On the following evening, at the usual hour, Van Baerleheard some one scratch at the grated little window, just asRosa had been in the habit of doing in the heyday of theirfriendship.

　　Cornelius being, as may easily be imagined, not far off fromthe door, perceived Rosa, who at last was waiting again forhim with her lamp in her hand.

　　Seeing him so sad and pale, she was startled, and said, --"You are ill, Mynheer Cornelius?""Yes, I am," he answered, as indeed he was suffering in mindand in body.

　　"I saw that you did not eat," said Rosa; "my father told methat you remained in bed all day. I then wrote to calm youruneasiness concerning the fate of the most precious objectof your anxiety.""And I," said Cornelius, "I have answered. Seeing yourreturn, my dear Rosa, I thought you had received my letter.""It is true; I have received it.""You cannot this time excuse yourself with not being able toread. Not only do you read very fluently, but also you havemade marvellous progress in writing.""Indeed, I have not only received, but also read your note.

　　Accordingly I am come to see whether there might not be someremedy to restore you to health.""Restore me to health?" cried Cornelius; "but have you anygood news to communicate to me?"Saying this, the poor prisoner looked at Rosa, his eyessparkling with hope.

　　Whether she did not, or would not, understand this look,Rosa answered gravely, --"I have only to speak to you about your tulip, which, as Iwell know, is the object uppermost in your mind."Rosa pronounced those few words in a freezing tone, whichcut deeply into the heart of Cornelius. He did not suspectwhat lay hidden under this appearance of indifference withwhich the poor girl affected to speak of her rival, theblack tulip.

　　"Oh!" muttered Cornelius, "again! again! Have I not toldyou, Rosa, that I thought but of you? that it was you alonewhom I regretted, you whom I missed, you whose absence Ifelt more than the loss of liberty and of life itself?"Rosa smiled with a melancholy air.

　　"Ah!" she said, "your tulip has been in such danger."Cornelius trembled involuntarily, and showed himself clearlyto be caught in the trap, if ever the remark was meant assuch.

　　"Danger!" he cried, quite alarmed; "what danger?"Rosa looked at him with gentle compassion; she felt thatwhat she wished was beyond the power of this man, and thathe must be taken as he was, with his little foible.

　　"Yes," she said, "you have guessed the truth; that suitorand amorous swain, Jacob, did not come on my account.""And what did he come for?" Cornelius anxiously asked.

　　"He came for the sake of the tulip.""Alas!" said Cornelius, growing even paler at this piece ofinformation than he had been when Rosa, a fortnight before,had told him that Jacob was coming for her sake.

　　Rosa saw this alarm, and Cornelius guessed, from theexpression of her face, in what direction her thoughts wererunning.

　　"Oh, pardon me, Rosa!" he said, "I know you, and I am wellaware of the kindness and sincerity of your heart. To youGod has given the thought and strength for defendingyourself; but to my poor tulip, when it is in danger, Godhas given nothing of the sort."Rosa, without replying to this excuse of the prisoner,continued, --"From the moment when I first knew that you were uneasy onaccount of the man who followed me, and in whom I hadrecognized Jacob, I was even more uneasy myself. On the day,therefore, after that on which I saw you last, and on whichyou said -- "Cornelius interrupted her.

　　"Once more, pardon me, Rosa!" he cried. "I was wrong insaying to you what I said. I have asked your pardon for thatunfortunate speech before. I ask it again: shall I alwaysask it in vain?""On the following day," Rosa continued, "remembering whatyou had told me about the stratagem which I was to employ toascertain whether that odious man was after the tulip, orafter me ---- ""Yes, yes, odious. Tell me," he said, "do you hate thatman?""I do hate him," said Rosa, "as he is the cause of all theunhappiness I have suffered these eight days.""You, too, have been unhappy, Rosa? I thank you a thousandtimes for this kind confession.""Well, on the day after that unfortunate one, I went downinto the garden and proceeded towards the border where I wasto plant your tulip, looking round all the while to seewhether I was again followed as I was last time.""And then?" Cornelius asked.

　　"And then the same shadow glided between the gate and thewall, and once more disappeared behind the elder-trees.""You feigned not to see him, didn't you?" Cornelius asked,remembering all the details of the advice which he had givento Rosa.

　　"Yes, and I stooped over the border, in which I dug with aspade, as if I was going to put the bulb in.""And he, -- what did he do during all this time?""I saw his eyes glisten through the branches of the treelike those of a tiger.""There you see, there you see!" cried Cornelius.

　　"Then, after having finished my make-believe work, Iretired.""But only behind the garden door, I dare say, so that youmight see through the keyhole what he was going to do whenyou had left?""He waited for a moment, very likely to make sure of my notcoming back, after which he sneaked forth from hishiding-place, and approached the border by a longround-about; at last, having reached his goal, that is tosay, the spot where the ground was newly turned, he stoppedwith a careless air, looking about in all directions, andscanning every corner of the garden, every window of theneighbouring houses, and even the sky; after which, thinkinghimself quite alone, quite isolated, and out of everybody'ssight, he pounced upon the border, plunged both his handsinto the soft soil, took a handful of the mould, which hegently frittered between his fingers to see whether the bulbwas in it, and repeated the same thing twice or three times,until at last he perceived that he was outwitted. Then,keeping down the agitation which was raging in his breast,he took up the rake, smoothed the ground, so as to leave iton his retiring in the same state as he had found it, and,quite abashed and rueful, walked back to the door, affectingthe unconcerned air of an ordinary visitor of the garden.""Oh, the wretch!" muttered Cornelius, wiping the cold sweatfrom his brow. "Oh, the wretch! I guessed his intentions.

　　But the bulb, Rosa; what have you done with it? It isalready rather late to plant it.""The bulb? It has been in the ground for these six days.""Where? and how?" cried Cornelius. "Good Heaven, whatimprudence! What is it? In what sort of soil is it? It whataspect? Good or bad? Is there no risk of having it filchedby that detestable Jacob?""There is no danger of its being stolen," said Rosa, "unlessJacob will force the door of my chamber.""Oh! then it is with you in your bedroom?" said Cornelius,somewhat relieved. "But in what soil? in what vessel? Youdon't let it grow, I hope, in water like those good ladiesof Haarlem and Dort, who imagine that water could replacethe earth?""You may make yourself comfortable on that score," saidRosa, smiling; ............