太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > the black tulip >

第3节

the black tulip-第3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!




Buytenhof。 



John de Witt; indeed; had alighted from his coach with his 

servant; and quietly walked across the courtyard of the 

prison。 



Mentioning his name to the turnkey; who however knew him; he 

said;  



〃Good morning; Gryphus; I am coming to take away my brother; 

who; as you know; is condemned to exile; and to carry him 

out of the town。〃 



Whereupon the jailer; a sort of bear; trained to lock and 

unlock the gates of the prison; had greeted him and admitted 

him into the building; the doors of which were immediately 

closed again。 



Ten yards farther on; John de Witt met a lovely young girl; 

of about seventeen or eighteen; dressed in the national 

costume of the Frisian women; who; with pretty demureness; 

dropped a curtesy to him。 Chucking her under the chin; he 

said to her;  



〃Good morning; my good and fair Rosa; how is my brother?〃 



〃Oh; Mynheer John!〃 the young girl replied; 〃I am not afraid 

of the harm which has been done to him。 That's all over 

now。〃 



〃But what is it you are afraid of?〃 



〃I am afraid of the harm which they are going to do to him。〃 



〃Oh; yes;〃 said De Witt; 〃you mean to speak of the people 

down below; don't you?〃 



〃Do you hear them?〃 



〃They are indeed in a state of great excitement; but when 

they see us perhaps they will grow calmer; as we have never 

done them anything but good。〃 



〃That's unfortunately no reason; except for the contrary;〃 

muttered the girl; as; on an imperative sign from her 

father; she withdrew。 



〃Indeed; child; what you say is only too true。〃 



Then; in pursuing his way; he said to himself;  



〃Here is a damsel who very likely does not know how to read; 

who consequently has never read anything; and yet with one 

word she has just told the whole history of the world。〃 



And with the same calm mien; but more melancholy than he had 

been on entering the prison; the Grand Pensionary proceeded 

towards the cell of his brother。 









Chapter 2



The Two Brothers





As the fair Rosa; with foreboding doubt; had foretold; so it 

happened。 Whilst John de Witt was climbing the narrow 

winding stairs which led to the prison of his brother 

Cornelius; the burghers did their best to have the troop of 

Tilly; which was in their way; removed。 



Seeing this disposition; King Mob; who fully appreciated the 

laudable intentions of his own beloved militia; shouted most 

lustily;  



〃Hurrah for the burghers!〃 



As to Count Tilly; who was as prudent as he was firm; he 

began to parley with the burghers; under the protection of 

the cocked pistols of his dragoons; explaining to the 

valiant townsmen; that his order from the States commanded 

him to guard the prison and its approaches with three 

companies。 



〃Wherefore such an order? Why guard the prison?〃 cried the 

Orangists。 



〃Stop;〃 replied the Count; 〃there you at once ask me more 

than I can tell you。 I was told; 'Guard the prison;' and I 

guard it。 You; gentlemen; who are almost military men 

yourselves; you are aware that an order must never be 

gainsaid。〃 



〃But this order has been given to you that the traitors may 

be enabled to leave the town。〃 



〃Very possibly; as the traitors are condemned to exile;〃 

replied Tilly。 



〃But who has given this order?〃 



〃The States; to be sure!〃 



〃The States are traitors。〃 



〃I don't know anything about that!〃 



〃And you are a traitor yourself!〃 



〃I?〃 



〃Yes; you。〃 



〃Well; as to that; let us understand each other gentlemen。 

Whom should I betray? The States? Why; I cannot betray them; 

whilst; being in their pay; I faithfully obey their orders。〃 



As the Count was so indisputably in the right that it was 

impossible to argue against him; the mob answered only by 

redoubled clamour and horrible threats; to which the Count 

opposed the most perfect urbanity。 



〃Gentlemen;〃 he said; 〃uncock your muskets; one of them may 

go off by accident; and if the shot chanced to wound one of 

my men; we should knock over a couple of hundreds of yours; 

