Chapter 33 Conclusion

    Van Baerle, led by four guards, who pushed their way throughthe crowd, sidled up to the black tulip, towards which hisgaze was attracted with increasing interest the nearer heapproached to it.

　　He saw it at last, that unique flower, which he was to seeonce and no more. He saw it at the distance of six paces,and was delighted with its perfection and gracefulness²; hesaw it surrounded by young and beautiful girls, who formed,as it were, a guard of honour for this queen of excellenceand purity. And yet, the more he ascertained³ with his owneyes the perfection of the flower, the more wretched andmiserable he felt. He looked all around for some one to whomhe might address only one question, but his eyes everywheremet strange faces, and the attention of all was directedtowards the chair of state, on which the Stadtholder hadseated himself.

　　William rose, casting a tranquil⁴ glance over theenthusiastic crowd, and his keen eyes rested by turns on thethree extremities⁵ of a triangle formed opposite to him bythree persons of very different interests and feelings.

　　At one of the angles, Boxtel, trembling with impatience⁶, andquite absorbed in watching the Prince, the guilders, theblack tulip, and the crowd.

　　At the other, Cornelius, panting for breath, silent, and hisattention, his eyes, his life, his heart, his love, quiteconcentrated on the black tulip.

　　And thirdly, standing⁷ on a raised step among the maidens⁸ ofHaarlem, a beautiful Frisian girl, dressed in fine scarletwoollen cloth, embroidered⁹ with silver, and covered with alace veil, which fell in rich folds from her head-dress ofgold brocade; in one word, Rosa, who, faint and withswimming eyes, was leaning on the arm of one of the officersof William.

　　The Prince then slowly unfolded the parchment, and said,with a calm clear voice, which, although low, made itselfperfectly heard amidst the respectful silence, which all atonce arrested the breath of fifty thousand spectators. --"You know what has brought us here?

　　"A prize of one hundred thousand guilders has been promisedto whosoever should grow the black tulip.

　　"The black tulip has been grown; here it is before youreyes, coming up to all the conditions required by theprogramme of the Horticultural Society of Haarlem.

　　"The history of its production, and the name of its grower,will be inscribed¹⁰ in the book of honour of the city.

　　"Let the person approach to whom the black tulip belongs."In pronouncing these words, the Prince, to judge of theeffect they produced, surveyed with his eagle eye the threeextremities of the triangle.

　　He saw Boxtel rushing forward. He saw Cornelius make aninvoluntary movement; and lastly he saw the officer who wastaking care of Rosa lead, or rather push her forward towardshim.

　　At the sight of Rosa, a double cry arose on the right andleft of the Prince.

　　Boxtel, thunderstruck, and Cornelius, in joyful¹¹ amazement,both exclaimed, --"Rosa! Rosa!""This tulip is yours, is it not, my child?" said the Prince.

　　"Yes, Monseigneur," stammered¹² Rosa, whose striking beautyexcited a general murmur¹³ of applause.

　　"Oh!" muttered Cornelius, "she has then belied¹⁴ me, when shesaid this flower was stolen from her. Oh! that's why sheleft Loewestein. Alas¹⁵! am I then forgotten, betrayed by herwhom I thought my best friend on earth?""Oh!" sighed Boxtel, "I am lost.""This tulip," continued the Prince, "will therefore bear thename of its producer, and figure in the catalogue under thetitle, Tulipa nigra Rosa Barlaensis, because of the name VanBaerle, which will henceforth be the name of this damsel."And at the same time William took Rosa's hand, and placed itin that of a young man, who rushed forth¹⁶, pale and beyondhimself with joy, to the foot of the throne salutingalternately the Prince and his bride; and who with agrateful look to heaven, returned his thanks to the Giver ofall this happiness.

　　At the same moment there fell at the feet of the Presidentvan Systens another man, struck down by a very differentemotion.

　　Boxtel, crushed by the failure of his hopes, lay senselesson the ground.

　　When they raised him, and examined his pulse and his heart,he was quite dead.

　　This incident did not much disturb the festival, as neitherthe Prince nor the President seemed to mind it much.

　　Cornelius started back in dismay, when in the thief, in thepretended Jacob, he recognised his neighbour, Isaac Boxtel,whom, in the innocence¹⁷ of his heart, he had not for oneinstant suspected of such a wicked action.

　　Then, to the sound of trumpets¹⁸, the procession marched backwithout any change in its order, except that Boxtel was nowdead, and that Cornelius and Rosa were walking triumphantlyside by side and hand in hand.

　　On their arriving at the Hotel de Ville, the Prince,pointing with his finger to the purse with the hundredthousand guilders, said to Cornelius, --"It is difficult to say by whom this money is gained, by youor by Rosa; for if you have found the black tulip, she hasnursed it and brought it into flower. It would therefore beunjust to consider it as her dowry; it is the gift of thetown of Haarlem to the tulip."Cornelius wondered what the Prince was driving at. Thelatter continued, --"I give to Rosa the sum of a hundred thousand guilders,which she has fairly earned, and which she can offer to you.

