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.
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