第 23 页

But whilst he was congratulating himself on having such anice story to tell to his boon companion, Jacob, that worthywas on his road to Delft; and, thanks to the swiftness ofthe horse, had already the start of Rosa and her companionby four leagues.

And whilst the affectionate father was rejoicing at thethought of his daughter weeping in her room, Rosa was makingthe best of her way towards Haarlem.

Thus the prisoner alone was where Gryphus thought him to be.

Rosa was so little with her father since she took care ofthe tulip, that at his dinner hour, that is to say, attwelve o'clock, he was reminded for the first time by hisappetite that his daughter was fretting rather too long.

He sent one of the under-turnkeys to call her; and, when theman came back to tell him that he had called and sought herin vain, he resolved to go and call her himself.

He first went to her room, but, loud as he knocked, Rosaanswered not.

The locksmith of the fortress was sent for; he opened thedoor, but Gryphus no more found Rosa than she had found thetulip.

At that very moment she entered Rotterdam.

Gryphus therefore had just as little chance of finding herin the kitchen as in her room, and just as little in thegarden as in the kitchen.

The reader may imagine the anger of the jailer when, afterhaving made inquiries about the neighbourhood, he heard thathis daughter had hired a horse, and, like an adventuress,set out on a journey without saying where she was going.

Gryphus again went up in his fury to Van Baerle, abused him,threatened him, knocked all the miserable furniture of hiscell about, and promised him all sorts of misery, evenstarvation and flogging.

Cornelius, without even hearing what his jailer said,allowed himself to be ill-treated, abused, and threatened,remaining all the while sullen, immovable, dead to everyemotion and fear.

After having sought for Rosa in every direction, Gryphuslooked out for Jacob, and, as he could not find him either,he began to suspect from that moment that Jacob had run awaywith her.

The damsel, meanwhile, after having stopped for two hours atRotterdam, had started again on her journey. On that eveningshe slept at Delft, and on the following morning she reachedHaarlem, four hours after Boxtel had arrived there.

Rosa, first of all, caused herself to be led before Mynheervan Systens, the President of the Horticultural Society ofHaarlem.

She found that worthy gentleman in a situation which, to dojustice to our story, we must not pass over in ourdescription.

The President was drawing up a report to the committee ofthe society.

This report was written on large-sized paper, in the finesthandwriting of the President.

Rosa was announced simply as Rosa Gryphus; but as her name,well as it might sound, was unknown to the President, shewas refused admittance.

Rosa, however, was by no means abashed, having vowed in herheart, in pursuing her cause, not to allow herself to be putdown either by refusal, or abuse, or even brutality.

"Announce to the President," she said to the servant, "thatI want to speak to him about the black tulip."

These words seemed to be an "Open Sesame," for she soonfound herself in the office of the President, Van Systens,who gallantly rose from his chair to meet her.

He was a spare little man, resembling the stem of a flower,his head forming its chalice, and his two limp armsrepresenting the double leaf of the tulip; the resemblancewas rendered complete by his waddling gait which made himeven more like that flower when it bends under a breeze.

"Well, miss," he said, "you are coming, I am told, about theaffair of the black tulip."

To the President of the Horticultural Society the Tulipanigra was a first-rate power, which, in its character asqueen of the tulips, might send ambassadors.

"Yes, sir," answered Rosa; "I come at least to speak of it."

"Is it doing well, then?" asked Van Systens, with a smile oftender veneration.

"Alas! sir, I don't know," said Rosa.

"How is that? could any misfortune have happened to it?"

"A very great one, sir; yet not to it, but to me."

"What?"

"It has been stolen from me."

"Stolen! the black tulip?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you know the thief?"

"I have my suspicions, but I must not yet accuse any one."

"But the matter may very easily be ascertained."

"How is that?"

"As it has been stolen from you, the thief cannot be faroff."

"Why not?"

"Because I have seen the black tulip only two hours ago."

"You have seen the black tulip!" cried Rosa, rushing up toMynheer van Systens.

"As I see you, miss."

"But where?"

"Well, with your master, of course."

"With my master?"

"Yes, are you not in the service of Master Isaac Boxtel?"