for which we should; indeed; be very sorry; but you even 

more so; especially as such a thing is neither contemplated 

by you nor by myself。〃 



〃If you did that;〃 cried the burghers; 〃we should have a pop 

at you; too。〃 



〃Of course you would; but suppose you killed every man Jack 

of us; those whom we should have killed would not; for all 

that; be less dead。〃 



〃Then leave the place to us; and you will perform the part 

of a good citizen。〃 



〃First of all;〃 said the Count; 〃I am not a citizen; but an 

officer; which is a very different thing; and secondly; I am 

not a Hollander; but a Frenchman; which is more different 

still。 I have to do with no one but the States; by whom I am 

paid; let me see an order from them to leave the place to 

you; and I shall only be too glad to wheel off in an 

instant; as I am confoundedly bored here。〃 



〃Yes; yes!〃 cried a hundred voices; the din of which was 

immediately swelled by five hundred others; 〃let us march to 

the Town…hall; let us go and see the deputies! Come along! 

come along!〃 



〃That's it;〃 Tilly muttered between his teeth; as he saw the 

most violent among the crowd turning away; 〃go and ask for a 

meanness at the Town…hall; and you will see whether they 

will grant it; go; my fine fellows; go!〃 



The worthy officer relied on the honour of the magistrates; 

who; on their side; relied on his honour as a soldier。 



〃I say; Captain;〃 the first lieutenant whispered into the 

ear of the Count; 〃I hope the deputies will give these 

madmen a flat refusal; but; after all; it would do no harm 

if they would send us some reinforcement。〃 



In the meanwhile; John de Witt; whom we left climbing the 

stairs; after the conversation with the jailer Gryphus and 

his daughter Rosa; had reached the door of the cell; where 

on a mattress his brother Cornelius was resting; after 

having undergone the preparatory degrees of the torture。 The 

sentence of banishment having been pronounced; there was no 

occasion for inflicting the torture extraordinary。 



Cornelius was stretched on his couch; with broken wrists and 

crushed fingers。 He had not confessed a crime of which he 

was not guilty; and now; after three days of agony; he once 

more breathed freely; on being informed that the judges; 

from whom he had expected death; were only condemning him to 

exile。 



Endowed with an iron frame and a stout heart; how would he 

have disappointed his enemies if they could only have seen; 

in the dark cell of the Buytenhof; his pale face lit up by 

the smile of the martyr; who forgets the dross of this earth 

after having obtained a glimpse of the bright glory of 

heaven。 



The warden; indeed; had already recovered his full strength; 

much more owing to the force of his own strong will than to 

actual aid; and he was calculating how long the formalities 

of the law would still detain him in prison。 



This was just at the very moment when the mingled shouts of 

the burgher guard and of the mob were raging against the two 

brothers; and threatening Captain Tilly; who served as a 

rampart to them。 This noise; which roared outside of the 

walls of the prison; as the surf dashing against the rocks; 

now reached the ears of the prisoner。 



But; threatening as it sounded; Cornelius appeared not to 

dream it worth his while to inquire after its cause; nor did 

he get up to look out of the narrow grated window; which 

gave access to the light and to the noise of the world 

without。 



He was so absorbed in his never…ceasing pain that it had 

almost become a habit with him。 He felt with such delight 

the bonds which connected his immortal being with his 

perishable frame gradually loosening; that it seemed to him 

as if his spirit; freed from the trammels of the body; were 

hovering above it; like the expiring flame which rises from 

the half…extinguished embers。 



He also thought of his brother; and whilst the latter was 

thus vividly present to his mind the door opened; and John 

entered; hurrying to the bedside of the prisoner; who 

stretched out his broken limbs and his hands tied up in 

bandages towards that glorious brother; whom he now 

excelled; not in services rendered to the country; but in 

the hatred which the Dutch bore him。 



John tenderly kissed his brother on the forehead; and put 

his sore hands gently back on the mattress。 



〃Cornelius; my poor brother; you are suffering great pain; 

are you not?〃 



〃I am suffering no longer; since I see you; my brother。〃 



〃Oh; my poor dear Cornelius! I feel most wretched to see you 

in such a state。〃 



〃And; indeed; I have thought more of you than of myself; and 

whilst they were torturing me; I never thought 

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的