Dumas, Alexandre – The Black Tulip

his black tulip.

Chapter 22

The Opening of the Flower

The night passed away very sweetly for Cornelius, although

in great agitation. Every instant he fancied he heard the

gentle voice of Rosa calling him. He then started up, went

to the door, and looked through the grating, but no one was

behind it, and the lobby was empty.

Rosa, no doubt, would be watching too, but, happier than he,

she watched over the tulip; she had before her eyes that

noble flower, that wonder of wonders. which not only was

unknown, but was not even thought possible until then.

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What would the world say when it heard that the black tulip

was found, that it existed and that it was the prisoner Van

Baerle who had found it?

How Cornelius would have spurned the offer of his liberty in

exchange for his tulip!

Day came, without any news; the tulip was not yet in flower.

The day passed as the night. Night came, and with it Rosa,

joyous and cheerful as a bird.

“Well?” asked Cornelius.

“Well, all is going on prosperously. This night, without any

doubt, our tulip will be in flower.”

“And will it flower black?”

“Black as jet.”

“Without a speck of any other colour.”

“Without one speck.”

“Good Heavens! my dear Rosa, I have been dreaming all night,

in the first place of you,” (Rosa made a sign of

incredulity,) “and then of what we must do.”

“Well?”

“Well, and I will tell you now what I have decided on. The

tulip once being in flower, and it being quite certain that

it is perfectly black, you must find a messenger.”

“If it is no more than that, I have a messenger quite

ready.”

“Is he safe?”

“One for whom I will answer, — he is one of my lovers.”

“I hope not Jacob.”

“No, be quiet, it is the ferryman of Loewestein, a smart

young man of twenty-five.”

“By Jove!”

“Be quiet,” said Rosa, smiling, “he is still under age, as

you have yourself fixed it from twenty-six to twenty-eight.”

“In fine, do you think you may rely on this young man?”

“As on myself; he would throw himself into the Waal or the

Meuse if I bade him.”

“Well, Rosa, this lad may be at Haarlem in ten hours; you

will give me paper and pencil, and, perhaps better still,

pen and ink, and I will write, or rather, on second

thoughts, you will, for if I did, being a poor prisoner,

people might, like your father, see a conspiracy in it. You

will write to the President of the Horticultural Society,

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and I am sure he will come.”

“But if he tarries?”

“Well, let us suppose that he tarries one day, or even two;

but it is impossible. A tulip-fancier like him will not

tarry one hour, not one minute, not one second, to set out

to see the eighth wonder of the world. But, as I said, if he

tarried one or even two days, the tulip will still be in its

full splendour. The flower once being seen by the President,

and the protocol being drawn up, all is in order; you will

only keep a duplicate of the protocol, and intrust the tulip

to him. Ah! if we had been able to carry it ourselves, Rosa,

it would never have left my hands but to pass into yours;

but this is a dream, which we must not entertain,” continued

Cornelius with a sigh, “the eyes of strangers will see it

flower to the last. And above all, Rosa, before the

President has seen it, let it not be seen by any one. Alas!

if any one saw the black tulip, it would be stolen.”

“Oh!”

“Did you not tell me yourself of what you apprehended from

your lover Jacob? People will steal one guilder, why not a

hundred thousand?”

“I shall watch; be quiet.”

“But if it opened whilst you were here?”

“The whimsical little thing would indeed be quite capable of

playing such a trick,” said Rosa.

“And if on your return you find it open?”