the
remuneration is very great."

"To us!" thought Vanslyperken, who now thought it right to press his
suit. He was listened to attentively, and at last he proposed an early
day for the union. The widow blushed, and turned her head away, and at
last replied, with a sweet smile, "Well, Mr Vanslyperken, I will neither
tease you nor myself--when you come back from your next trip, I consent
to be yours."

What was Vanslyperken's delight and exultation! He threw himself on his
knees, promised, and vowed, and thanked, kissed hands, and was in such
ecstasies! He could hardly imagine that his good fortune was real. A
beautiful widow with a handsome fortune--how could he ever have thought
of throwing himself away upon such a bunch of deformity as the Frau
Vandersloosh? Poor Mr Vanslyperken! Dinner put an end to his
protestations. He fared sumptuously, and drank freely to please the
widow. He drank death to the usurper, and restoration to the King James.
What a delightful evening! The widow was so amiable, so gentle, so
yielding, so, so, so--what with wine and love, and fifty guineas in his
pocket, Mr Vanslyperken was so overcome with his feelings, that at last
he felt but so so. After a hundred times returning to kiss her dear,
dear hand, and at last sealing the contract on her lips, Mr Vanslyperken
departed, full of wine and hope--two very good things to lay in a
stock of.

But there was something doing on board during Mr Vanslyperken's absence.
Notwithstanding Mr Vanslyperken having ordered Moggy out of the cutter,
she had taken the opportunity of his being away to go on board to her
dear, darling Jemmy. Dick Short did not prevent her coming on board, and
he was commanding officer, so Moggy once more had her husband in her
arms; but the fond pair soon retired to a quiet corner, where they had a
long and serious conversation; so long, and so important, it would
appear, that they did not break off until Mr Vanslyperken came on board,
just before dark. His quick eye soon perceived that there was a
petticoat at the taffrail, where they retired that they might not be
overheard, and he angrily inquired who it was, his wrath was not
appeased when he heard that it was Salisbury's wife, and he ordered her
immediately to be put on shore, and sent for Corporal Van Spitter in his
cabin, to know why she was on board. The corporal replied, "That Mr
Short had let her in; that he had wished to speak on the subject, but
that Mr Short would