Dumas, Alexandre – The Black Tulip

themselves against me, and then I shall be lost. If I am

lost that matters nothing, — but Cornelius and the tulip!”

She reflected for a moment.

“If I go to that Boxtel, and do not know him; if that Boxtel

is not my Jacob, but another fancier, who has also

discovered the black tulip; or if my tulip has been stolen

by some one else, or has already passed into the hands of a

third person; — if I do not recognize the man, only the

tulip, how shall I prove that it belongs to me? On the other

hand, if I recognise this Boxtel as Jacob, who knows what

will come out of it? whilst we are contesting with each

other, the tulip will die.”

In the meanwhile, a great noise was heard, like the distant

roar of the sea, at the other extremity of the market-place.

People were running about, doors opening and shutting, Rosa

alone was unconscious of all this hubbub among the

multitude.

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“We must return to the President,” she muttered.

“Well, then, let us return,” said the boatman.

They took a small street, which led them straight to the

mansion of Mynheer van Systens, who with his best pen in his

finest hand continued to draw up his report.

Everywhere on her way Rosa heard people speaking only of the

black tulip, and the prize of a hundred thousand guilders.

The news had spread like wildfire through the town.

Rosa had not a little difficulty is penetrating a second

time into the office of Mynheer van Systens, who, however,

was again moved by the magic name of the black tulip.

But when he recognised Rosa, whom in his own mind he had set

down as mad, or even worse, he grew angry, and wanted to

send her away.

Rosa, however, clasped her hands, and said with that tone of

honest truth which generally finds its way to the hearts of

men, —

“For Heaven’s sake, sir, do not turn me away; listen to what

I have to tell you, and if it be not possible for you to do

me justice, at least you will not one day have to reproach

yourself before God for having made yourself the accomplice

of a bad action.”

Van Systens stamped his foot with impatience; it was the

second time that Rosa interrupted him in the midst of a

composition which stimulated his vanity, both as a

burgomaster and as President of the Horticultural Society.

“But my report!” he cried, — “my report on the black

tulip!”

“Mynheer van Systens,” Rosa continued, with the firmness of

innocence and truth, “your report on the black tulip will,

if you don’t hear me, be based on crime or on falsehood. I

implore you, sir, let this Master Boxtel, whom I assert to

be Master Jacob, be brought here before you and me, and I

swear that I will leave him in undisturbed possession of the

tulip if I do not recognise the flower and its holder.”

“Well, I declare, here is a proposal,” said Van Systens.

“What do you mean?”

“I ask you what can be proved by your recognising them?”

“After all,” said Rosa, in her despair, “you are an honest

man, sir; how would you feel if one day you found out that

you had given the prize to a man for something which he not

only had not produced, but which he had even stolen?”

Rosa’s speech seemed to have brought a certain conviction

into the heart of Van Systens, and he was going to answer

her in a gentler tone, when at once a great noise was heard

in the street, and loud cheers shook the house.

“What is this?” cried the burgomaster; “what is this? Is it

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possible? have I heard aright?”

And he rushed towards his anteroom, without any longer

heeding Rosa, whom he left in his cabinet.

Scarcely had he reached his anteroom when he cried out aloud

on seeing his staircase invaded, up to the very

landing-place, by the multitude, which was accompanying, or

rather following, a young man, simply clad in a