"My ship is my wife, Sue, no other I covet, Till I draw the firm splice that's betwixt her and me; I'll roam on the Ocean, for much do I love it, To wed with another were rank bigamy."

"O William, what nonsense you talk, you are raving; Pray how can a man and a ship become one?

You say so because you no longer are craving, As once you were truly--and I am undone."

"You wrong me, my dearest, as sure as I stand here, As sure as I'll sail again on the wide sea; Some day I will settle, and marry with you, dear, But now 'twould be nothing but rank bigamy."

"Then tell me the time, dear William, whenever Your Sue may expect this divorce to be made; When you'll surely be mine, when no object shall sever, But lock'd in your arms I'm no longer afraid."

"The time it will be hen my pockets are lined I'll then draw the splice 'tween my vessel and me, And lead you to church if you're still so inclined-- But before, my dear Sue, 'twere rank bigamy."

"Thank you, Mr Salisbury. I like the moral of that song; a sailor never should marry till he can settle on shore."

"What's the meaning of big-a-me?" said Moggy.

"Marrying two husbands or two wives, Mrs Salisbury. Perhaps you might get off on the plea that you had only one and a half," continued Nancy, laughing.

"Well, perhaps she might," replied Jemmy, "if he were a judge of understanding."

"I should think, Mistress Nancy, you might as well leave husband's legs alone," observed Moggy, affronted.

"Lord bless you, Mogg, if he's not angry, you surely need not be; I give a joke, and I can take one. You surely are not jealous?"

"Indeed I am though, and always shall be of any one who plays with my Jemmy."

"Or if he plays with anything else?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Yes, indeed! then you must be downright jealous of his fiddle, Moggy,"

replied Nancy; "but never mind, you sha'n't be jealous now about nothing. I'll sing you a song, and then you'll forget all this." Nancy Corbett then sang as follows:--

Fond Mary sat on Henry's knee; "I must be home exact," said he, And see, the hour is come.

"No, Henry, you shall never go Until me how to count you show That task must first be done."

Then Harry said, "As time is short, Addition you must first be taught Sum up these kisses sweet; Now prove your sum by kissing me Yes, that is right, 'twas three times three:-- Arithmetic's a treat.

"And now there is another term, Subtraction you have yet to learn: Take four away from these."

"Yes, that is right; you've made it out,"

Says Mary, with a pretty pout, "Subtraction don't me please."

Division's next upon the list; Young Henry taught while Mary kiss'd, And much admired the rule; "Now, Henry, don't you think me quick?"

"Why, yes, indeed, you've learn'd the trick At kissing you're no fool."

To multiply was next the game, Which Henry by the method same, To Mary fain would show; But here his patience was worn out, She multiplied too fast, I doubt, He could no further go.

"And now we must leave off, my dear; The other rules are not so clear, We'll try at them to-night;"

"I'll come at eve, my Henry sweet; Behind the hawthorn hedge we'll meet, For learning's my delight."

"That's a very pretty song, Mistress Corbett, and you've a nice collection, I've no doubt. If you've no objection, I'll exchange another with you."

"I should be most willing, Mr Salisbury; but we are now getting well over, and we may as well be quiet, as I do not wish people to ask where we are going."

"You're right, ma'am," observed the old fisherman who pulled the boat.

"Put up your fiddle, master; there be plenty on the look out, without our giving them notice."

"Very true," replied Jemmy, "so we break up our concert."

The whole party were now silent. In a quarter of an hour the boat was run into a cut, which concealed it from view; and, as soon as the fisherman had looked round to see the coast clear, they landed and made haste to pass by the cottages; after that Nancy slackened her pace, and they walked during the night over to the other side of the island, and arrived at the cottages above the cave.

Here they left a portion of their burdens, and then proceeded to the path down the cliff which led to the cave. On Nancy giving the signal, the ladder was lowered, and they were admitted. As soon as they were upon the flat, Moggy embraced her husband, crying, "Here I have you, my own dear Jemmy, all to myself, and safe for ever."

CHAPTER THIRTY.

IN WHICH MR. VANSLYPERKEN TREATS THE LADIES.

On the second day after his arrival, Vanslyperken, as agreed, went up to the syndic's house to call upon Ramsay. The latter paid him down one hundred pounds for his passage and services; and Vanslyperken was so pleased, that he thought seriously, as soon as he had amassed sufficient money, to withdraw himself from the service, and retire with his ill-gotten gains; but when would a miser like Vanslyperken have amassed sufficient money? Alas! never, even if the halter were half round his neck. Ramsay then gave his instructions to Vanslyperken, advising him to call for letters previously to his sailing, and telling him that he must open the Government despatches in the way to which he had been witness, take full memorandums of the contents, and bring them to him, for which service he would each time receive fifty pounds as a remuneration. Vanslyperken bowed to his haughty new acquaintance, and quitted the house.

"Yes," thought Ramsay, "that fellow is a low, contemptible traitor, and bow infamous does treason appear in that wretch! but--I--I am no traitor--I have forfeited my property and risked my life in fidelity to my king, and in attempting to rid the world of an usurper and a tyrant.