"I?"

"Yes, you."

"But for whom do you take me, sir?"

"And for whom do you take me?"

"I hope, sir, I take you for what you are, -- that is tosay, for the honorable Mynheer van Systens, Burgomaster ofHaarlem, and President of the Horticultural Society."

"And what is it you told me just now?"

"I told you, sir, that my tulip has been stolen."

"Then your tulip is that of Mynheer Boxtel. Well, my child,you express yourself very badly. The tulip has been stolen,not from you, but from Mynheer Boxtel."

"I repeat to you, sir, that I do not know who this MynheerBoxtel is, and that I have now heard his name pronounced forthe first time."

"You do not know who Mynheer Boxtel is, and you also had ablack tulip?"

"But is there any other besides mine?" asked Rosa,trembling.

"Yes, -- that of Mynheer Boxtel."

"How is it?"

"Black, of course."

"Without speck?"

"Without a single speck, or even point."

"And you have this tulip, -- you have it deposited here?"

"No, but it will be, as it has to be exhibited before thecommittee previous to the prize being awarded."

"Oh, sir!" cried Rosa, "this Boxtel -- this Isaac Boxtel --who calls himself the owner of the black tulip ---- "

"And who is its owner?"

"Is he not a very thin man?"

"Bald?"

"Yes."

"With sunken eyes?"

"I think he has."

"Restless, stooping, and bowlegged?"

"In truth, you draw Master Boxtel's portrait feature byfeature."

"And the tulip, sir? Is it not in a pot of white and blueearthenware, with yellowish flowers in a basket on threesides?"

"Oh, as to that I am not quite sure; I looked more at theflower than at the pot."

"Oh, sir! that's my tulip, which has been stolen from me. Icame here to reclaim it before you and from you."

"Oh! oh!" said Van Systens, looking at Rosa. "What! you arehere to claim the tulip of Master Boxtel? Well, I must say,you are cool enough."

"Honoured sir," a little put out by this apostrophe, "I donot say that I am coming to claim the tulip of MasterBoxtel, but to reclaim my own."

"Yours?"

"Yes, the one which I have myself planted and nursed."

"Well, then, go and find out Master Boxtel, at the WhiteSwan Inn, and you can then settle matters with him; as forme, considering that the cause seems to me as difficult tojudge as that which was brought before King Solomon, andthat I do not pretend to be as wise as he was, I shallcontent myself with making my report, establishing theexistence of the black tulip, and ordering the hundredthousand guilders to be paid to its grower. Good-bye, mychild."

"Oh, sir, sir!" said Rosa, imploringly.

"Only, my child," continued Van Systens, "as you are youngand pretty, and as there may be still some good in you, I'llgive you some good advice. Be prudent in this matter, for wehave a court of justice and a prison here at Haarlem, and,moreover, we are exceedingly ticklish as far as the honourof our tulips is concerned. Go, my child, go, remember,Master Isaac Boxtel at the White Swan Inn."

And Mynheer van Systens, taking up his fine pen, resumed hisreport, which had been interrupted by Rosa's visit.

Chapter 26

A Member of the Horticultural Society

Rosa, beyond herself and nearly mad with joy and fear at theidea of the black tulip being found again, started for theWhite Swan, followed by the boatman, a stout lad fromFrisia, who was strong enough to knock down a dozen Boxtelssingle-handed.

He had been made acquainted in the course of the journeywith the state of affairs, and was not afraid of anyencounter; only he had orders, in such a case, to spare thetulip.

But on arriving in the great market-place Rosa at oncestopped, a sudden thought had struck her, just as Homer'sMinerva seizes Achilles by the hair at the moment when he isabout to be carried away by his anger.

"Good Heaven!" she muttered to herself, "I have made agrievous blunder; it may be I have ruined Cornelius, thetulip, and myself. I have given the alarm, and perhapsawakened suspicion. I am but a woman; these men may leaguethemselves against me, and then I shall be lost. If I amlost that matters nothing, -- but Cornelius and the tulip!"

She reflected for a moment.

