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, was accepted, and Mr Vanslyperken conveyed her to her house.  Of course she could do no less than ask him to walk up, and Mr Vanslyperken, who had never been in anything approaching to good society, was in astonishment at the furniture.  All appeared to denote wealth.  He was soon in an interesting conversation, and by degrees found out that the lady was a young widow of the name of Malcolm, whose husband had been factor to the new company, called the East India Company; that she had come down to Portsmouth expecting him home, and that she had learnt that he had died on shore a few days before his intended embarkation for England.  Since which, as she liked the place and the society, she had thoughts 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 the quantity my poor husband sent me home, and he was not out more than three years.  He left me a week after our marriage.”

Here the lovely widow put her handkerchief up to her eyes, and Mr Vanslyperken attempted to console her.

“It’s so very unpleasant to be left without any one to advise you, and exposed 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, but I was ashamed to ask.  One cannot be too particular in my situation.”

Mr Vanslyperken was much pleased, but he had remained some time, and he thought it right to depart, so he rose and made his adieus.

“I hope I shall see you again,” cried the widow, earnestly.  “You will call 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 of Vanslyperken, he thought he felt a slight, a very slight pressure, which made his heart leap.  And then, as he shut the door, she gave him such a look—­O those eyes!—­they pierced right through the heart of Vanslyperken.

The reader may not, perhaps, be aware who this gay widow might be.  It was Nancy Corbett, who had, by the advice of Lady Alice, taken this step to entrap Mr Vanslyperken.  Nancy had obtained from Moggy all the particulars of the lieutenant’s wooing of the widow Vandersloosh, and his character as a miser and a coward.  Had he been a miser only, she would have attacked by gold alone, but being a coward, it was decided that he should have some further stimulus to betray his country, and enlist himself among the partisans of King James.