After two hours’ conversation, it grew dark, and Vanslyperken departed, revolving in his mind, as he walked away, the sublime principles of religion and piety, in the excellent advice given by his aged mother.  “I wish I could only think as she does,” muttered Vanslyperken at last; and as he concluded this devout wish, his arm was touched by a neatly-dressed little girl, who curtsied, and asked if he was not Lieutenant Vanslyperken, belonging to the cutter.  Vanslyperken replied in the affirmative, and the little girl then said that a lady, her mistress, wished to speak to him.

“Your mistress, my little girl?” said Vanslyperken, suspiciously; “and pray who is your mistress?”

“She is a lady, sir,” replied the latter; “she was married to Major Williams, but he is dead.”

“Hah! a widow; well, what does she want?  I don’t know her.”

“No, sir, and she don’t know you; but she told me if you did not come at once, to give you this paper to read.”

Vanslyperken took the paper, and walking to the window of a shop in which there was a light, contrived to decipher as follows:—­

     “SIR,

“The lady who lived in Castle Street has sent me a letter, and a parcel, to deliver up into your own hands, as the parcel is of value.  The bearer of this will bring you to my house.

     “Your very obedient,

     “JANE WILLIAMS.”

     Two o’clock.

“Where does your mistress live, little girl?” enquired Vanslyperken, who immediately anticipated the portrait of the fair widow set in diamonds.

“She lives in one of the publics on the hard, sir, on the first floor, while she is furnishing her lodgings.”

“One of the publics on the hard; well, my little girl, I will go with you.”

“I have been looking for you everywhere, sir,” said the little girl, walking, or rather trotting by the side of Vanslyperken, who strided along.

“Did your mistress know the lady who lived in Castle Street?”

“O yes, sir, my mistress then lived next door to her in Castle Street, but her lease was out, and now she has a much larger house in William Street, but she is painting and furnishing all so handsome, sir, and so now she has taken the first floor of the ‘Wheatsheaf’ till she can get in again.”

And Mr Vanslyperken thought it would be worth his while to reconnoitre this widow before he closed with the Frau Vandersloosh.  How selfish men are!

In a quarter of an hour Mr Vanslyperken and the little girl had arrived at the public-house in question.  Mr Vanslyperken did not much admire the exterior of the building, but it was too dark to enable him to take an accurate survey.  It was, however, evident, that it was a pot-house, and nothing more; and Mr Vanslyperken thought that lodgings must be very scarce in Portsmouth.  He entered the first and inner door, and the little girl said she would go upstairs