"If I go to that Boxtel, and do not know him; if that Boxtelis not my Jacob, but another fancier, who has alsodiscovered the black tulip; or if my tulip has been stolenby some one else, or has already passed into the hands of athird person; -- if I do not recognize the man, only thetulip, how shall I prove that it belongs to me? On the otherhand, if I recognise this Boxtel as Jacob, who knows whatwill come out of it? whilst we are contesting with eachother, the tulip will die."

In the meanwhile, a great noise was heard, like the distantroar of the sea, at the other extremity of the market-place.People were running about, doors opening and shutting, Rosaalone was unconscious of all this hubbub among themultitude.

"We must return to the President," she muttered.

"Well, then, let us return," said the boatman.

They took a small street, which led them straight to themansion of Mynheer van Systens, who with his best pen in hisfinest hand continued to draw up his report.

Everywhere on her way Rosa heard people speaking only of theblack tulip, and the prize of a hundred thousand guilders.The news had spread like wildfire through the town.

Rosa had not a little difficulty is penetrating a secondtime into the office of Mynheer van Systens, who, however,was again moved by the magic name of the black tulip.

But when he recognised Rosa, whom in his own mind he had setdown as mad, or even worse, he grew angry, and wanted tosend her away.

Rosa, however, clasped her hands, and said with that tone ofhonest truth which generally finds its way to the hearts ofmen, --

"For Heaven's sake, sir, do not turn me away; listen to whatI have to tell you, and if it be not possible for you to dome justice, at least you will not one day have to reproachyourself before God for having made yourself the accompliceof a bad action."

Van Systens stamped his foot with impatience; it was thesecond time that Rosa interrupted him in the midst of acomposition which stimulated his vanity, both as aburgomaster and as President of the Horticultural Society.

"But my report!" he cried, -- "my report on the blacktulip!"

"Mynheer van Systens," Rosa continued, with the firmness ofinnocence and truth, "your report on the black tulip will,if you don't hear me, be based on crime or on falsehood. Iimplore you, sir, let this Master Boxtel, whom I assert tobe Master Jacob, be brought here before you and me, and Iswear that I will leave him in undisturbed possession of thetulip if I do not recognise the flower and its holder."

"Well, I declare, here is a proposal," said Van Systens.

"What do you mean?"

"I ask you what can be proved by your recognising them?"

"After all," said Rosa, in her despair, "you are an honestman, sir; how would you feel if one day you found out thatyou had given the prize to a man for something which he notonly had not produced, but which he had even stolen?"

Rosa's speech seemed to have brought a certain convictioninto the heart of Van Systens, and he was going to answerher in a gentler tone, when at once a great noise was heardin the street, and loud cheers shook the house.

"What is this?" cried the burgomaster; "what is this? Is itpossible? have I heard aright?"

And he rushed towards his anteroom, without any longerheeding Rosa, whom he left in his cabinet.

Scarcely had he reached his anteroom when he cried out aloudon seeing his staircase invaded, up to the verylanding-place, by the multitude, which was accompanying, orrather following, a young man, simply clad in aviolet-coloured velvet, embroidered with silver; who, with acertain aristocratic slowness, ascended the white stonesteps of the house.

In his wake followed two officers, one of the navy, and theother of the cavalry.

Van Systens, having found his way through the frighteneddomestics, began to bow, almost to prostrate himself beforehis visitor, who had been the cause of all this stir.

"Monseigneur," he called out, "Monseigneur! Whatdistinguished honour is your Highness bestowing for ever onmy humble house by your visit?"

"Dear Mynheer van Systens," said William of Orange, with aserenity which, with him, took the place of a smile, "I am atrue Hollander, I am fond of the water, of beer, and offlowers, sometimes even of that cheese the flavour of whichseems so grateful to the French; the flower which I preferto all others is, of course, the tulip. I heard at Leydenthat the city of Haarlem at last possessed the black tulip;and, after having satisfied myself of the truth of newswhich seemed so incredible, I have come to know all about itfrom the President of the Horticultural Society."

"Oh, Monseigneur, Monseigneur!" said Van Systens, "whatglory to the society if its endeavours are pleasing to yourHighness!"

"Have you got the flower here?" said the Prince, who, verylikely, already regretted having made such a long speech.