Boxtel's return was scarcely announced, when he entered inperson the drawing-room of Mynheer van Systens, followed bytwo men, who carried in a box their precious burden anddeposited it on a table.
The Prince, on being informed, left the cabinet, passed intothe drawing-room, admired the flower, and silently resumedhis seat in the dark corner, where he had himself placed hischair.
Rosa, trembling, pale and terrified, expected to be invitedin her turn to see the tulip.
She now heard the voice of Boxtel.
"It is he!" she exclaimed.
The Prince made her a sign to go and look through the opendoor into the drawing-room.
"It is my tulip," cried Rosa, "I recognise it. Oh, my poorCornelius!"And saying this she burst into tears.
The Prince rose from his seat, went to the door, where hestood for some time with the full light falling upon hisfigure.
As Rosa's eyes now rested upon him, she felt more than everconvinced that this was not the first time she had seen thestranger.
"Master Boxtel," said the Prince, "come in here, if youplease."Boxtel eagerly approached, and, finding himself face to facewith William of Orange, started back.
"His Highness!" he called out.
"His Highness!" Rosa repeated in dismay.
Hearing this exclamation1 on his left, Boxtel turned round,and perceived Rosa.
At this sight the whole frame of the thief shook as if underthe influence of a galvanic shock.
"Ah!" muttered the Prince to himself, "he is confused."But Boxtel, making a violent effort to control his feelings,was already himself again.
"Master Boxtel," said William, "you seem to have discoveredthe secret of growing the black tulip?""Yes, your Highness," answered Boxtel, in a voice whichstill betrayed some confusion.
It is true his agitation2 might have been attributable to theemotion which the man must have felt on suddenly recognisingthe Prince.
"But," continued the Stadtholder, "here is a young damselwho also pretends to have found it."Boxtel, with a disdainful smile, shrugged3 his shoulders.
William watched all his movements with evident interest andcuriosity.
"Then you don't know this young girl?" said the Prince.
"No, your Highness!""And you, child, do you know Master Boxtel?""No, I don't know Master Boxtel, but I know Master Jacob.""What do you mean?""I mean to say that at Loewestein the man who here callshimself Isaac Boxtel went by the name of Master Jacob.""What do you say to that, Master Boxtel?""I say that this damsel lies, your Highness.""You deny, therefore, having ever been at Loewestein?"Boxtel hesitated; the fixed4 and searching glance of theproud eye of the Prince prevented him from lying.
"I cannot deny having been at Loewestein, your Highness, butI deny having stolen the tulip.""You have stolen it, and that from my room," cried Rosa,with indignation.
"I deny it.""Now listen to me. Do you deny having followed me into thegarden, on the day when I prepared the border where I was toplant it? Do you deny having followed me into the gardenwhen I pretended to plant it? Do you deny that, on thatevening, you rushed after my departure to the spot where youhoped to find the bulb? Do you deny having dug in the groundwith your hands -- but, thank God! in vain, as it was astratagem to discover your intentions. Say, do you deny allthis?"Boxtel did not deem it fit to answer these several charges,but, turning to the Prince, continued, --"I have now for twenty years grown tulips at Dort. I haveeven acquired some reputation in this art; one of my hybridsis entered in the catalogue under the name of an illustriouspersonage. I have dedicated5 it to the King of Portugal. Thetruth in the matter is as I shall now tell your Highness.
This damsel knew that I had produced the black tulip, and,in concert with a lover of hers in the fortress6 ofLoewestein, she formed the plan of ruining me byappropriating to herself the prize of a hundred thousandguilders, which, with the help of your Highness's justice, Ihope to gain.""Yah!" cried Rosa, beyond herself with anger.
"Silence!" said the Prince.
Then, turning to Boxtel, he said, --"And who is that prisoner to whom you allude7 as the lover ofthis young woman?"Rosa nearly swooned, for Cornelius was designated as adangerous prisoner, and recommended by the Prince to theespecial surveillance of the jailer.
Nothing could have been more agreeable to Boxtel than thisquestion.
"This prisoner," he said, "is a man whose name in itselfwill prove to your Highness what trust you may place in hisprobity. He is a prisoner of state, who was once condemnedto death.""And his name?"Rosa hid her face in her hands with a movement of despair.
