will, if--"
"If what?"
"If you love me," replied the widow, laying her hand upon Vanslyperken.
"I will, most certainly," said Vanslyperken, taking the letter andputting it in his pocket.
"Then I shall ask you another," said the widow. "You will think me veryfoolish, but there may be an opportunity--will you write to me--just afew lines--only to tell me that you have given the letter, that's all--and to say how you are--don't you think me very foolish?"
"I will write, dearest, since you wish it--and now, good-bye."
Vanslyperken took the widow round the waist, and after a littlemurmuring and reluctance, was permitted to snatch a kiss. Her eyesfollowed him mournfully till he shut the door and disappeared, and thenNancy Corbett gave way to unbounded mirth.
"So, the fool has bit already," thought she; "now if he only writes tome, and I get his acknowledgment of having delivered the letter, thebeast is in my power, and I can hang him any day I please. Upon hishonour, he did not know a single woman there:--Lord have mercy!--whatliars men are!--but we can sometimes beat them with their own weapons."And Nancy's thoughts reverted to her former life, which she now dweltupon with pain and sorrow.
Mr Vanslyperken returned on board: the anchor was weighed immediatelythat the boats had been hoisted up; and the Yungfrau ran out with a fairwind, which lasted until the evening, when it fell almost calm, and thecutter made but little way through the water. Many of the men wereconversing on the forecastle as usual, and the subject of theirdiscourse was the surmising what had become of Corporal Van Spitter. Inone point they all appeared to agree, which was, that they hoped hewould never return to the cutter.
"If he does, I owe him one," observed Jemmy Ducks. "It's all throughhim that my wife was turned out of the vessel."
"And a little bit from her tongue, Jemmy," observed Coble.
"Why, perhaps so," replied Jemmy; "but what was it set her tongue loosebut the threat of _him_ to flog me, and what made him threaten that butthe 'peaching of that fat marine?"
"Very good arguments Jemmy. Well, I will say that for your wife, Jemmy,she does love you, and there's no sham about it."
"Never mind Jemmy's wife, let's have Jemmy's song," said Spurey; "hehasn't piped since he was pulled up by the corporal."
"No: he put my pipe out, the hippopotamus. Well, I'll give it you--itshall be about what we are talking of, Obadiah." Jemmy perched himselfon the fore-end of the booms, and sang as follows:--
I suppose that you think 'cause my trousers are tarry, And because that I ties my long hair in a tail, While landsmen are figged out as fine as Lord Harry, With breast-pins and cravats as white as old sail; That I'm a strange creature, a know-nothing ninny, But fit for the planks for to walk in foul weather; That I ha'n't e'er a notion of the worth of a guinea, And that you, Poll, can twist me about as a feather-- Lord love you!!
I know that this life is but short at the best on't, That time it flies fast, and that work must be done; That when danger comes 'tis as well for to jest on't, 'Twill be but the lighter felt when it do come If you think, then, from this, that I an't got a notion Of a heaven above, with its mercy in store, And the devil below, for us lads of the ocean, Just the same as it be for the landsmen on shore-- Lord love you!!
If because I don't splice with some true-hearted woman, Who'd doat on my presence, and sob when I sail, But put up with you, Poll, though faithful to no man, With a fist that can strike, and a tongue that can rail; 'Tis because I'm not selfish, and know 'tis my duty If I marry to moor by my wife, and not leave her, To dandle the young ones,--watch over her beauty, D'ye think that I'd promise and vow, then deceive her? Lord love you!!
I suppose that you think 'cause I'm free with my money, Which others would hoard and lock up in their chest, All your billing and cooing, and words sweet as honey, Are as gospel to me while you hang on my breast; But no, Polly, no;--you may take every guinea, They'd burn in my pocket if I took them to sea; But as for your love, Poll, I indeed were a ninny-- D'ye think I don't know you cheat others than me? Lord love you!!
"Well, that's a good song, Jemmy, and he can't pull you up for that, anyhow."
Mr Vanslyperken appeared to think otherwise, for he sent a marineforward to say, that no singing would be permitted in future, and thatthey were immediately to desist.
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"I suppose we shall have a song considered as mutiny soon," observedCoble. "Ah, well, it's a long lane that has no turning."
"Yes," replied Jemmy, in an under tone, "and for every rogue there's arope laid up. Never mind, let us go below."
Mr Vanslyperken's dreaming thoughts of the fair widow were neverthelessoccasionally interrupted by others not quite so agreeable. Strange tosay, he fully believed what Smallbones had asserted about his beingcarried out by the tide to the Nab buoy, and he canvassed the questionin his mind, whether there was not something supernatural in the affair,a sort of interposition of Providence in behalf of the lad, which was tobe considered as a warning to himself not to attempt anything further.He was frightened, although his feeling for revenge was still in all itsforce. As for any one suspecting him of having attempted the boy'slife, he had recovered from that feeling; even if they did, who dare saya word? There was another point which also engrossed the moodyVanslyperken, which was how he should behave relative to the widowVandersloosh. Should he call or should he not? He cared nothing forher, and provided he could succeed with the Portsmouth lady, he wouldpitch her to the devil; but still he remembered the old proverb, "Youshould never throw away dirty water before you are sure of clean."After some cogitation he determined upon still pressing his suit, andhoped at the same time that the widow would not admit him into herpresence. Such were the different resolves and decisions which occupiedthe mind of Mr Vanslyperken until he dropped his anchor at Amsterdam,when he ordered his boat to go on shore, and gave positive directions toDick Short that no one was to leave the cutter on any pretence, for hewas determined that as the widow would not have his company, she shouldnot have the profits arising from his men spending their money at herhouse.
