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第42章

the black tulip-第42章

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Cornelius; immovable and full of consternation; heard almost 

without understanding; and only muttered;  



〃Stolen; stolen; and I am lost!〃 



〃O Cornelius; forgive me; forgive me; it will kill me!〃 



Seeing Rosa's distress; Cornelius seized the iron bars of 

the grating; and furiously shaking them; called out;  



〃Rosa; Rosa; we have been robbed; it is true; but shall we 

allow ourselves to be dejected for all that? No; no; the 

misfortune is great; but it may perhaps be remedied。 Rosa; 

we know the thief!〃 



〃Alas! what can I say about it?〃 



〃But I say that it is no one else but that infamous Jacob。 

Shall we allow him to carry to Haarlem the fruit of our 

labour; the fruit of our sleepless nights; the child of our 

love? Rosa; we must pursue; we must overtake him!〃 



〃But how can we do all this; my friend; without letting my 

father know we were in communication with each other? How 

should I; a poor girl; with so little knowledge of the world 

and its ways; be able to attain this end; which perhaps you 

could not attain yourself?〃 



〃Rosa; Rosa; open this door to me; and you will see whether 

I will not find the thief;  whether I will not make him 

confess his crime and beg for mercy。〃 



〃Alas!〃 cried Rosa; sobbing; 〃can I open the door for you? 

have I the keys? If I had had them; would not you have been 

free long ago?〃 



〃Your father has them;  your wicked father; who has 

already crushed the first bulb of my tulip。 Oh; the wretch! 

he is an accomplice of Jacob!〃 



〃Don't speak so loud; for Heaven's sake!〃 



〃Oh; Rosa; if you don't open the door to me;〃 Cornelius 

cried in his rage; 〃I shall force these bars; and kill 

everything I find in the prison。〃 



〃Be merciful; be merciful; my friend!〃 



〃I tell you; Rosa; that I shall demolish this prison; stone 

for stone!〃 and the unfortunate man; whose strength was 

increased tenfold by his rage; began to shake the door with 

a great noise; little heeding that the thunder of his voice 

was re…echoing through the spiral staircase。 



Rosa; in her fright; made vain attempts to check this 

furious outbreak。 



〃I tell you that I shall kill that infamous Gryphus?〃 roared 

Cornelius。 〃I tell you I shall shed his blood as he did that 

of my black tulip。〃 



The wretched prisoner began really to rave。 



〃Well; then; yes;〃 said Rosa; all in a tremble。 〃Yes; yes; 

only be quiet。 Yes; yes; I will take his keys; I will open 

the door for you! Yes; only be quiet; my own dear 

Cornelius。〃 



She did not finish her speech; as a growl by her side 

interrupted her。 



〃My father!〃 cried Rosa。 



〃Gryphus!〃 roared Van Baerle。 〃Oh; you villain!〃 



Old Gryphus; in the midst of all the noise; had ascended the 

staircase without being heard。 



He rudely seized his daughter by the wrist。 



〃So you will take my keys?〃 he said; in a voice choked with 

rage。 〃Ah! this dastardly fellow; this monster; this 

gallows…bird of a conspirator; is your own dear Cornelius; 

is he? Ah! Missy has communications with prisoners of state。 

Ah! won't I teach you  won't I?〃 



Rosa clasped her hands in despair。 



〃Ah!〃 Gryphus continued; passing from the madness of anger 

to the cool irony of a man who has got the better of his 

enemy;  〃Ah; you innocent tulip…fancier; you gentle 

scholar; you will kill me; and drink my blood! Very well! 

very well! And you have my daughter for an accomplice。 Am I; 

forsooth; in a den of thieves;  in a cave of brigands? 

Yes; but the Governor shall know all to…morrow; and his 

Highness the Stadtholder the day after。 We know the law;  

we shall give a second edition of the Buytenhof; Master 

Scholar; and a good one this time。 Yes; yes; just gnaw your 

paws like a bear in his cage; and you; my fine little lady; 

devour your dear Cornelius with your eyes。 I tell you; my 

lambkins; you shall not much longer have the felicity of 

conspiring together。 Away with you; unnatural daughter! And 

as to you; Master Scholar; we shall see each other again。 

Just be quiet;  we shall。〃 



Rosa; beyond herself with terror and despair; kissed her 

hands to her friend; then; suddenly struck with a bright 

thought; she rushed toward the staircase; saying;  



〃All is not yet lost; Cornelius。 Rely on me; my Cornelius。〃 



Her father followed her; growling。 



As to poor Cornelius; he gradually loosened his hold of the 

bars; which his fingers still grasped convulsively。 His head 

was heavy; his eyes almost started from their sockets; and 

he fell heavily on the floor of his cell; muttering;  



〃Stolen! it has been stolen from me!〃 



During this time Boxtel had left the fortress by the door 

which Rosa herself had opened。 He carried the black tulip 

wrapped up in a cloak; and; throwing himself into a coach; 

which was waiting for him at Gorcum; he drove off; without; 

as may well be imagined; having informed his friend Gryphus 

of his sudden departure。 



And now; as we have seen him enter his coach; we shall with 

the consent of the reader; follow him to the end of his 

journey。 



He proceeded but slowly; as the black tulip could not bear 

travelling post…haste。 



But Boxtel; fearing that he might not arrive early enough; 

procured at Delft a box; lined all round with fresh moss; in 

which he packed the tulip。 The flower was so lightly pressed 

upon all sides; with a supply of air from above; that the 

coach could now travel full speed without any possibility of 

injury to the tulip。 



He arrived next morning at Haarlem; fatigued but triumphant; 

and; to do away with every trace of the theft; he 

transplanted the tulip; and; breaking the original 

flower…pot; threw the pieces into the canal。 After which he 

wrote the President of the Horticultural Society a letter; 

in which he announced to him that he had just arrived at 

Haarlem with a perfectly black tulip; and; with his flower 

all safe; took up his quarters at a good hotel in the town; 

and there he waited。 









Chapter 25



The President van Systens





Rosa; on leaving Cornelius; had fixed on her plan; which was 

no other than to restore to Cornelius the stolen tulip; or 

never to see him again。 



She had seen the despair of the prisoner; and she knew that 

it was derived from a double source; and that it was 

incurable。 



On the one hand; separation became inevitable;  Gryphus 

having at the same time surprised the secret of their love 

and of their secret meetings。 



On the other hand; all the hopes on the fulfilment of which 

Cornelius van Baerle had rested his ambition for the last 

seven years were now crushed。 



Rosa was one of those women who are dejected by trifles; but 

who in great emergencies are supplied by the misfortune 

itself with the energy for combating or with the resources 

for remedying it。 



She went to her room; and cast a last glance about her to 

see whether she had not been mistaken; and whether the tulip 

was not stowed away in some corner where it had escaped her 

notice。 But she sought in vain; the tulip was still missing; 

the tulip was indeed stolen。 



Rosa made up a little parcel of things indispensable for a 

journey; took her three hundred guilders;  that is to say; 

all her fortune;  fetched the third bulb from among her 

lace; where she had laid it up; and carefully hid it in her 

bosom; after which she locked her door twice to disguise her 

flight as long as possible; and; leaving the prison by the 

same door which an hour before had let out Boxtel; she went 

to a stable…keeper to hire a carriage。 



The man had only a two…wheel chaise; and this was the 

vehicle which Boxtel had hired since last evening; and in 

which he was now driving along the road to Delft; for the 

road from Loewestein to Haarlem; owing to the many canals; 

rivers; and rivulet

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