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第17章

the black tulip-第17章

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was in a swoon; shook hands with his servants; who were 

bathed in tears; and followed the magistrate; who put him in 

a coach as a prisoner of state and had him driven at full 

gallop to the Hague。 









Chapter 8



An Invasion





The incident just related was; as the reader has guessed 

before this; the diabolical work of Mynheer Isaac Boxtel。 



It will be remembered that; with the help of his telescope; 

not even the least detail of the private meeting between 

Cornelius de Witt and Van Baerle had escaped him。 He had; 

indeed; heard nothing; but he had seen everything; and had 

rightly concluded that the papers intrusted by the Warden to 

the Doctor must have been of great importance; as he saw Van 

Baerle so carefully secreting the parcel in the drawer where 

he used to keep his most precious bulbs。 



The upshot of all this was that when Boxtel; who watched the 

course of political events much more attentively than his 

neighbour Cornelius was used to do; heard the news of the 

brothers De Witt being arrested on a charge of high treason 

against the States; he thought within his heart that very 

likely he needed only to say one word; and the godson would 

be arrested as well as the godfather。 



Yet; full of happiness as was Boxtel's heart at the chance; 

he at first shrank with horror from the idea of informing 

against a man whom this information might lead to the 

scaffold。 



But there is this terrible thing in evil thoughts; that evil 

minds soon grow familiar with them。 



Besides this; Mynheer Isaac Boxtel encouraged himself with 

the following sophism:  



〃Cornelius de Witt is a bad citizen; as he is charged with 

high treason; and arrested。 



〃I; on the contrary; am a good citizen; as I am not charged 

with anything in the world; as I am as free as the air of 

heaven。〃 



〃If; therefore; Cornelius de Witt is a bad citizen;  of 

which there can be no doubt; as he is charged with high 

treason; and arrested;  his accomplice; Cornelius van 

Baerle; is no less a bad citizen than himself。 



〃And; as I am a good citizen; and as it is the duty of every 

good citizen to inform against the bad ones; it is my duty 

to inform against Cornelius van Baerle。〃 



Specious as this mode of reasoning might sound; it would not 

perhaps have taken so complete a hold of Boxtel; nor would 

he perhaps have yielded to the mere desire of vengeance 

which was gnawing at his heart; had not the demon of envy 

been joined with that of cupidity。 



Boxtel was quite aware of the progress which Van Baerle had 

made towards producing the grand black tulip。 



Dr。 Cornelius; notwithstanding all his modesty; had not been 

able to hide from his most intimate friends that he was all 

but certain to win; in the year of grace 1673; the prize of 

a hundred thousand guilders offered by the Horticultural 

Society of Haarlem。 



It was just this certainty of Cornelius van Baerle that 

caused the fever which raged in the heart of Isaac Boxtel。 



If Cornelius should be arrested there would necessarily be a 

great upset in his house; and during the night after his 

arrest no one would think of keeping watch over the tulips 

in his garden。 



Now in that night Boxtel would climb over the wall and; as 

he knew the position of the bulb which was to produce the 

grand black tulip; he would filch it; and instead of 

flowering for Cornelius; it would flower for him; Isaac; he 

also; instead of Van Baerle; would have the prize of a 

hundred thousand guilders; not to speak of the sublime 

honour of calling the new flower Tulipa nigra Boxtellensis; 

 a result which would satisfy not only his vengeance; but 

also his cupidity and his ambition。 



Awake; he thought of nothing but the grand black tulip; 

asleep; he dreamed of it。 



At last; on the 19th of August; about two o'clock in the 

afternoon; the temptation grew so strong; that Mynheer Isaac 

was no longer able to resist it。 



Accordingly; he wrote an anonymous information; the minute 

exactness of which made up for its want of authenticity; and 

posted his letter。 



Never did a venomous paper; slipped into the jaws of the 

bronze lions at Venice; produce a more prompt and terrible 

effect。 



On the same evening the letter reached the principal 

magistrate; who without a moment's delay convoked his 

colleagues early for the next morning。 On the following 

morning; therefore; they assembled; and decided on Van 

Baerle's arrest; placing the order for its execution in the 

hands of Master van Spennen; who; as we have seen; performed 

his duty like a true Hollander; and who arrested the Doctor 

at the very hour when the Orange party at the Hague were 

roasting the bleeding shreds of flesh torn from the corpses 

of Cornelius and John de Witt。 



But; whether from a feeling of shame or from craven 

weakness; Isaac Boxtel did not venture that day to point his 

telescope either at the garden; or at the laboratory; or at 

the dry…room。 



He knew too well what was about to happen in the house of 

the poor doctor to feel any desire to look into it。 He did 

not even get up when his only servant  who envied the lot 

of the servants of Cornelius just as bitterly as Boxtel did 

that of their master  entered his bedroom。 He said to the 

man;  



〃I shall not get up to…day; I am ill。〃 



About nine o'clock he heard a great noise in the street 

which made him tremble; at this moment he was paler than a 

real invalid; and shook more violently than a man in the 

height of fever。 



His servant entered the room; Boxtel hid himself under the 

counterpane。 



〃Oh; sir!〃 cried the servant; not without some inkling that; 

whilst deploring the mishap which had befallen Van Baerle; 

he was announcing agreeable news to his master;  〃oh; sir! 

you do not know; then; what is happening at this moment?〃 



〃How can I know it?〃 answered Boxtel; with an almost 

unintelligible voice。 



〃Well; Mynheer Boxtel; at this moment your neighbour 

Cornelius van Baerle is arrested for high treason。〃 



〃Nonsense!〃 Boxtel muttered; with a faltering voice; 〃the 

thing is impossible。〃 



〃Faith; sir; at any rate that's what people say; and; 

besides; I have seen Judge van Spennen with the archers 

entering the house。〃 



〃Well; if you have seen it with your own eyes; that's a 

different case altogether。〃 



〃At all events;〃 said the servant; 〃I shall go and inquire 

once more。 Be you quiet; sir; I shall let you know all about 

it。〃 



Boxtel contented himself with signifying his approval of the 

zeal of his servant by dumb show。 



The man went out; and returned in half an hour。 



〃Oh; sir; all that I told you is indeed quite true。〃 



〃How so?〃 



〃Mynheer van Baerle is arrested; and has been put into a 

carriage; and they are driving him to the Hague。〃 



〃To the Hague!〃 



〃Yes; to the Hague; and if what people say is true; it won't 

do him much good。〃 



〃And what do they say?〃 Boxtel asked。 



〃Faith; sir; they say  but it is not quite sure  that by 

this hour the burghers must be murdering Mynheer Cornelius 

and Mynheer John de Witt。〃 



〃Oh;〃 muttered; or rather growled Boxtel; closing his eyes 

from the dreadful picture which presented itself to his 

imagination。 



〃Why; to be sure;〃 said the servant to himself; whilst 

leaving the room; 〃Mynheer Isaac Boxtel must be very sick 

not to have jumped from his bed on hearing such good news。〃 



And; in reality; Isaac Boxtel was very sick; like a man who 

has murdered another。 



But he had murdered his man with a double object; the first 

was attained; the second was still to be attained。 



Night closed in。 It was the night which Boxtel had looked 

forward to。 



As soon as it was dark he got up。 



He then climbed into his sycamore。 


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