太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > the black tulip >

第14节

the black tulip-第14节

小说: the black tulip 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




drums; and proclamations; which he conceived only to be fit 

to disturb the minds of honest people;  he said:  



〃These are; indeed; beautiful bulbs; how smooth they are; 

how well formed; there is that air of melancholy about them 

which promises to produce a flower of the colour of ebony。 

On their skin you cannot even distinguish the circulating 

veins with the naked eye。 Certainly; certainly; not a light 

spot will disfigure the tulip which I have called into 

existence。 And by what name shall we call this offspring of 

my sleepless nights; of my labour and my thought? Tulipa 

nigra Barlaensis? 



〃Yes Barlaensis: a fine name。 All the tulip…fanciers  that 

is to say; all the intelligent people of Europe  will feel 

a thrill of excitement when the rumour spreads to the four 

quarters of the globe: The grand black tulip is found! 'How 

is it called?' the fanciers will ask。  'Tulipa nigra 

Barlaensis!'  'Why Barlaensis?'  'After its grower; Van 

Baerle;' will be the answer。  'And who is this Van 

Baerle?'  'It is the same who has already produced five 

new tulips: the Jane; the John de Witt; the Cornelius de 

Witt; etc。' Well; that is what I call my ambition。 It will 

cause tears to no one。 And people will talk of my Tulipa 

nigra Barlaensis when perhaps my godfather; this sublime 

politician; is only known from the tulip to which I have 

given his name。 



〃Oh! these darling bulbs! 



〃When my tulip has flowered;〃 Baerle continued in his 

soliloquy; 〃and when tranquillity is restored in Holland; I 

shall give to the poor only fifty thousand guilders; which; 

after all; is a goodly sum for a man who is under no 

obligation whatever。 Then; with the remaining fifty thousand 

guilders; I shall make experiments。 With them I shall 

succeed in imparting scent to the tulip。 Ah! if I succeed in 

giving it the odour of the rose or the carnation; or; what 

would be still better; a completely new scent; if I restored 

to this queen of flowers its natural distinctive perfume; 

which she has lost in passing from her Eastern to her 

European throne; and which she must have in the Indian 

peninsula at Goa; Bombay; and Madras; and especially in that 

island which in olden times; as is asserted; was the 

terrestrial paradise; and which is called Ceylon;  oh; 

what glory! I must say; I would then rather be Cornelius van 

Baerle than Alexander; Caesar; or Maximilian。 



〃Oh the admirable bulbs!〃 



Thus Cornelius indulged in the delights of contemplation; 

and was carried away by the sweetest dreams。 



Suddenly the bell of his cabinet was rung much more 

violently than usual。 



Cornelius; startled; laid his hands on his bulbs; and turned 

round。 



〃Who is here?〃 he asked。 



〃Sir;〃 answered the servant; 〃it is a messenger from the 

Hague。〃 



〃A messenger from the Hague! What does he want?〃 



〃Sir; it is Craeke。〃 



〃Craeke! the confidential servant of Mynheer John de Witt? 

Good; let him wait。〃 



〃I cannot wait;〃 said a voice in the lobby。 



And at the same time forcing his way in; Craeke rushed into 

the dry…room。 



This abrupt entrance was such an infringement on the 

established rules of the household of Cornelius van Baerle; 

that the latter; at the sight of Craeke; almost convulsively 

moved his hand which covered the bulbs; so that two of them 

fell on the floor; one of them rolling under a small table; 

and the other into the fireplace。 



〃Zounds!〃 said Cornelius; eagerly picking up his precious 

bulbs; 〃what's the matter?〃 



〃The matter; sir!〃 said Craeke; laying a paper on the large 

table; on which the third bulb was lying;  〃the matter is; 

that you are requested to read this paper without losing one 

moment。〃 



And Craeke; who thought he had remarked in the streets of 

Dort symptoms of a tumult similar to that which he had 

witnessed before his departure from the Hague; ran off 

without even looking behind him。 



〃All right! all right! my dear Craeke;〃 said Cornelius; 

stretching his arm under the table for the bulb; 〃your paper 

shall be read; indeed it shall。〃 



Then; examining the bulb which he held in the hollow of his 

hand; he said: 〃Well; here is one of them uninjured。 That 

confounded Craeke! thus to rush into my dry…room; let us now 

look after the other。〃 



And without laying down the bulb which he already held; 

