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the black tulip-第16节

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carriage; and they are driving him to the Hague。〃 



〃To the Hague!〃 



〃Yes; to the Hague; and if what people say is true; it won't 

do him much good。〃 



〃And what do they say?〃 Boxtel asked。 



〃Faith; sir; they say  but it is not quite sure  that by 

this hour the burghers must be murdering Mynheer Cornelius 

and Mynheer John de Witt。〃 



〃Oh;〃 muttered; or rather growled Boxtel; closing his eyes 

from the dreadful picture which presented itself to his 

imagination。 



〃Why; to be sure;〃 said the servant to himself; whilst 

leaving the room; 〃Mynheer Isaac Boxtel must be very sick 

not to have jumped from his bed on hearing such good news。〃 



And; in reality; Isaac Boxtel was very sick; like a man who 

has murdered another。 



But he had murdered his man with a double object; the first 

was attained; the second was still to be attained。 



Night closed in。 It was the night which Boxtel had looked 

forward to。 



As soon as it was dark he got up。 



He then climbed into his sycamore。 



He had calculated correctly; no one thought of keeping watch 

over the garden; the house and the servants were all in the 

utmost confusion。 



He heard the clock strike  ten; eleven; twelve。 



At midnight; with a beating heart; trembling hands; and a 

livid countenance; he descended from the tree; took a 

ladder; leaned it against the wall; mounted it to the last 

step but one; and listened。 



All was perfectly quiet; not a sound broke the silence of 

the night; one solitary light; that of the housekeeper; was 

burning in the house。 



This silence and this darkness emboldened Boxtel; he got 

astride the wall; stopped for an instant; and; after having 

ascertained that there was nothing to fear; he put his 

ladder from his own garden into that of Cornelius; and 

descended。 



Then; knowing to an inch where the bulbs which were to 

produce the black tulip were planted; he ran towards the 

spot; following; however; the gravelled walks in order not 

to be betrayed by his footprints; and; on arriving at the 

precise spot; he proceeded; with the eagerness of a tiger; 

to plunge his hand into the soft ground。 



He found nothing; and thought he was mistaken。 



In the meanwhile; the cold sweat stood on his brow。 



He felt about close by it;  nothing。 



He felt about on the right; and on the left;  nothing。 



He felt about in front and at the back;  nothing。 



He was nearly mad; when at last he satisfied himself that on 

that very morning the earth had been disturbed。 



In fact; whilst Boxtel was lying in bed; Cornelius had gone 

down to his garden; had taken up the mother bulb; and; as we 

have seen; divided it into three。 



Boxtel could not bring himself to leave the place。 He dug up 

with his hands more than ten square feet of ground。 



At last no doubt remained of his misfortune。 Mad with rage; 

he returned to his ladder; mounted the wall; drew up the 

ladder; flung it into his own garden; and jumped after it。 



All at once; a last ray of hope presented itself to his 

mind: the seedling bulbs might be in the dry…room; it was 

therefore only requisite to make his entry there as he had 

done into the garden。 



There he would find them; and; moreover; it was not at all 

difficult; as the sashes of the dry…room might be raised 

like those of a greenhouse。 Cornelius had opened them on 

that morning; and no one had thought of closing them again。 



Everything; therefore; depended upon whether he could 

procure a ladder of sufficient length;  one of twenty…five 

feet instead of ten。 



Boxtel had noticed in the street where he lived a house 

which was being repaired; and against which a very tall 

ladder was placed。 



This ladder would do admirably; unless the workmen had taken 

it away。 



He ran to the house: the ladder was there。 Boxtel took it; 

carried it with great exertion to his garden; and with even 

greater difficulty raised it against the wall of Van 

Baerle's house; where it just reached to the window。 



Boxtel put a lighted dark lantern into his pocket; mounted 

the ladder; and slipped into the dry…room。 



On reaching this sanctuary of the florist he stopped; 

supporting himself against the table; his legs failed him; 

