第 24 页

"I am sorry to say we have not."

"And where is it?"

"With its owner."

"Who is he?"

"An honest tulip-grower of Dort."

"His name?"

"Boxtel."

"His quarters?"

"At the White Swan; I shall send for him, and if in themeanwhile your Highness will do me the honour of steppinginto my drawing-room, he will be sure -- knowing that yourHighness is here -- to lose no time in bringing his tulip."

"Very well, send for him."

"Yes, your Highness, but ----

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing of any consequence, Monseigneur."

"Everything is of consequence, Mynheer van Systens."

"Well, then, Monseigneur, if it must be said, a littledifficulty has presented itself."

"What difficulty?"

"This tulip has already been claimed by usurpers. It's truethat it is worth a hundred thousand guilders."

"Indeed!"

"Yes, Monseigneur, by usurpers, by forgers."

"This is a crime, Mynheer van Systens."

"So it is, your Highness."

"And have you any proofs of their guilt? '

"No, Monseigneur, the guilty woman ---- "

"The guilty woman, Sir?"

"I ought to say, the woman who claims the tulip,Monseigneur, is here in the room close by."

"And what do you think of her?"

"I think, Monseigneur, that the bait of a hundred thousandguilders may have tempted her."

"And so she claims the tulip?"

"Yes Monseigneur."

"And what proof does she offer?"

"I was just going to question her when your Highness camein."

"Question her, Mynheer van Systens, question her. I am thefirst magistrate of the country; I will hear the case andadminister justice."

"I have found my King Solomon," said Van Systens, bowing,and showing the way to the Prince.

His Highness was just going to walk ahead, but, suddenlyrecollecting himself he said --

"Go before me, and call me plain Mynheer."

The two then entered the cabinet.

Rosa was still standing at the same place, leaning on thewindow, and looking through the panes into the garden.

"Ah! a Frisian girl," said the Prince, as he observed Rosa'sgold brocade headdress and red petticoat.

At the noise of their footsteps she turned round, butscarcely saw the Prince, who seated himself in the darkestcorner of the apartment.

All her attention, as may be easily imagined, was fixed onthat important person who was called Van Systens, so thatshe had no time to notice the humble stranger who wasfollowing the master of the house, and who, for aught sheknew, might be somebody or nobody.

The humble stranger took a book down from the shelf, andmade Van Systens a sign to commence the examinationforthwith.

Van Systens, likewise at the invitation of the young man inthe violet coat, sat down in his turn, and, quite happy andproud of the importance thus cast upon him, began, --

"My child, you promise to tell me the truth and the entiretruth concerning this tulip?"

"I promise."

"Well, then, speak before this gentleman; this gentleman isone of the members of the Horticultural Society."

"What am I to tell you, sir," said Rosa, "beside that whichI have told you already."

"Well, then, what is it?"

"I repeat the question I have addressed to you before."

"Which?"

"That you will order Mynheer Boxtel to come here with histulip. If I do not recognise it as mine I will frankly tellit; but if I do recognise it I will reclaim it, even if I gobefore his Highness the Stadtholder himself, with my proofsin my hands."

"You have, then, some proofs, my child?"

"God, who knows my good right, will assist me to some."

Van Systens exchanged a look with the Prince, who, since thefirst words of Rosa, seemed to try to remember her, as if itwere not for the first time that this sweet voice rang inhis ears.

An officer went off to fetch Boxtel, and Van Systens in themeanwhile continued his examination.

"And with what do you support your assertion that you arethe real owner of the black tulip?"

"With the very simple fact of my having planted and grown itin my own chamber."

"In your chamber? Where was your chamber?"

"At Loewestein."

"You are from Loewestein?"

"I am the daughter of the jailer of the fortress."

The Prince made a little movement, as much as to say, "Well,that's it, I remember now."

And, all the while feigning to be engaged with his book, hewatched Rosa with even more attention than he had before.

"And you are fond of flowers?" continued Mynheer vanSystens.

"Yes, sir."

"Then you are an experienced florist, I dare say?"

Rosa hesitated a moment; then with a tone which came fromthe depth of her heart, she said, --

"Gentlemen, I am speaking to men of honor."

There was such an expression of truth in the tone of hervoice, that Van Systens and the Prince answeredsimultaneously by an affirmative movement of their heads.

"Well, then, I am not an experienced florist; I am only apoor girl, one of the people, who, three months ago, knewneither how to read nor how to write. No, the black tuliphas not been found by myself."

"But by whom else?"

"By a poor prisoner of Loewestein."

"By a prisoner of Loewestein?" repeated the Prince.

The tone of his voice startled Rosa, who was sure she hadheard it before.

"By a prisoner of state, then," continued the Prince, "asthere are none else there."

Having said this he began to read again, at least inappearance.

"Yes," said Rosa, with a faltering voice, "yes, by aprisoner of state."

Van Systens trembled as he heard such a confession made inthe presence of such a witness.

"Continue," said William dryly, to the President of theHorticultural Society.

"Ah, sir," said Rosa, addressing the person whom she thoughtto be her real judge, "I am going to incriminate myself veryseriously."

"Certainly," said Van Systens, "the prisoner of state oughtto be kept in close confinement at Loewestein."

"Alas! sir."

"And from what you tell me you took advantage of yourposition, as daughter of the jailer, to communicate with aprisoner of state about the cultivation of flowers."

"So it is, sir," Rosa murmured in dismay; "yes, I am boundto confess, I saw him every day."

"Unfortunate girl!" exclaimed Van Systens.

The Prince, observing the fright of Rosa and the pallor ofthe President, raised his head, and said, in his clear anddecided tone, --

"This cannot signify anything to the members of theHorticultural Society; they have to judge on the blacktulip, and have no cognizance to take of political offences.Go on, young woman, go on."

Van Systens, by means of an eloquent glance, offered, in thename of the tulip, his thanks to the new member of theHorticultural Society.

Rosa, reassured by this sort of encouragement which thestranger was giving her, related all that had happened forthe last three months, all that she had done, and all thatshe had suffered. She described the cruelty of Gryphus; thedestruction of the first bulb; the grief of the prisoner;the precautions taken to insure the success of the secondbulb; the patience of the prisoner and his anxiety duringtheir separation; how he was about to starve himself becausehe had no longer any news of his tulip; his joy when shewent to see him again; and, lastly, their despair when theyfound that the tulip which had come into flower was stolenjust one hour after it had opened.

All this was detailed with an accent of truth which,although producing no change in the impassible mien of thePrince, did not fail to take effect on Van Systens.

"But," said the Prince, "it cannot be long since you knewthe prisoner."

Rosa opened her large eyes and looked at the stranger, whodrew back into the dark corner, as if he wished to escapeher observation.

"Why, sir?" she asked him.

"Because it is not yet four months since the jailer Gryphusand his daughter were removed to Loewestein."

"That is true, sir."

"Otherwise, you must have solicited the transfer of yourfather, in order to be able to follow some prisoner who mayhave been transported from the Hague to Loewestein."

"Sir," said Rosa, blushing.

"Finish what you have to say," said William.

"I confess I knew the prisoner at the Hague."

"Happy prisoner!" said William, smiling.

At this moment the officer who had been sent for Boxtelreturned, and announced to the Prince that the person whomhe had been to fetch was following on his heels with his tulip.

Chapter 27

The Third Bulb

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 exclamation 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 agitation 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, shrugged 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 fixed 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 dedicated 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 fortress 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 allude 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 villain Cornelius de Witt."

The Prince gave a start, his generally quiet eye flashed,and a death-like paleness spread over his impassiblefeatures.