贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > the black tulip >

第29章

the black tulip-第29章

小说: the black tulip 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




〃I will do so to…morrow。〃 



〃Take some from a sunny spot; and some from a shady; so that 

I may judge of its properties in a dry and in a moist 

state。〃 



〃Be assured I shall。〃 



〃After having chosen the soil; and; if it be necessary; 

modified it; we will divide our three bulbs; you will take 

one and plant it; on the day that I will tell you; in the 

soil chosen by me。 It is sure to flower; if you tend it 

according to my directions。〃 



〃I will not lose sight of it for a minute。〃 



〃You will give me another; which I will try to grow here in 

my cell; and which will help me to beguile those long weary 

hours when I cannot see you。 I confess to you I have very 

little hope for the latter one; and I look beforehand on 

this unfortunate bulb as sacrificed to my selfishness。 

However; the sun sometimes visits me。 I will; besides; try 

to convert everything into an artificial help; even the heat 

and the ashes of my pipe; and lastly; we; or rather you; 

will keep in reserve the third sucker as our last resource; 

in case our first two experiments should prove a failure。 In 

this manner; my dear Rosa; it is impossible that we should 

not succeed in gaining the hundred thousand guilders for 

your marriage portion; and how dearly shall we enjoy that 

supreme happiness of seeing our work brought to a successful 

issue!〃 



〃I know it all now;〃 said Rosa。 〃I will bring you the soil 

to…morrow; and you will choose it for your bulb and for 

mine。 As to that in which yours is to grow; I shall have 

several journeys to convey it to you; as I cannot bring much 

at a time。〃 



〃There is no hurry for it; dear Rosa; our tulips need not be 

put into the ground for a month at least。 So you see we have 

plenty of time before us。 Only I hope that; in planting your 

bulb; you will strictly follow all my instructions。〃 



〃I promise you I will。〃 



〃And when you have once planted it; you will communicate to 

me all the circumstances which may interest our nursling; 

such as change of weather; footprints on the walks; or 

footprints in the borders。 You will listen at night whether 

our garden is not resorted to by cats。 A couple of those 

untoward animals laid waste two of my borders at Dort。〃 



〃I will listen。〃 



〃On moonlight nights have you ever looked at your garden; my 

dear child?〃 



〃The window of my sleeping…room overlooks it。〃 



〃Well; on moonlight nights you will observe whether any rats 

come out from the holes in the wall。 The rats are most 

mischievous by their gnawing everything; and I have heard 

unfortunate tulip…growers complain most bitterly of Noah for 

having put a couple of rats in the ark。〃 



〃I will observe; and if there are cats or rats  〃 



〃You will apprise me of it;  that's right。 And; moreover;〃 

Van Baerle; having become mistrustful in his captivity; 

continued; 〃there is an animal much more to be feared than 

even the cat or the rat。〃 



〃What animal?〃 



〃Man。 You comprehend; my dear Rosa; a man may steal a 

guilder; and risk the prison for such a trifle; and; 

consequently; it is much more likely that some one might 

steal a hundred thousand guilders。〃 



〃No one ever enters the garden but myself。〃 



〃Thank you; thank you; my dear Rosa。 All the joy of my life 

has still to come from you。〃 



And as the lips of Van Baerle approached the grating with 

the same ardor as the day before; and as; moreover; the hour 

for retiring had struck; Rosa drew back her head; and 

stretched out her hand。 



In this pretty little hand; of which the coquettish damsel 

was particularly proud; was the bulb。 



Cornelius kissed most tenderly the tips of her fingers。 Did 

he do so because the hand kept one of the bulbs of the great 

black tulip; or because this hand was Rosa's? We shall leave 

this point to the decision of wiser heads than ours。 



Rosa withdrew with the other two suckers; pressing them to 

her heart。 



Did she press them to her heart because they were the bulbs 

of the great black tulip; or because she had them from 

Cornelius? 



This point; we believe; might be more readily decided than 

the other。 



However that may have been; from that moment life became 

sweet; and again full of interest to the prisoner。 



Rosa; as we have seen; had returned to him one of the 

suckers。 



Every evening she brought to him; handful by handful; a 

quantity of soil from that part of the garden which he had 

found to be the best; and which; indeed; was excellent。 



A large jug; which Cornelius had skilfully broken; did 

service as a flower…pot。 He half filled it; and mixed the 

earth of the garden with a small portion of dried river mud; 

a mixture which formed an excellent soil。 



Then; at the beginning of April; he planted his first sucker 

in that jug。 



Not a day passed on which Rosa did not come to have her chat 

with Cornelius。 



The tulips; concerning whose cultivation Rosa was taught all 

the mysteries of the art; formed the principal topic of the 

conversation; but; interesting as the subject was; people 

cannot always talk about tulips。 



They therefore began to chat also about other things; and 

the tulip…fancier found out to his great astonishment what a 

vast range of subjects a conversation may comprise。 



Only Rosa had made it a habit to keep her pretty face 

invariably six inches distant from the grating; having 

perhaps become distrustful of herself。 



There was one thing especially which gave Cornelius almost 

as much anxiety as his bulbs  a subject to which he always 

returned  the dependence of Rosa on her father。 



Indeed; Van Baerle's happiness depended on the whim of this 

man。 He might one day find Loewestein dull; or the air of 

the place unhealthy; or the gin bad; and leave the fortress; 

and take his daughter with him; when Cornelius and Rosa 

would again be separated。 



〃Of what use would the carrier pigeons then be?〃 said 

Cornelius to Rosa; 〃as you; my dear girl; would not be able 

to read what I should write to you; nor to write to me your 

thoughts in return。〃 



〃Well;〃 answered Rosa; who in her heart was as much afraid 

of a separation as Cornelius himself; 〃we have one hour 

every evening; let us make good use of it。〃 



〃I don't think we make such a bad use of it as it is。〃 



〃Let us employ it even better;〃 said Rosa; smiling。 〃Teach 

me to read and write。 I shall make the best of your lessons; 

believe me; and; in this way; we shall never be separated 

any more; except by our own will。〃 



〃Oh; then; we have an eternity before us;〃 said Cornelius。 



Rosa smiled; and quietly shrugged her shoulders。 



〃Will you remain for ever in prison?〃 she said; 〃and after 

having granted you your life; will not his Highness also 

grant you your liberty? And will you not then recover your 

fortune; and be a rich man; and then; when you are driving 

in your own coach; riding your own horse; will you still 

look at poor Rosa; the daughter of a jailer; scarcely better 

than a hangman?〃 



Cornelius tried to contradict her; and certainly he would 

have done so with all his heart; and with all the sincerity 

of a soul full of love。 



She; however; smilingly interrupted him; saying; 〃How is 

your tulip going on?〃 



To speak to Cornelius of his tulip was an expedient resorted 

to by her to make him forget everything; even Rosa herself。 



〃Very well; indeed;〃 he said; 〃the coat is growing black; 

the sprouting has commenced; the veins of the bulb are 

swelling; in eight days hence; and perhaps sooner; we may 

distinguish the first buds of the leaves protruding。 And 

yours Rosa?〃 



〃Oh; I have done things on a large scale; and according to 

your directions。〃 



〃Now; let me hear; Rosa; what you have done;〃 said 

Cornelius; with as tender an anxiety as he had lately s

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的