"So," cried Coble, after the boat shoved off, "liberty's stopped as wellas singing. What next, I wonder? I sha'n't stand this long."
"No," replied Short.
"Stop till he makes friends with the widow," observed Bill Spurey;"she'll get us all leave."
"Mein Gott, he nebber say anyting before," observed Jansen.
"No; we might almost go and come as we wished. We must not stand this."
"We won't," replied Jemmy Ducks.
"No," replied Short.
While the crew of the cutter were in this incipient state of mutiny,Vanslyperken bent his steps to deliver up to the authorities thedespatches with which he was charged; and having so done, he then tookout the letter entrusted to him by Nancy Corbett, and read the address.It was the same street in which lived the Frau Vandersloosh. This wasawkward, as Vanslyperken did not want to be seen by her; but there wasno help for it. He trusted to her not seeing him, and he proceededthither: he ran down the numbers on the doors until he came to the rightone, which was exactly opposite to the widow's house:--this was moreunfortunate. He rang the bell; it was some time before the door wasopened, and while he was standing there he could not help looking roundto see if any one saw him. To his annoyance there stood the widowfilling up her door with her broad frame, and Babette peeping over hershoulder. Mr Vanslyperken, as there was only the canal and two narrowroads between them, could do no less than salute her, but she took nonotice of him further than by continuing her stare. At last, upon asecond pulling of the bell, the door opened, and on Mr Vanslyperkensaying that he had a letter for such an address, he was admitted, andthe door immediately closed. He was ushered into a room, thewindow-panes of which were painted green, so that no one outside couldlook in, and found himself in the presence of a tall man, in a clericaldress, who motioned to him to sit down.
Vanslyperken delivered the letter, and then took a seat. The gentlemanmade a graceful bow, as if to ask permission to break the seal, and thenopened the letter.
"Sir, I am obliged to you for charging yourself with these packets--infinitely obliged to you. You are in command of a sloop here, Ibelieve."
"A king's cutter, sir," replied Vanslyperken, with importance; "I amLieutenant Vanslyperken."
"I thank you, sir. I will take down your name. You expect, I presume,to be rewarded for this small service," continued the gentleman, with abland smile.
"Why, she must have told him," thought Vanslyperken; who replied, withanother smile, "that he certainly trusted that he should be."
Upon which reply, the other went to an escritoire, and taking out a bag,opened it and poured out a mass of gold, which made Vanslyperken's mouthwater, but why he did so Vanslyperken did not give a thought, until,having counted out fifty pieces, the gentleman very gracefully put theminto his hand, observing,--"A lieutenant's pay is not great, and we canafford to be generous. Will you oblige me by calling here before yousail for England, and I will beg you to take charge of a letter."
Vanslyperken was all amazement: he began to suspect what was the fact,but he had the gold in his hand, and for the life of him he could nothave laid it down again on the table. It was too great a sacrifice, forit was his idol--his god. He therefore dropped it into his pocket, andpromising to call before he sailed, bowed and took his leave. As hewent out, there were the Frau Vandersloosh and Babette still watchinghim at the door, but Vanslyperken was in a state of agitation, and hehurried off as fast as he could. Had he known why they watched soearnestly, and what had occurred, his agitation would have been greaterstill. As soon as Mr Vanslyperken had arrived on board, he hasteneddown into his cabin, and throwing the money down on the table, feastedhis eyes with it, and remained for nearly half an hour in a state ofdeep cogitation, during which he often asked himself the question,whether he had not been a traitor to the king and country in whose payhe was employed. The answer that he gave to himself was anything butsatisfactory: but the prospect of possessing the fair Portsmouth widow,and the gold displayed upon the table, were very satisfactory, and thebalance was on the latter side; so Vanslyperken gradually recoveredhimself and had risen from his chair to collect the gold and deposit itin a place of safety, when he was interrupted by a tap at the door.Hastily sweeping off the gold pieces, he cried, "Come in;" when who, tohis surprise, should appear, in excellent condition and fresh as apeony, but the lost and almost forgotten Corporal Van Spitter, who,raising his hand to his forehead as usual, reported himself man-of-warfashion, "Vas come on board, Mynheer Vanslyperken." But as the corporaldid not tell all the facts connected with his cruise in the jolly-boatto Mr Vanslyperken, for reasons which will hereafter appear, we shallreserve the narrative of what really did take place for another chapter.