The Black Tulip

y affairs, reached the house of his godson, Cornelius

ips. He thanked his godson for having joined him on the deck of the admiral's ship "The Seven Provinces," during the battle of Southwold Bay, and for having given his name to a magnificent tulip

inquired what it meant, and, on being informed of the cause of all this stir, climbed up to his

d the shelter of the house, the soft bed on the shelves, and the congenial warmth of the stove. Van Baerle, therefore, passed the whole winter in his laboratory, in the midst of his books an

visited together all the apartments of the house, whilst a train of dom

people away, and let us b

elius, bowing as

sir, please to s

ctorum of the tulip-fancier, was, as Delphi o

old Frisian housekeeper, who had been his nurse, and who from the time when he had devoted himself to the culture of tul

Cornelius, taking the candlestick from the hands of the foremost, conducted his godfather into that room, which

as watching more

saw the walls an

ark figure

n, sat down near the table on whi

eatures of Cornelius de Witt, whose long hai

ovement of his lips, took from his breast pocket a white parcel, carefully sealed, which Boxtel, judging from the manner

was very little addicted to tulip-growing, and that he only occupied himself with the affairs of man, a pursuit by far less peaceful and agreeable tha

not only was, but also boasted of being, an entire stranger to the science

ing to honour him, was placing in the hands of his godson; a contrivance so much the more cleverly devised, as it certainly wa

r too well not to expect that Van Baerle would not have lost one moment in sati

h every mark of respect, and put it by with the same respectful manner in a drawer, stowing

owards the door, Van Baerle seizing the candlestick, and lighting him on his way down to the street, w

orrespondence with the Marquis de Louvois, the war minister of the King of France; only the godfather forbore giving to his godson the least intimation concerning th

his godfather had left him; very unlike Boxtel, who looked upon this parcel as a clever pilot does on th

f roasted coffee, and on the very day when the frightful events took place at the Hague which we have related in the preceding chapters, we find him, about one o'clock in the day, gathering from the border the young s

his elbows on the cover, looking with intense delight on three suckers which he had just detached from the mother bulb, pure, perfect, and ent

be soothed down, and I shall be able, without fearing any harm either from Republicans or Orangists, to keep as heretofore my borders in splendid condition. I need no more be afraid lest on the day of a riot the shopkeepers of the town and the sailors of the port should come and tear out my

usand guilders on the enlargement of my tulip-bed or even on a journey to the East, the country of beautiful flowers. But, alas! t

bs,-objects of much greater importance to him than all those muskets, standards, drums, and pr

olour 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 tul

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 Corneliu

se darli

s. 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 Europea

admirabl

ights of contemplation, and was ca

cabinet was rung much m

aid his hands on his b

here?" h

ervant, "it is a mess

m the Hague! Wha

it is

servant of Mynheer John de

," said a voic

cing his way in, Craeke

le, that the latter, at the sight of Craeke, almost convulsively moved his hand which covered the bulbs, so t

gerly picking up his preciou

ble, on which the third bulb was lying,-"the matter is, that y

ptoms of a tumult similar to that which he had witnessed before hi

elius, stretching his arm under the table for the

e said: "Well, here is one of them uninjured. That confounded Craek

le went to the fireplace, knelt down and stirred with the ti

felt the

ng at it with almost fatherly affection

or of the dry-room was so violently shaken, and opened in such a brusque manner, that Corneliu

," he demanded; "are p

the dry-room with a much paler face and with a

some mischief from the double brea

fly quick!" cri

and wh

s full of the gua

do the

want

at

rrest

arrest me,

hey are headed b

e, grasping in his hands the two bulbs, and dire

they are coming up!

usekeeper, who now likewise made her appearance in the

ke my escape, nurse

t of the

e feet from

all on six feet

should fall

mind, j

what havoc he would necessarily cause in his borders, and, more than this, wh

nister of the staircase the points of

r raised her h

his honour, not as a man, but as a tulip-fancie

ible, which Craeke had laid upon the table, took it without in his confusion rememberi

oldiers, preceded by a ma

ugh knowing the young man very well, put his question according to the

," answered Cornelius, politely, to h

seditious papers which y

peated Cornelius, quite du

k astonished,

rnelius replied, "that I am completely

e; "give up to us the papers which the traitor Cornelius

came into the m

nnen, "you begin now t

e of seditious papers, and

eny it

ainly

und and took a rapid sur

ment you call your

re you now are, Ma

lance at a small note a

d, like a man who i

rnelius, he continued, "Will y

rs do not belong to me; they have been deposi

the States, I order you to open this drawer, an

th his finger to the third drawer

e Warden of the Dikes with his godson were lying; a pr

e saw Cornelius standing immovable and bewil

bulbs, carefully arranged and ticketed, and then on the paper parcel, which had remained in exa

pe, cast an eager glance on the first leaves which

s been rightly in

Cornelius, "

, Mynheer van Baerle," answer

ollow you?" cr

the name of the St

ame of William of Orange; he had not

d Cornelius; "but

Doctor; you will explain al

he

he Ha

nds with his servants, who were bathed in tears, and followed the magistrate, who put