"His name is Cornelius van Baerle," said Boxtel, "and he isgodson of that villain8 Cornelius de Witt."The Prince gave a start, his generally quiet eye flashed,and a death-like paleness spread over his impassiblefeatures.
He went up to Rosa, and with his finger, gave her a sign toremove her hands from her face.
Rosa obeyed, as if under mesmeric influence, without havingseen the sign.
"It was, then to follow this man that you came to me atLeyden to solicit9 for the transfer of your father?"Rosa hung down her head, and, nearly choking, said, --"Yes, your Highness.""Go on," said the Prince to Boxtel.
"I have nothing more to say," Isaac continued. "YourHighness knows all. But there is one thing which I did notintend to say, because I did not wish to make this girlblush for her ingratitude10. I came to Loewestein because Ihad business there. On this occasion I made the acquaintanceof old Gryphus, and, falling in love with his daughter, madean offer of marriage to her; and, not being rich, Icommitted the imprudence of mentioning to them my prospectof gaining a hundred thousand guilders, in proof of which Ishowed to them the black tulip. Her lover having himselfmade a show at Dort of cultivating tulips to hide hispolitical intrigues11, they now plotted together for my ruin.
On the eve of the day when the flower was expected to open,the tulip was taken away by this young woman. She carried itto her room, from which I had the good luck to recover it atthe very moment when she had the impudence12 to despatch13 amessenger to announce to the members of the HorticulturalSociety that she had produced the grand black tulip. But shedid not stop there. There is no doubt that, during the fewhours which she kept the flower in her room, she showed itto some persons whom she may now call as witnesses. But,fortunately, your Highness has now been warned against thisimpostor and her witnesses.""Oh, my God, my God! what infamous14 falsehoods!" said Rosa,bursting into tears, and throwing herself at the feet of theStadtholder, who, although thinking her guilty, felt pityfor her dreadful agony.
"You have done very wrong, my child," he said, "and yourlover shall be punished for having thus badly advised you.
For you are so young, and have such an honest look, that Iam inclined to believe the mischief15 to have been his doing,and not yours.""Monseigneur! Monseigneur!" cried Rosa, "Cornelius is notguilty."William started.
"Not guilty of having advised you? that's what you want tosay, is it not?""What I wish to say, your Highness, is that Cornelius is aslittle guilty of the second crime imputed16 to him as he wasof the first.""Of the first? And do you know what was his first crime? Doyou know of what he was accused and convicted? Of having, asan accomplice17 of Cornelius de Witt, concealed18 thecorrespondence of the Grand Pensionary and the Marquis deLouvois.""Well, sir, he was ignorant of this correspondence beingdeposited with him; completely ignorant. I am as certain asof my life, that, if it were not so, he would have told me;for how could that pure mind have harboured a secret withoutrevealing it to me? No, no, your Highness, I repeat it, andeven at the risk of incurring19 your displeasure, Cornelius isno more guilty of the first crime than of the second; and ofthe second no more than of the first. Oh, would to Heaventhat you knew my Cornelius; Monseigneur!""He is a De Witt!" cried Boxtel. "His Highness knows onlytoo much of him, having once granted him his life.""Silence!" said the Prince; "all these affairs of state, asI have already said, are completely out of the province ofthe Horticultural Society of Haarlem."Then, knitting his brow, he added, --"As to the tulip, make yourself easy, Master Boxtel, youshall have justice done to you."Boxtel bowed with a heart full of joy, and received thecongratulations of the President.
"You, my child," William of Orange continued, "you weregoing to commit a crime. I will not punish you; but the realevil-doer shall pay the penalty for both. A man of his namemay be a conspirator20, and even a traitor21, but he ought notto be a thief.""A thief!" cried Rosa. "Cornelius a thief? Pray, yourHighness, do not say such a word, it would kill him, if heknew it. If theft there has been, I swear to you, Sir, noone else but this man has committed it.""Prove it," Boxtel coolly remarked.
"I shall prove it. With God's help I shall."Then, turning towards Boxtel, she asked, --"The tulip is yours?""It is.""How many bulbs were there of it?"Boxtel hesitated for a moment, but after a shortconsideration he came to the conclusion that she would notask this question if there were none besides the two bulbsof which he had known already. He therefore answered, --"Three.""What has become of these bulbs?""Oh! what has become of them? Well, one has failed; thesecond has produced the black tulip.""And the third?
