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第29节

the black tulip-第29节

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poor young man say?' 



〃I did not know what to answer; as you had so strictly 

enjoined me never to allow any one to guess the interest 

which you are taking in the bulb。 Fortunately; my father 

saved me from the difficulty by chiming in;  



〃'What did he say? Didn't he fume and fret?' 



〃I interrupted him; saying; 'Was it not natural that be 

should be furious; you were so unjust and brutal; father?' 



〃'Well; now; are you mad?' cried my father; 'what immense 

misfortune is it to crush a tulip bulb? You may buy a 

hundred of them in the market of Gorcum。' 



〃'Perhaps some less precious one than that was!' I quite 

incautiously replied。〃 



〃And what did Jacob say or do at these words?〃 asked 

Cornelius。 



〃At these words; if I must say it; his eyes seemed to flash 

like lightning。〃 



〃But;〃 said Cornelius; 〃that was not all; I am sure he said 

something in his turn。〃 



〃'So; then; my pretty Rosa;' he said; with a voice as sweet 

a honey;  'so you think that bulb to have been a precious 

one?' 



〃I saw that I had made a blunder。 



〃'What do I know?' I said; negligently; 'do I understand 

anything of tulips? I only know  as unfortunately it is 

our lot to live with prisoners  that for them any pastime 

is of value。 This poor Mynheer van Baerle amused himself 

with this bulb。 Well; I think it very cruel to take from him 

the only thing that he could have amused himself with。' 



〃'But; first of all;' said my father; 'we ought to know how 

he has contrived to procure this bulb。' 



〃I turned my eyes away to avoid my father's look; but I met 

those of Jacob。 



〃It was as if he had tried to read my thoughts at the bottom 

of my heart。 



〃Some little show of anger sometimes saves an answer。 I 

shrugged my shoulders; turned my back; and advanced towards 

the door。 



〃But I was kept by something which I heard; although it was 

uttered in a very low voice only。 



〃Jacob said to my father;  



〃'It would not be so difficult to ascertain that。' 



〃'How so?' 



〃'You need only search his person: and if he has the other 

bulbs; we shall find them; as there usually are three 

suckers!'〃 



〃Three suckers!〃 cried Cornelius。 〃Did you say that I have 

three?〃 



〃The word certainly struck me just as much as it does you。 I 

turned round。 They were both of them so deeply engaged in 

their conversation that they did not observe my movement。 



〃'But;' said my father; 'perhaps he has not got his bulbs 

about him?' 



〃'Then take him down; under some pretext or other and I will 

search his cell in the meanwhile。'〃 



〃Halloa; halloa!〃 said Cornelius。 〃But this Mr。 Jacob of 

yours is a villain; it seems。〃 



〃I am afraid he is。〃 



〃Tell me; Rosa;〃 continued Cornelius; with a pensive air。 



〃What?〃 



〃Did you not tell me that on the day when you prepared your 

borders this man followed you?〃 



〃So he did。〃 



〃That he glided like a shadow behind the elder trees?〃 



〃Certainly。〃 



〃That not one of your movements escaped him?〃 



〃Not one; indeed。〃 



〃Rosa;〃 said Cornelius; growing quite pale。 



〃Well?〃 



〃It was not you he was after。〃 



〃Who else; then?〃 



〃It is not you that he was in love with!〃 



〃But with whom else?〃 



〃He was after my bulb; and is in love with my tulip!〃 



〃You don't say so! And yet it is very possible;〃 said Rosa。 



〃Will you make sure of it?〃 



〃In what manner?〃 



〃Oh; it would be very easy!〃 



〃Tell me。〃 



〃Go to…morrow into the garden; manage matters so that Jacob 

may know; as he did the first time; that you are going 

there; and that he may follow you。 Feign to put the bulb 

into the ground; leave the garden; but look through the 

keyhole of the door and watch him。〃 



〃Well; and what then?〃 



〃What then? We shall do as he does。〃 



〃Oh!〃 said Rosa; with a sigh; 〃you are very fond of your 

bulbs。〃 



〃To tell the truth;〃 said the prisoner; sighing likewise; 

