ns of
Smallbones and other malcontents, and sat down to enjoy the
castle-building which he had commenced after he left the house. He
patted his dog, and apostrophised it. "Yes, my poor brute," said
Vanslyperken, "your master will get a rich widow, without it being
necessary that you should be laid dead at her porch. Damn Frau
Vandersloosh."

The widow was more enchanting when Vanslyperken called on the ensuing
day, than she was on the first. Her advances to the lieutenant were no
longer doubtful to him. She entered freely into the state of her
affairs, asked his advice upon money matters, and fully proved to his
satisfaction that, independent of her beauty, she would be a much
greater catch than Frau Vandersloosh. She spoke about her family; said
that she expected her brother over, but that he must come _incognito_,
as he was attached to the court of the exiled king, lamented the
difficulty of receiving letters from him, and openly expressed her
adherence to the Stuart family. Vanslyperken appeared to make very
little objection to her political creed; in fact, he was so fascinated
that he fell blindly into the snare; he accepted an invitation to dine
with her on that very day, and went on board to dress himself as fine
for her as he had for the widow Vandersloosh. The lovely widow admired
his 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 he
was sitting on a sofa with her (not on such a fubsy sofa as that of Frau
Vandersloosh, but one worked in tapestry); much in the same position as
we once introduced him to the reader, to wit, with the lady's hand in
his. Vanslyperken was flushed with wine, for Nancy had pushed the
bottle, and, at last, he spoke out clearly what his aspirations were.
The widow blushed; laughed, wiped her eyes as if to brush away a falling
tear, and eventually, with a slight pressure of the hand, stammered that
she did not know what to say, the acquaintance was so short--it was so
unexpected--she must reflect a little: at the same time, she could not
but 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 that
there was such a thing as love at first sight, and then--he had better
go now, she wished to be alone--she really had a headache. Oh! Nancy
Corbett! you were, indeed, an adept in the art of seduction--no wonder
that