corporal.

"As soon as he's hung, corporal, we'll marry."

"Mein Gott, yes."

"Traitorous villain!--sell his king and his country for gold!"

"Mein Gott, yes."

"You're sure it was fifty guineas, corporal?"

"Mein Gott, yes."

"Ah, well, Mr Vanslyperken, we shall see," said the widow, drying her
eyes. "Yes, yes, Mr Vanslyperken, you shall be hanged, and your cur with
you, or my name's not Vandersloosh."

"Mein Gott, yes," replied the corporal.

Chapter XLV

In which Mr Vanslyperken proves his loyalty and his fidelity to King
William.

Mr Vanslyperken hastened from his inglorious conflict, maddened with
rage and disappointment. He returned on board, went down into his cabin,
and threw himself on his bed. His hopes and calculations had been so
brilliant--rid of his enemy Smallbones--with gold in possession, and
more in prospect, to be so cruelly deceived by the widow--the
cockatrice! Then by one to whom he fully confided, and who knew too many
of his secrets already--Corporal Van Spitter--he too!--and to dare to
aspire to the widow--it was madness--and then their knowledge of his
treason--the corporal having witnessed his receiving the gold--with such
bitter enemies what could he expect but a halter--he felt it even now
round his neck, and Vanslyperken groaned in the bitterness of
his spirit.

In the meantime, there was a consultation between the widow and the
corporal as to the best method of proceeding. That the corporal could
expect nothing but the most determined hostility from Vanslyperken was
certain; but for this the corporal cared little, as he had all the crew
of the cutter on his side, and he was in his own person too high in rank
to be at the mercy of Vanslyperken.

After many pros and cons, and at least a dozen bottles of beer--for the
excitement on the part of the corporal, and the exertion of the widow,
had made them both dry--it was resolved that the Frau Vandersloosh
should demand an audience at the Hague the next morning, and should
communicate the treasonable practices of Mr Vanslyperken, calling upon
the corporal as a witness to the receipt of the money from the Jesuit.

"Mein Gott!" exclaimed the corporal, striking his bull forehead as if a
new thought had required being forced out, "but they will ask me how I
came there myself, and what shall I say?"

"Say that the Jesuit father had sent for you to try and seduce you to do
his treason, but that you would not consent."

"M