〃since your father crushed that unfortunate bulb; I feel as 

if part of my own self had been paralyzed。〃 



〃Now just hear me;〃 said Rosa; 〃will you try something 

else?〃 



〃What?〃 



〃Will you accept the proposition of my father?〃 



〃Which proposition?〃 



〃Did not he offer to you tulip bulbs by hundreds?〃 



〃Indeed he did。〃 



〃Accept two or three; and; along with them; you may grow the 

third sucker。〃 



〃Yes; that would do very well;〃 said Cornelius; knitting his 

brow; 〃if your father were alone; but there is that Master 

Jacob; who watches all our ways。〃 



〃Well; that is true; but only think! you are depriving 

yourself; as I can easily see; of a very great pleasure。〃 



She pronounced these words with a smile; which was not 

altogether without a tinge of irony。 



Cornelius reflected for a moment; he evidently was 

struggling against some vehement desire。 



〃No!〃 he cried at last; with the stoicism of a Roman of old; 

〃it would be a weakness; it would be a folly; it would be a 

meanness! If I thus give up the only and last resource which 

we possess to the uncertain chances of the bad passions of 

anger and envy; I should never deserve to be forgiven。 No; 

Rosa; no; to…morrow we shall come to a conclusion as to the 

spot to be chosen for your tulip; you will plant it 

according to my instructions; and as to the third sucker;〃 

 Cornelius here heaved a deep sigh;  〃watch over it as a 

miser over his first or last piece of gold; as the mother 

over her child; as the wounded over the last drop of blood 

in his veins; watch over it; Rosa! Some voice within me 

tells me that it will be our saving; that it will be a 

source of good to us。〃 



〃Be easy; Mynheer Cornelius;〃 said Rosa; with a sweet 

mixture of melancholy and gravity; 〃be easy; your wishes are 

commands to me。〃 



〃And even;〃 continued Van Baerle; warming more and more with 

his subject; 〃if you should perceive that your steps are 

watched; and that your speech has excited the suspicion of 

your father and of that detestable Master Jacob;  well; 

Rosa; don't hesitate for one moment to sacrifice me; who am 

only still living through you;  me; who have no one in the 

world but you; sacrifice me;  don't come to see me any 

more。〃 



Rosa felt her heart sink within her; and her eyes were 

filling with tears。 



〃Alas!〃 she said。 



〃What is it?〃 asked Cornelius。 



〃I see one thing。〃 



〃What do you see?〃 



〃I see;〃 said she; bursting out in sobs; 〃I see that you 

love your tulips with such love as to have no more room in 

your heart left for other affections。〃 



Saying this; she fled。 



Cornelius; after this; passed one of the worst nights he 

ever had in his life。 



Rosa was vexed with him; and with good reason。 Perhaps she 

would never return to see the prisoner; and then he would 

have no more news; either of Rosa or of his tulips。 



We have to confess; to the disgrace of our hero and of 

floriculture; that of his two affections he felt most 

strongly inclined to regret the loss of Rosa; and when; at 

about three in the morning; he fell asleep overcome with 

fatigue; and harassed with remorse; the grand black tulip 

yielded precedence in his dreams to the sweet blue eyes of 

the fair maid of Friesland。 









Chapter 19



The Maid and the Flower



 

But poor Rosa; in her secluded chamber; could not have known 

of whom or of what Cornelius was dreaming。 



From what he had said she was more ready to believe that he 

dreamed of the black tulip than of her; and yet Rosa was 

mistaken。 



But as there was no one to tell her so; and as the words of 

Cornelius's thoughtless speech had fallen upon her heart 

like drops of poison; she did not dream; but she wept。 



The fact was; that; as Rosa was a high…spirited creature; of 

no mean perception and a noble heart; she took a very clear 

and judicious view of her own social position; if not of her 

moral and physical qualities。 



Cornelius was a scholar; and was wealthy;  at least he had 

been before the confiscation of his property; Cornelius 

belonged to the merchant…bourgeoisie; who were prouder of 

their richly emblazoned shop signs than the hereditary 

nobility of their heraldic bearings。 Therefore; although he 

might find Rosa a pleasant companion for the dreary hours of 

his captivity; when it came to a question of bestowing his 

heart it was almost certain that he would bestow it upon a 

tulip;  that is to say; upon the proudest and noblest of 

flowers; rather than upon poor Rosa; the jailer's lowly 

child。 



Thus Rosa understood Cornelius's preference of the tulip to 

herself; but was only so much the more unhappy therefor。 



During the whole of this terrible night the poor girl did 

not close an eye; 

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