　　They are the reward of her love, her courage, and herhonesty. As to you, Sir -- thanks to Rosa again, who hasfurnished the proofs of your innocence ---- "And, saying these words, the Prince handed to Cornelius thatfly-leaf of the Bible on which was written the letter ofCornelius de Witt, and in which the third bulb had beenwrapped, --"As to you, it has come to light that you were imprisonedfor a crime which you had not committed. This means, thatyou are not only free, but that your property will berestored to you; as the property of an innocent man cannotbe confiscated¹⁹. Cornelius van Baerle, you are the godson ofCornelius de Witt and the friend of his brother John. Remainworthy of the name you have received from one of them, andof the friendship you have enjoyed with the other. The twoDe Witts, wrongly judged and wrongly punished in a moment ofpopular error, were two great citizens, of whom Holland isnow proud."The Prince, after these last words, which contrary to hiscustom, he pronounced with a voice full of emotion, gave hishands to the lovers to kiss, whilst they were kneelingbefore him.

　　Then heaving a sigh, he said, --"Alas! you are very happy, who, dreaming only of whatperhaps is the true glory of Holland, and forms especiallyher true happiness, do not attempt to acquire for heranything beyond new colours of tulips."And, casting a glance towards that point of the compasswhere France lay, as if he saw new clouds gathering²⁰ there,he entered his carriage and drove off.

　　Cornelius started on the same day for Dort with Rosa, whosent her lover's old housekeeper²¹ as a messenger to herfather, to apprise²² him of all that had taken place.

　　Those who, thanks to our description, have learned thecharacter of old Gryphus, will comprehend that it was hardfor him to become reconciled to his son-in-law. He had notyet forgotten the blows which he had received in that famousencounter. To judge from the weals which he counted, theirnumber, he said, amounted to forty-one; but at last, inorder, as he declared, not to be less generous than hisHighness the Stadtholder, he consented to make his peace.

　　Appointed to watch over the tulips, the old man made therudest keeper of flowers in the whole of the SevenProvinces.

　　It was indeed a sight to see him watching the obnoxiousmoths and butterflies, killing²³ slugs, and driving away thehungry bees.

　　As he had heard Boxtel's story, and was furious at havingbeen the dupe of the pretended Jacob, he destroyed thesycamore behind which the envious²⁴ Isaac had spied into thegarden; for the plot of ground belonging to him had beenbought by Cornelius, and taken into his own garden.

　　Rosa, growing not only in beauty, but in wisdom also, aftertwo years of her married life, could read and write so wellthat she was able to undertake by herself the education oftwo beautiful children which she had borne in 1674 and 1675,both in May, the month of flowers.

　　As a matter of course, one was a boy, the other a girl, theformer being called Cornelius, the other Rosa.

　　Van Baerle remained faithfully attached to Rosa and to histulips. The whole of his life was devoted²⁵ to the happinessof his wife and the culture of flowers, in the latter ofwhich occupations he was so successful that a great numberof his varieties found a place in the catalogue of Holland.

　　The two principal ornaments²⁶ of his drawing-room were thosetwo leaves from the Bible of Cornelius de Witt, in largegolden frames; one of them containing the letter in whichhis godfather enjoined²⁷ him to burn the correspondence of theMarquis de Louvois, and the other his own will, in which hebequeathed to Rosa his bulbs under condition that she shouldmarry a young man of from twenty-six to twenty-eight years,who loved her and whom she loved, a condition which wasscrupulously fulfilled, although, or rather because,Cornelius did not die.

　　And to ward¹ off any envious attempts of another IsaacBoxtel, he wrote over his door the lines which Grotius had,on the day of his flight, scratched on the walls of hisprison: --"Sometimes one has suffered so much that he has the rightnever to be able to say, 'I am too happy.'"

1 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

2 gracefulness   

参考例句：

• His manly beauty and more than common gracefulness were instantly the theme of general admiration. 他那男子气的美和出众的优雅风度马上成了大家赞扬的话题。 来自辞典例句
• Magnanimousness, tastefulness gracefulness are basic traits and characters of Shan cuisine. 这即是陕菜的基本特征及品性、风格。 来自互联网

3 ascertained   

v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

5 extremities   

n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地

参考例句：

• She was most noticeable, I thought, in respect of her extremities. 我觉得她那副穷极可怜的样子实在太惹人注目。 来自辞典例句
• Winters may be quite cool at the northwestern extremities. 西北边区的冬天也可能会相当凉。 来自辞典例句

6 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

7 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。

8 maidens   

处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• Transplantation is not always successful in the matter of flowers or maidens. 花儿移栽往往并不成功，少女们换了环境也是如此。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 embroidered   

adj．绣花的

参考例句：

• She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
• She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

10 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

12 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

13 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

14 belied   

v.掩饰( belie的过去式和过去分词 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎

参考例句：

• His bluff exterior belied a connoisseur of antiques. 他作风粗放，令人看不出他是古董鉴赏家。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her smile belied her true feelings. 她的微笑掩饰了她的真实感情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

16 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

17 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

18 trumpets   

喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花

参考例句：

• A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. 在响亮的号角声中花圈被献在纪念碑前。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

19 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

20 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

21 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

22 apprise   

vt.通知，告知

参考例句：

• He came to apprise us that the work had been successfully completed.他来通知我们工作已胜利完成。
• We must apprise them of the dangers that may be involved.我们必须告诉他们可能涉及的危险。

23 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

24 envious   

adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的

参考例句：

• I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
• She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。

25 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

26 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 enjoined   

v.命令( enjoin的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The embezzler was severely punished and enjoined to kick back a portion of the stolen money each month. 贪污犯受到了严厉惩罚，并被责令每月退还部分赃款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She enjoined me strictly not to tell anyone else. 她严令我不准告诉其他任何人。 来自辞典例句