"The third!""The third, -- where is it?""I have it at home," said Boxtel, quite confused.
"At home? Where? At Loewestein, or at Dort?""At Dort," said Boxtel.
"You lie!" cried Rosa. "Monseigneur," she continued, whilstturning round to the Prince, "I will tell you the true storyof these three bulbs. The first was crushed by my father inthe prisoner's cell, and this man is quite aware of it, forhe himself wanted to get hold of it, and, being balked22 inhis hope, he very nearly fell out with my father, who hadbeen the cause of his disappointment. The second bulb,planted by me, has produced the black tulip, and the thirdand last" -- saying this, she drew it from her bosom23 --"here it is, in the very same paper in which it was wrappedup together with the two others. When about to be led to thescaffold, Cornelius van Baerle gave me all the three. Takeit, Monseigneur, take it."And Rosa, unfolding the paper, offered the bulb to thePrince, who took it from her hands and examined it.
"But, Monseigneur, this young woman may have stolen thebulb, as she did the tulip," Boxtel said, with a falteringvoice, and evidently alarmed at the attention with which thePrince examined the bulb; and even more at the movements ofRosa, who was reading some lines written on the paper whichremained in her hands.
Her eyes suddenly lighted up; she read, with breathlessanxiety, the mysterious paper over and over again; and atlast, uttering a cry, held it out to the Prince and said,"Read, Monseigneur, for Heaven's sake, read!"William handed the third bulb to Van Systens, took thepaper, and read.
No sooner had he looked at it than he began to stagger; hishand trembled, and very nearly let the paper fall to theground; and the expression of pain and compassion24 in hisfeatures was really frightful25 to see.
It was that fly-leaf, taken from the Bible, which Corneliusde Witt had sent to Dort by Craeke, the servant of hisbrother John, to request Van Baerle to burn thecorrespondence of the Grand Pensionary with the Marquis deLouvois.
This request, as the reader may remember, was couched in thefollowing terms: --"My Dear Godson, --"Burn the parcel which I have intrusted to you. Burn itwithout looking at it, and without opening it, so that itscontents may for ever remain unknown to yourself. Secrets ofthis description are death to those with whom they aredeposited. Burn it, and you will have saved John andCornelius de Witt.
"Farewell, and love me.
Cornelius de Witt.
"August 20, 1672."This slip of paper offered the proofs both of Van Baerle'sinnocence and of his claim to the property of the tulip.
Rosa and the Stadtholder exchanged one look only.
That of Rosa was meant to express, "Here, you see yourself."That of the Stadtholder signified, "Be quiet, and wait."The Prince wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, andslowly folded up the paper, whilst his thoughts werewandering in that labyrinth26 without a goal and without aguide, which is called remorse27 and shame for the past.
Soon, however, raising his head with an effort, he said, inhis usual voice, --"Go, Mr. Boxtel; justice shall be done, I promise you."Then, turning to the President, he added, --"You, my dear Mynheer van Systens, take charge of this youngwoman and of the tulip. Good-bye."All bowed, and the Prince left, among the deafening28 cheersof the crowd outside.
Boxtel returned to his inn, rather puzzled and uneasy,tormented by misgivings29 about that paper which William hadreceived from the hand of Rosa, and which his Highness hadread, folded up, and so carefully put in his pocket. Whatwas the meaning of all this?
Rosa went up to the tulip, tenderly kissed its leaves and,with a heart full of happiness and confidence in the ways ofGod, broke out in the words, --"Thou knowest best for what end Thou madest my goodCornelius teach me to read."
收听单词发音 |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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allude
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| v.提及，暗指 | |
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villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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solicit
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| vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意) | |
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ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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intrigues
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| n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心 | |
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impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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imputed
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| v.把（错误等）归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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accomplice
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| n.从犯，帮凶，同谋 | |
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18
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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incurring
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| 遭受，招致，引起( incur的现在分词 ) | |
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conspirator
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| n.阴谋者，谋叛者 | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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balked
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| v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的过去式和过去分词 )；（指马）不肯跑 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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