Chapter 30 Wherein the Reader begins to guess the Kind of Execution

    The carriage rolled on during the whole day; it passed onthe right of Dort, went through Rotterdam, and reachedDelft. At five o'clock in the evening, at least twentyleagues had been travelled.

　　Cornelius addressed some questions to the officer, who wasat the same time his guard and his companion; but, cautiousas were his inquiries¹, he had the disappointment ofreceiving no answer.

　　Cornelius regretted that he had no longer by his side thechatty soldier, who would talk without being questioned.

　　That obliging person would undoubtedly² have given him aspleasant details and exact explanations concerning thisthird strange part of his adventures as he had doneconcerning the first two.

　　The travellers passed the night in the carriage. On thefollowing morning at dawn Cornelius found himself beyondLeyden, having the North Sea on his left, and the Zuyder Zeeon his right.

　　Three hours after, he entered Haarlem.

　　Cornelius was not aware of what had passed at Haarlem, andwe shall leave him in ignorance of it until the course ofevents enlightens him.

　　But the reader has a right to know all about it even beforeour hero, and therefore we shall not make him wait.

　　We have seen that Rosa and the tulip, like two orphansisters, had been left by Prince William of Orange at thehouse of the President van Systens.

　　Rosa did not hear again from the Stadtholder until theevening of that day on which she had seen him face to face.

　　Toward evening, an officer called at Van Systen's house. Hecame from his Highness, with a request for Rosa to appear atthe Town Hall.

　　There, in the large Council Room into which she was ushered,she found the Prince writing.

　　He was alone, with a large Frisian greyhound at his feet,which looked at him with a steady glance, as if the faithfulanimal were wishing to do what no man could do, -- read thethoughts of his master in his face.

　　William continued his writing for a moment; then, raisinghis eyes, and seeing Rosa standing³ near the door, he said,without laying down his pen, --"Come here, my child."Rosa advanced a few steps towards the table.

　　"Sit down," he said.

　　Rosa obeyed, for the Prince was fixing his eyes upon her,but he had scarcely turned them again to his paper when shebashfully retired⁴ to the door.

　　The Prince finished his letter.

　　During this time, the greyhound went up to Rosa, surveyedher and began to caress⁵ her.

　　"Ah, ah!" said William to his dog, "it's easy to see thatshe is a countrywoman of yours, and that you recognise her."Then, turning towards Rosa, and fixing on her hisscrutinising, and at the same time impenetrable glance, hesaid, --"Now, my child."The Prince was scarcely twenty-three, and Rosa eighteen ortwenty. He might therefore perhaps better have said, Mysister.

　　"My child," he said, with that strangely commanding accentwhich chilled all those who approached him, "we are alone;let us speak together."Rosa began to tremble, and yet there was nothing butkindness in the expression of the Prince's face.

　　"Monseigneur," she stammered⁶.

　　"You have a father at Loewestein?""Yes, your Highness.""You do not love him?""I do not; at least, not as a daughter ought to do,Monseigneur.""It is not right not to love one's father, but it is rightnot to tell a falsehood."Rosa cast her eyes to the ground.

　　"What is the reason of your not loving your father?""He is wicked.""In what way does he show his wickedness?""He ill-treats the prisoners.""All of them?""All.""But don't you bear him a grudge⁷ for ill-treating some onein particular?""My father ill-treats in particular Mynheer van Baerle, who---- ""Who is your lover?"Rosa started back a step.

　　"Whom I love, Monseigneur," she answered proudly.

　　"Since when?" asked the Prince.

　　"Since the day when I first saw him.""And when was that?""The day after that on which the Grand Pensionary John andhis brother Cornelius met with such an awful death."The Prince compressed his lips, and knit his brow and hiseyelids dropped so as to hide his eyes for an instant. Aftera momentary⁸ silence, he resumed the conversation.

　　"But to what can it lead to love a man who is doomed⁹ to liveand die in prison?""It will lead, if he lives and dies in prison, to my aidinghim in life and in death.""And would you accept the lot of being the wife of aprisoner?""As the wife of Mynheer van Baerle, I should, under anycircumstances, be the proudest and happiest woman in theworld; but ---- ""But what?""I dare not say, Monseigneur.""There is something like hope in your tone; what do youhope?"She raised her moist and beautiful eyes, and looked atWilliam with a glance full of meaning, which was calculatedto stir up in the recesses¹⁰ of his heart the clemency¹¹ whichwas slumbering¹² there.

　　"Ah, I understand you," he said.

　　Rosa, with a smile, clasped her hands.

　　"You hope in me?" said the Prince.

　　"Yes, Monseigneur.""Umph!"The Prince sealed the letter which he had just written, andsummoned one of his officers, to whom he said, --"Captain van Deken, carry this despatch¹³ to Loewestein; youwill read the orders which I give to the Governor, andexecute them as far as they regard you."The officer bowed, and a few minutes afterwards the gallopof a horse was heard resounding¹⁴ in the vaulted¹⁵ archway.

　　"My child," continued the Prince, "the feast of the tulipwill be on Sunday next, that is to say, the day afterto-morrow. Make yourself smart with these five hundredguilders, as I wish that day to be a great day for you.""How does your Highness wish me to be dressed?" falteredRosa.

　　"Take the costume of a Frisian bride." said William; "itwill suit you very well indeed."

1 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 caress   

vt./n.爱抚，抚摸

参考例句：

• She gave the child a loving caress.她疼爱地抚摸着孩子。
• She feasted on the caress of the hot spring.她尽情享受着温泉的抚爱。

6 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

7 grudge   

n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做

参考例句：

• I grudge paying so much for such inferior goods.我不愿花这么多钱买次品。
• I do not grudge him his success.我不嫉妒他的成功。

8 momentary   

adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的

参考例句：

• We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
• I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

9 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

10 recesses   

n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭

参考例句：

• I could see the inmost recesses. 我能看见最深处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I had continually pushed my doubts to the darker recesses of my mind. 我一直把怀疑深深地隐藏在心中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 clemency   

n.温和，仁慈，宽厚

参考例句：

• The question of clemency would rest with the King.宽大处理问题，将由国王决定。
• They addressed to the governor a plea for clemency.他们向州长提交了宽刑的申辨书。

12 slumbering   

微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• It was quiet. All the other inhabitants of the slums were slumbering. 贫民窟里的人已经睡眠静了。
• Then soft music filled the air and soothed the slumbering heroes. 接着，空中响起了柔和的乐声，抚慰着安睡的英雄。

13 despatch   

n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道

参考例句：

• The despatch of the task force is purely a contingency measure.派出特遣部队纯粹是应急之举。
• He rushed the despatch through to headquarters.他把急件赶送到总部。

14 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

15 vaulted   

adj.拱状的

参考例句：

• She vaulted over the gate and ran up the path. 她用手一撑跃过栅栏门沿着小路跑去。
• The formal living room has a fireplace and vaulted ceilings. 正式的客厅有一个壁炉和拱形天花板。