“A lieutenant’s pay is not great, and we can afford to be generous.  Will you oblige me by calling here before you sail for England, and I will beg you to take charge of a letter.”

Vanslyperken was all amazement:  he began to suspect what was the fact, but he had the gold in his hand, and for the life of him, he could not have laid it down again on the table.  It was too great a sacrifice, for it was his idol—­his god.  He therefore dropped it into his pocket, and promising to call before he sailed, bowed and took his leave.  As he went out, there were the Frau Vandersloosh and Babette still watching him at the door, but Vanslyperken was in a state of agitation, and he hurried off as fast as he could.  Had he known why they watched so earnestly, and what had occurred, his agitation would have been greater still.  As soon as Mr Vanslyperken had arrived on board, he hastened down into his cabin, and throwing the money down on the table, feasted his eyes with it, and remained for nearly half-an-hour in a state of deep cogitation, during which he often asked himself the question, whether he had not been a traitor to the king and country in whose pay he was employed.  The answer that he gave to himself was anything but satisfactory:  but the prospect of possessing the fair Portsmouth widow, and the gold displayed upon the table, were very satisfactory, and the balance was on the latter side:  so Vanslyperken gradually recovered himself, and had risen from his chair to collect the gold and deposit it in a place of safety, when he was interrupted by a tap at the door.  Hastily sweeping off the gold pieces, he cried, “Come in;” when who, to his surprise, should appear, in excellent condition and fresh as a peony, but the lost and almost forgotten Corporal Van Spitter, who, raising his hand to his forehead as usual, reported himself man-of-war fashion, “Vas come on board, Mynheer Vanslyperken.”  But as the corporal did not tell all the facts connected with his cruise in the jolly-boat to Mr Vanslyperken, for reasons which will hereafter appear, we shall reserve the narrative of what really did take place for another chapter.

Chapter XXI

In which are narrated the adventures which took place in the corporal’s cruise in the jolly-boat.

Corporal Van Spitter, so soon as he had expended all his breath in shouting for help, sat down with such a flop of despair on the thwart of the boat, as very nearly to swamp it.  As it was, the water poured in over the starboard-gunnel, until the boat was filled up to his ankles.  This alarmed him still more, and he remained mute as a stockfish for a quarter of an hour, during which he was swept away by the tide until he was unable to discover the lights on shore.  The wind freshened, and the water became more rough, the night was dark as pitch, and the corporal skimmed along before the wind and tide.  “A tousand tyfels!” at last muttered the corporal, as the