the air round it with his breath, that he felt as if no one
had a better right to call himself its producer than he had;
and any one who would now take the black tulip from him
would have appeared to him as a thief.
Yet he did not perceive Rosa; his joy therefore was not
spoiled.
In the centre of a circle of magnificent trees, which were
decorated with garlands and inscriptions, the procession
halted, amidst the sounds of lively music, and the young
damsels of Haarlem made their appearance to escort the tulip
to the raised seat which it was to occupy on the platform,
by the side of the gilded chair of his Highness the
Stadtholder.
And the proud tulip, raised on its pedestal, soon overlooked
the assembled crowd of people, who clapped their hands, and
made the old town of Haarlem re-echo with their tremendous
cheers.
Chapter 32
A Last Request
At this solemn moment, and whilst the cheers still
resounded, a carriage was driving along the road on the
outskirts of the green on which the scene occurred; it
pursued its way slowly, on account of the flocks of children
who were pushed out of the avenue by the crowd of men and
women.
This carriage, covered with dust, and creaking on its axles,
the result of a long journey, enclosed the unfortunate Van
Baerle, who was just beginning to get a glimpse through the
open window of the scene which we have tried — with poor
success, no doubt — to present to the eyes of the reader.
The crowd and the noise and the display of artificial and
natural magnificence were as dazzling to the prisoner as a
ray of light flashing suddenly into his dungeon.
Notwithstanding the little readiness which his companion had
shown in answering his questions concerning his fate, he
ventured once more to ask the meaning of all this bustle,
which at first sight seemed to be utterly disconnected with
his own affairs.
“What is all this, pray, Mynheer Lieutenant?” he asked of
his conductor.
“As you may see, sir,” replied the officer, “it is a feast.”
“Ah, a feast,” said Cornelius, in the sad tone of
indifference of a man to whom no joy remains in this world.
Then, after some moments, silence, during which the carriage
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Dumas, Alexandre – The Black Tulip
had proceeded a few yards, he asked once more, —
“The feast of the patron saint of Haarlem? as I see so many
flowers.”
“It is, indeed, a feast in which flowers play a principal
part.”
“Oh, the sweet scents! oh, the beautiful colours!” cried
Cornelius.
“Stop, that the gentleman may see,” said the officer, with
that frank kindliness which is peculiar to military men, to
the soldier who was acting as postilion.
“Oh, thank you, Sir, for your kindness,” replied Van Baerle,
in a melancholy tone; “the joy of others pains me; please
spare me this pang.”
“Just as you wish. Drive on! I ordered the driver to stop
because I thought it would please you, as you are said to
love flowers, and especially that the feast of which is
celebrated to-day.”
“And what flower is that?”
“The tulip.”
“The tulip!” cried Van Baerle, “is to-day the feast of
tulips?”
“Yes, sir; but as this spectacle displeases you, let us
drive on.”
The officer was about to give the order to proceed, but
Cornelius stopped him, a painful thought having struck him.
He asked, with faltering voice, —
“Is the prize given to-day, sir?”
“Yes, the prize for the black tulip.”
Cornelius’s cheek flushed, his whole frame trembled, and the
cold sweat stood on his brow.
“Alas! sir,” he said, “all these good people will be as
unfortunate as myself, for they will not see the solemnity
which they have come to witness, or at least they will see
it incompletely.”
“What is it you mean to say?”
“I mean to say.” replied Cornelius, throwing himself back in
the carriage, “that the black tulip will not be found,
except by one whom I know.”
“In this case,” said the officer, “the person whom you know
has found it, for the thing which the whole of Haarlem is