this　perpetual　imprisonment；　Rosa　will　be　there；　and　also　my
  three　bulbs　of　the　black　tulip　are　there。〃
  But　Cornelius　forgot　that　the　Seven　Provinces　had　seven
  prisons；　one　for　each；　and　that　the　board　of　the　prisoner　is
  anywhere　else　less　expensive　than　at　the　Hague；　which　is　a
  capital。
  His　Highness；　who；　as　it　seems；　did　not　possess　the　means　to
  feed　Van　Baerle　at　the　Hague；　sent　him　to　undergo　his
  perpetual　imprisonment　at　the　fortress　of　Loewestein；　very
  near　Dort；　but；　alas！　also　very　far　from　it；　for　Loewestein；
  as　the　geographers　tell　us；　is　situated　at　the　point　of　the
  islet　which　is　formed　by　the　confluence　of　the　Waal　and　the
  Meuse；　opposite　Gorcum。
  Van　Baerle　was　sufficiently　versed　in　the　history　of　his
  country　to　know　that　the　celebrated　Grotius　was　confined　in
  that　castle　after　the　death　of　Barneveldt；　and　that　the
  States；　in　their　generosity　to　the　illustrious　publicist；
  jurist；　historian；　poet；　and　divine；　had　granted　to　him　for
  his　daily　maintenance　the　sum　of　twenty…four　stivers。
  〃I；〃　said　Van　Baerle　to　himself；　〃I　am　worth　much　less　than
  Grotius。　They　will　hardly　give　me　twelve　stivers；　and　I
  shall　live　miserably；　but　never　mind；　at　all　events　I　shall
  live。〃
  Then　suddenly　a　terrible　thought　struck　him。
  〃Ah！〃　he　exclaimed；　〃how　damp　and　misty　that　part　of　the
  country　is；　and　the　soil　so　bad　for　the　tulips！　And　then
  Rosa　will　not　be　at　Loewestein！〃
  Chapter　13
  What　was　going　on　all　this　Time　in　the　Mind　of　one　of　the　Spectators
  Whilst　Cornelius　was　engaged　with　his　own　thoughts；　a　coach
  had　driven　up　to　the　scaffold。　This　vehicle　was　for　the
  prisoner。　He　was　invited　to　enter　it；　and　he　obeyed。
  His　last　look　was　towards　the　Buytenhof。　He　hoped　to　see　at
  the　window　the　face　of　Rosa；　brightening　up　again。
  But　the　coach　was　drawn　by　good　horses；　who　soon　carried　Van
  Baerle　away　from　among　the　shouts　which　the　rabble　roared　in
  honour　of　the　most　magnanimous　Stadtholder；　mixing　with　it　a
  spice　of　abuse　against　the　brothers　De　Witt　and　the　godson
  of　Cornelius；　who　had　just　now　been　saved　from　death。
  This　reprieve　suggested　to　the　worthy　spectators　remarks
  such　as　the　following：
  〃It's　very　fortunate　that　we　used　such　speed　in　having
  justice　done　to　that　great　villain　John；　and　to　that　little
  rogue　Cornelius；　otherwise　his　Highness　might　have　snatched
  them　from　us；　just　as　he　has　done　this　fellow。〃
  Among　all　the　spectators　whom　Van　Baerle's　execution　had
  attracted　to　the　Buytenhof；　and　whom　the　sudden　turn　of
  affairs　had　disagreeably　surprised；　undoubtedly　the　one　most
  disappointed　was　a　certain　respectably　dressed　burgher；　who
  from　early　morning　had　made　such　a　good　use　of　his　feet　and
  elbows　that　he　at　last　was　separated　from　the　scaffold　only
  by　the　file　of　soldiers　which　surrounded　it。
  Many　had　shown　themselves　eager　to　see　the　perfidious　blood
  of　the　guilty　Cornelius　flow；　but　not　one　had　shown　such　a
  keen　anxiety　as　the　individual　just　alluded　to。
  The　most　furious　had　come　to　the　Buytenhof　at　daybreak；　to
  secure　a　better　place；　but　he；　outdoing　even　them；　had
  passed　the　night　at　the　threshold　of　the　prison；　from
  whence；　as　we　have　already　said；　he　had　advanced　to　the　very
  foremost　rank；　unguibus　et　rostro；　　that　is　to　say；
  coaxing　some；　and　kicking　the　others。
  And　when　the　executioner　had　conducted　the　prisoner　to　the
  scaffold；　the　burgher；　who　had　mounted　on　the　stone　of　the
  pump　the　better　to　see　and　be　seen；　made　to　the　executioner
  a　sign　which　meant；
  〃It's　a　bargain；　isn't　it？〃
  The　executioner　answered　by　another　sign；　which　was　meant　to
  say；
  〃Be　quiet；　it's　all　right。〃
  This　burgher　was　no　other　than　Mynheer　Isaac　Boxtel；　who
  since　the　arrest　of　Cornelius　had　come　to　the　Hague　to　try
