The consequence was, that the three days
that they were at sea, Mr Vanslyperken confined himself altogether to
his cabin, for he was not without some fears for his own safety. On his
arrival at Portsmouth, he delivered his letters to the admiral, and
received orders to return to his cruising ground after the smugglers as
soon as he had replaced his lost boat.
We have observed that Mr Vanslyperken had no relations on this side of
the water; but in saying that, we referred to the epoch that he was in
the service previous to the accession of King William. Since that, and
about a year from the time we are now writing about, he had brought over
his mother, whom he had not, till the peace, seen for years, and had
established her in a small apartment in that part of the town now known
by the name of the Halfway Houses. The old woman lived upon a small
pension allowed by the Dutch court, having been employed for many years
in a subordinate capacity in the king's household. She was said to have
once been handsome, and when young, prodigal of her favours; at present
she was a palsied old woman, bent double with age and infirmity, but
with all her faculties as complete as if she was in her prime.
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