"You wish to speak with me," said Lord Albemarle.
"Yes, your honour's honour, I've come to expose a snivelling traitor to his Majesty's crown. Yes, yes, Mr Vanslyperken, we shall see now," continued the widow, talking to herself, and fanning away.
"We are all attentive, madam."
Mistress Vandersloosh then began, out of breath, and continued out of breath till she had told the whole of her story, which, as the reader must be aware, only corroborated all Vanslyperken had already stated, with the exception that he had denounced the widow. Lord Albemarle allowed her to proceed without interruption, he had a great insight into character, and the story of the widow confirmed him in his opinion of Vanslyperken.
"But my good woman," said Lord Albemarle, "are you aware that Mr Vanslyperken has already been here?"
"Yes, your honour, I met him going back, and he turned his nose up at me, and I then said, 'Well, well, Mr Vanslyperken, we shall see; wait a little, Mr Vanslyperken.'"
"And," continued Lord Albemarle, "that he has denounced you as being a party to all these treasonable practices."
"Me--denounced me--he--O Lord, O Lord, only let me meet him face to face--let him say it then if he dares, the snivelling--cowardly--murdering wretch."
Thereupon Mrs Vandersloosh commenced the history of Vanslyperken's wooing, of his cur Snarleyyow, of her fancy for the corporal, of his finding her with the corporal the day before, of her beating him off with the brooms, and of her threats to expose his treason. "And so, now, when he finds that he was to be exposed, he comes up first himself; that's now the truth of it, or my name's not Vandersloosh, your honour," and the widow walked up and down with the march of an elephant, fanning herself violently, her bosom heaving with agitation, and her face as red as a boiled lobster.
"Mistress Vandersloosh," said Lord Albemarle, "let the affair rest as it is for the present, but I shall not forget what you have told me. I think now that you had better go home."