Baerle went to the fireplace; knelt down and stirred with 

the tip of his finger the ashes; which fortunately were 

quite cold。 



He at once felt the other bulb。 



〃Well; here it is;〃 he said; and; looking at it with almost 

fatherly affection; he exclaimed; 〃Uninjured as the first!〃 



At this very instant; and whilst Cornelius; still on his 

knees; was examining his pets; the door of the dry…room was 

so violently shaken; and opened in such a brusque manner; 

that Cornelius felt rising in his cheeks and his ears the 

glow of that evil counsellor which is called wrath。 



〃Now; what is it again;〃 he demanded; 〃are people going mad 

here?〃 



〃Oh; sir! sir!〃 cried the servant; rushing into the dry…room 

with a much paler face and with a much more frightened mien 

than Craeke had shown。 



〃Well!〃 asked Cornelius; foreboding some mischief from the 

double breach of the strict rule of his house。 



〃Oh; sir; fly! fly quick!〃 cried the servant。 



〃Fly! and what for?〃 



〃Sir; the house is full of the guards of the States。〃 



〃What do they want?〃 



〃They want you。〃 



〃What for?〃 



〃To arrest you。〃 



〃Arrest me? arrest me; do you say?〃 



〃Yes; sir; and they are headed by a magistrate。〃 



〃What's the meaning of all this?〃 said Van Baerle; grasping 

in his hands the two bulbs; and directing his terrified 

glance towards the staircase。 



〃They are coming up! they are coming up!〃 cried the servant。 



〃Oh; my dear child; my worthy master!〃 cried the old 

housekeeper; who now likewise made her appearance in the 

dry…room; 〃take your gold; your jewelry; and fly; fly!〃 



〃But how shall I make my escape; nurse?〃 said Van Baerle。 



〃Jump out of the window。〃 



〃Twenty…five feet from the ground!〃 



〃But you will fall on six feet of soft soil!〃 



〃Yes; but I should fall on my tulips。〃 



〃Never mind; jump out。〃 



Cornelius took the third bulb; approached the window and 

opened it; but seeing what havoc he would necessarily cause 

in his borders; and; more than this; what a height he would 

have to jump; he called out; 〃Never!〃 and fell back a step。 



At this moment they saw across the banister of the staircase 

the points of the halberds of the soldiers rising。 



The housekeeper raised her hands to heaven。 



As to Cornelius van Baerle; it must be stated to his honour; 

not as a man; but as a tulip…fancier; his only thought was 

for his inestimable bulbs。 



Looking about for a paper in which to wrap them up; he 

noticed the fly…leaf from the Bible; which Craeke had laid 

upon the table; took it without in his confusion remembering 

whence it came; folded in it the three bulbs; secreted them 

in his bosom; and waited。 



At this very moment the soldiers; preceded by a magistrate; 

entered the room。 



〃Are you Dr。 Cornelius van Baerle?〃 demanded the magistrate 

(who; although knowing the young man very well; put his 

question according to the forms of justice; which gave his 

proceedings a much more dignified air)。 



〃I am that person; Master van Spennen;〃 answered Cornelius; 

politely; to his judge; 〃and you know it very well。〃 



〃Then give up to us the seditious papers which you secrete 

in your house。〃 



〃The seditious papers!〃 repeated Cornelius; quite dumfounded 

at the imputation。 



〃Now don't look astonished; if you please。〃 



〃I vow to you; Master van Spennen; 〃Cornelius replied; 〃that 

I am completely at a loss to understand what you want。〃 



〃Then I shall put you in the way; Doctor;〃 said the judge; 

〃give up to us the papers which the traitor Cornelius de 

Witt deposited with you in the month of January last。〃 



A sudden light came into the mind of Cornelius。 



〃Halloa!〃 said Van Spennen; 〃you begin now to remember; 

don't you?〃 



〃Indeed I do; but you spoke of seditious papers; and I have 

none of that sort。〃 



〃You deny it then?〃 



〃Certainly I do。〃 



The magistrate turned round and took a rapid survey of the 

whole cabinet。 



〃Where is the apartment you call your dry…room?〃 he asked。 



〃The very same where you now are; Master van Spennen。〃 



The magistrate cast a glance at a small note at the top of 

his papers。 



〃All right;〃 he said; like a man who is sure of his ground。 



Then; turning round towards Cornelius; he continued; 〃Will 

you give up those papers to me?〃 



〃But I cannot; Master van Spennen; those papers do not 

b

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的