his heart beat as if it would choke him。 Here it was even 

worse than in the garden; there Boxtel was only a 

trespasser; here he was a thief。 



However; he took courage again: he had not gone so far to 

turn back with empty hands。 



But in vain did he search the whole room; open and shut all 

the drawers; even that privileged one where the parcel which 

had been so fatal to Cornelius had been deposited; he found 

ticketed; as in a botanical garden; the 〃Jane;〃 the 〃John de 

Witt;〃 the hazel…nut; and the roasted…coffee coloured tulip; 

but of the black tulip; or rather the seedling bulbs within 

which it was still sleeping; not a trace was found。 



And yet; on looking over the register of seeds and bulbs; 

which Van Baerle kept in duplicate; if possible even with 

greater exactitude and care than the first commercial houses 

of Amsterdam their ledgers; Boxtel read these lines:  



〃To…day; 20th of August; 1672; I have taken up the mother 

bulb of the grand black tulip; which I have divided into 

three perfect suckers。〃 



〃Oh these bulbs; these bulbs!〃 howled Boxtel; turning over 

everything in the dry…room; 〃where could he have concealed 

them?〃 



Then; suddenly striking his forehead in his frenzy; he 

called out; 〃Oh wretch that I am! Oh thrice fool Boxtel! 

Would any one be separated from his bulbs? Would any one 

leave them at Dort; when one goes to the Hague? Could one 

live far from one's bulbs; when they enclose the grand black 

tulip? He had time to get hold of them; the scoundrel; he 

has them about him; he has taken them to the Hague!〃 



It was like a flash of lightning which showed to Boxtel the 

abyss of a uselessly committed crime。 



Boxtel sank quite paralyzed on that very table; and on that 

very spot where; some hours before; the unfortunate Van 

Baerle had so leisurely; and with such intense delight; 

contemplated his darling bulbs。 



〃Well; then; after all;〃 said the envious Boxtel;  raising 

his livid face from his hands in which it had been buried  

〃if he has them; he can keep them only as long as he lives; 

and  〃 



The rest of this detestable thought was expressed by a 

hideous smile。 



〃The bulbs are at the Hague;〃 he said; 〃therefore; I can no 

longer live at Dort: away; then; for them; to the Hague! to 

the Hague!〃 



And Boxtel; without taking any notice of the treasures about 

him; so entirely were his thoughts absorbed by another 

inestimable treasure; let himself out by the window; glided 

down the ladder; carried it back to the place whence he had 

taken it; and; like a beast of prey; returned growling to 

his house。 









Chapter 9



The Family Cell





It was about midnight when poor Van Baerle was locked up in 

the prison of the Buytenhof。 



What Rosa foresaw had come to pass。 On finding the cell of 

Cornelius de Witt empty; the wrath of the people ran very 

high; and had Gryphus fallen into the hands of those madmen 

he would certainly have had to pay with his life for the 

prisoner。 



But this fury had vented itself most fully on the two 

brothers when they were overtaken by the murderers; thanks 

to the precaution which William  the man of precautions  

had taken in having the gates of the city closed。 



A momentary lull had therefore set in whilst the prison was 

empty; and Rosa availed herself of this favourable moment to 

come forth from her hiding place; which she also induced her 

father to leave。 



The prison was therefore completely deserted。 Why should 

people remain in the jail whilst murder was going on at the 

Tol…Hek? 



Gryphus came forth trembling behind the courageous Rosa。 

They went to close the great gate; at least as well as it 

would close; considering that it was half demolished。 It was 

easy to see that a hurricane of mighty fury had vented 

itself upon it。 



About four o'clock a return of the noise was heard; but of 

no threatening character to Gryphus and his daughter。 The 

people were only dragging in the two corpses; which they 

came back to gibbet at the usual place of execution。 



Rosa hid herself this time also; but only that she might not 

see the ghastly spectacle。 



At midnight; people again knocked at the gate of the jail; 

or rather at the barricade which served in its stead: it was 

Cornelius van Baerle whom they were bringing。 



When the jailer received this new inmate; and saw from the 

warrant the name and station of his prisoner; he muttered 

with his turnkey smile;  



〃Godson of Cornelius de Witt! 

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