Here, indeed, I am playing a traitor's part to my host, but still I am doing my duty. An army without spies would be incomplete, and one may descend to that office for the good of one's country without tarnish or disgrace. Am I not a traitor to her already? Have not I formed visions in my imagination already of obtaining her hand, and her heart, and her fortune? Is not this treachery? Shall I not attempt to win her affections under disguise as her father's friend and partisan? But what have women to do with politics? Or if they have, do not they set so light a value upon them, that they will exchange them for a feather?

Yes, surely; when they love, their politics are the politics of those they cling to. At present, she is on her father's side; but if she leave her father and cleave to me, her politics will be transferred with her affections. But then her religion. She thinks me a Protestant.

Well, love is all in all with women; not only politics but religion must yield to it: 'thy people shall be my people, and thy God shall be my God,' as Ruth says in the Scriptures. She is wrong in politics, I will put her right. She is wrong in religion, I will restore her to the bosom of the church. Her wealth would be sacrificed to some heretic; it were far better that it belonged to one who supports the true religion and the good cause. In what way, therefore, shall I injure her? On the contrary." And Ramsay walked down-stairs to find Wilhelmina. Such were the arguments used by the young cavalier, and with which he fully satisfied himself that he was doing rightly; had he argued the other side of the question, he would have been equally convinced, as most people are, when they argue without any opponent; but we must leave him to follow Vanslyperken.

Mr Vanslyperken walked away from the syndic's house with the comfortable idea that one side of him was heavier than the other by one hundred guineas. He also ruminated; he had already obtained three hundred pounds, no small sum, in those days I or a lieutenant. It is true that he had lost the chance of thousands by the barking of Snarleyyow, and he had lost the fair Portsmouth widow; but then he was again on good terms with the Frau Vandersloosh, and was in a fair way of making his fortune, and, as he considered, with small risk. His mother, too, attracted a share of his reminiscences; the old woman would soon die, and then he would have all that she had saved. Smallbones occasionally intruded himself, but that was but for a moment. And Mr Vanslyperken walked away very well satisfied, upon the whole, with his _esse_ and _posse_. He wound up by flattering himself that he should wind up with the savings of his mother, his half-pay, the widow's guilders, and his own property--altogether it would be pretty comfortable. But we leave him and return to Corporal Van Spitter.

Corporal Van Spitter had had wisdom enough to dupe Vanslyperken, and persuade him that he was very much in love with Babette; and Vanslyperken, who was not at all averse to this amour, permitted the corporal to go on shore and make love. As Vanslyperken did not like the cutter and Snarleyyow to be left without the corporal or himself, he always remained on board when the corporal went, so that the widow had enough on hand--pretending love all the morning with the lieutenant, and indemnifying herself by real love with the corporal after dusk. Her fat hand was kissed and slobbered from morning to night, but it was half for love and half for revenge.

But we must leave the corporal, and return to Jemmy Ducks. Jemmy was two days in the cave before the arrival of the boat, during which he made himself a great favourite, particularly with Lilly, who sat down and listened to his fiddle and his singing. It was a novelty in the cave, anything like amusement. On the third night, however, Sir R.

Barclay came back from Cherbourg, and as he only remained one hour, Jemmy was hastened on board, taking leave of his wife, but not parting with his fiddle. He took his berth as steersman, in lieu of Ramsay, and gave perfect satisfaction. The intelligence brought over by Sir Robert rendered an immediate messenger to Portsmouth necessary; and, as it would create less suspicion, Moggy was the party now entrusted in lieu of Nancy, who had been lately seen too often, and, it was supposed, had been watched, Moggy was not sorry to receive her instructions, which were, to remain at Portsmouth until Lazarus the Jew should give her further orders; for there was one point which Moggy was most anxious to accomplish, now that she could do it without risking a retaliation upon her husband, which was, to use her own expression, to pay off that snivelling old rascal, Vanslyperken.

But we must leave Moggy and the movements of individuals, and return to our general history. The Yungfrau was detained a fortnight at Amsterdam, and then received the despatches of the States General and those of Ramsay, with which Vanslyperken returned to Portsmouth. On his arrival, he went through his usual routine at the admiral's and the Jew's, received his douceur, and hastened to his mother's house, when he found the old woman, as she constantly prophesied, not dead yet.

"Well, child, what have you brought--more gold?"

"Yes," replied Vanslyperken, laying down the one hundred and fifty guineas which he had received.

"Bless thee, my son--bless thee!" said the old woman, laying her palsied hand upon Vanslyperken's head. "It is not often I bless--I never did bless, as I can recollect--I like cursing better. My blessing must be worth something, if it's only for its scarcity; and do you know why I bless thee, my Cornelius? Because--ha, ha, ha! because you are a murderer and a traitor, and you love gold."

Even Vanslyperken shuddered at the hag's address.

"What do you ever gain by doing good in this world? Nothing but laughter and contempt. I began the world like a fool, but I shall go out of it like a wise woman, hating, despising everything but gold. And I have had my revenge in my time--yes--yes--the world, my son, is divided into only two parts, those who cheat, and those who are cheated--those who master, and those who are mastered--those who are shackled by superstitions and priests, and those who, like me, fear neither God nor devil. We must all die; yes, but I shan't die yet, no, no."

And Vanslyperken almost wished that he could gain the unbelief of the decrepit woman whom he called mother, and who, on the verge of eternity, held fast to such a creed.

"Well, mother, perhaps it may be you are right--I never gained anything by a good action yet."

_Query_. Had he ever done a good action?