Cornelius remained standing on the spot where Rosa had left him.

　　He was quite overpowered with the weight of his twofold happiness.

　　Half an hour passed away. Already did the first rays of thesun enter through the iron grating of the prison, whenCornelius was suddenly startled at the noise of steps whichcame up the staircase, and of cries which approached nearerand nearer.

　　Almost at the same instant he saw before him the pale anddistracted face of Rosa.

　　He started, and turned pale with fright.

　　"Cornelius, Cornelius!" she screamed, gasping for breath.

　　"Good Heaven! what is it?" asked the prisoner.

　　"Cornelius! the tulip ---- ""Well?""How shall I tell you?""Speak, speak, Rosa!""Some one has taken -- stolen it from us.""Stolen -- taken?" said Cornelius.

　　"Yes," said Rosa, leaning against the door to supportherself; "yes, taken, stolen!"And saying this, she felt her limbs failing her, and shefell on her knees.

　　"But how? Tell me, explain to me.""Oh, it is not my fault, my friend."Poor Rosa! she no longer dared to call him "My beloved one.""You have then left it alone," said Cornelius, ruefully.

　　"One minute only, to instruct our messenger, who livesscarcely fifty yards off, on the banks of the Waal.""And during that time, notwithstanding all my injunctions,you left the key behind, unfortunate child!""No, no, no! this is what I cannot understand. The key wasnever out of my hands; I clinched it as if I were afraid itwould take wings.""But how did it happen, then?""That's what I cannot make out. I had given the letter to mymessenger; he started before I left his house; I came home,and my door was locked, everything in my room was as I hadleft it, except the tulip, -- that was gone. Some one musthave had a key for my room, or have got a false one made onpurpose."She was nearly choking with sobs, and was unable tocontinue.

　　Cornelius, immovable and full of consternation, heard almostwithout understanding, and only muttered, --"Stolen, stolen, and I am lost!""O Cornelius, forgive me, forgive me, it will kill me!"Seeing Rosa's distress, Cornelius seized the iron bars ofthe grating, and furiously shaking them, called out, --"Rosa, Rosa, we have been robbed, it is true, but shall weallow ourselves to be dejected for all that? No, no; themisfortune is great, but it may perhaps be remedied. Rosa,we know the thief!""Alas! what can I say about it?""But I say that it is no one else but that infamous Jacob.

　　Shall we allow him to carry to Haarlem the fruit of ourlabour, the fruit of our sleepless nights, the child of ourlove? Rosa, we must pursue, we must overtake him!""But how can we do all this, my friend, without letting myfather know we were in communication with each other? Howshould I, a poor girl, with so little knowledge of the worldand its ways, be able to attain this end, which perhaps youcould not attain yourself?""Rosa, Rosa, open this door to me, and you will see whetherI will not find the thief, -- whether I will not make himconfess his crime and beg for mercy.""Alas!" cried Rosa, sobbing, "can I open the door for you?

　　have I the keys? If I had had them, would not you have beenfree long ago?""Your father has them, -- your wicked father, who hasalready crushed the first bulb of my tulip. Oh, the wretch!

　　he is an accomplice of Jacob!""Don't speak so loud, for Heaven's sake!""Oh, Rosa, if you don't open the door to me," Corneliuscried in his rage, "I shall force these bars, and killeverything I find in the prison.""Be merciful, be merciful, my friend!""I tell you, Rosa, that I shall demolish this prison, stonefor stone!" and the unfortunate man, whose strength wasincreased tenfold by his rage, began to shake the door witha great noise, little heeding that the thunder of his voicewas re-echoing through the spiral sta............