  if　he　could　not　get　hold　of　the　three　bulbs　of　the　black
  tulip。
  Boxtel　had　at　first　tried　to　gain　over　Gryphus　to　his
  interest；　but　the　jailer　had　not　only　the　snarling
  fierceness；　but　likewise　the　fidelity；　of　a　dog。　He　had
  therefore　bristled　up　at　Boxtel's　hatred；　whom　he　had
  suspected　to　be　a　warm　friend　of　the　prisoner；　making
  trifling　inquiries　to　contrive　with　the　more　certainty　some
  means　of　escape　for　him。
  Thus　to　the　very　first　proposals　which　Boxtel　made　to
  Gryphus　to　filch　the　bulbs　which　Cornelius　van　Baerle　must
  be　supposed　to　conceal；　if　not　in　his　breast；　at　least　in
  some　corner　of　his　cell；　the　surly　jailer　had　only　answered
  by　kicking　Mynheer　Isaac　out；　and　setting　the　dog　at　him。
  The　piece　which　the　mastiff　had　torn　from　his　hose　did　not
  discourage　Boxtel。　He　came　back　to　the　charge；　but　this　time
  Gryphus　was　in　bed；　feverish；　and　with　a　broken　arm。　He
  therefore　was　not　able　to　admit　the　petitioner；　who　then
  addressed　himself　to　Rosa；　offering　to　buy　her　a　head…dress
  of　pure　gold　if　she　would　get　the　bulbs　for　him。　On　this；
  the　generous　girl；　although　not　yet　knowing　the　value　of　the
  object　of　the　robbery；　which　was　to　be　so　well　remunerated；
  had　directed　the　tempter　to　the　executioner；　as　the　heir　of
  the　prisoner。
  In　the　meanwhile　the　sentence　had　been　pronounced。　Thus
  Isaac　had　no　more　time　to　bribe　any　one。　He　therefore　clung
  to　the　idea　which　Rosa　had　suggested：　he　went　to　the
  executioner。
  Isaac　had　not　the　least　doubt　that　Cornelius　would　die　with
  the　bulbs　on　his　heart。
  But　there　were　two　things　which　Boxtel　did　not　calculate
  upon：
  Rosa；　that　is　to　say；　love；
  William　of　Orange；　that　is　to　say；　clemency。
  But　for　Rosa　and　William；　the　calculations　of　the　envious
  neighbour　would　have　been　correct。
  But　for　William；　Cornelius　would　have　died。
  But　for　Rosa；　Cornelius　would　have　died　with　his　bulbs　on
  his　heart。
  Mynheer　Boxtel　went　to　the　headsman；　to　whom　he　gave　himself
  out　as　a　great　friend　of　the　condemned　man；　and　from　whom　he
  bought　all　the　clothes　of　the　dead　man　that　was　to　be；　for
  one　hundred　guilders；　rather　an　exorbitant　sum；　as　he
  engaged　to　leave　all　the　trinkets　of　gold　and　silver　to　the
  executioner。
  But　what　was　the　sum　of　a　hundred　guilders　to　a　man　who　was
  all　but　sure　to　buy　with　it　the　prize　of　the　Haarlem
  Society？
  It　was　money　lent　at　a　thousand　per　cent。；　which；　as　nobody
  will　deny；　was　a　very　handsome　investment。
  The　headsman；　on　the　other　hand；　had　scarcely　anything　to　do
  to　earn　his　hundred　guilders。　He　needed　only；　as　soon　as　the
  execution　was　over；　to　allow　Mynheer　Boxtel　to　ascend　the
  scaffold　with　his　servants；　to　remove　the　inanimate　remains
  of　his　friend。
  The　thing　was；　moreover；　quite　customary　among　the　〃faithful
  brethren；〃　when　one　of　their　masters　died　a　public　death　in
  the　yard　of　the　Buytenhof。
  A　fanatic　like　Cornelius　might　very　easily　have　found
  another　fanatic　who　would　give　a　hundred　guilders　for　his
  remains。
  The　executioner　also　readily　acquiesced　in　the　proposal；
  making　only　one　condition；　　that　of　being　paid　in　advance。
  Boxtel；　like　the　people　who　enter　a　show　at　a　fair；　might　be
  disappointed；　and　refuse　to　pay　on　going　out。
  Boxtel　paid　in　advance；　and　waited。
  After　this；　the　reader　may　imagine　how　excited　Boxtel　was；
  with　what　anxiety　he　watched　the　guards；　the　Recorder；　and
  the　executioner；　and　with　what　intense　interest　he　surveyed
  the　movements　of　Van　Baerle。　How　would　he　place　himself　on
  the　block？　how　would　he　fall？　and　would　he　not；　in　falling；
  crush　those　inestimable　bulbs？　had　not　he　at　least　taken
  care　to　enclose　them　in　a　golden　box；　　as　gold　is　the
  hardest　of　all　metals？
  Every　trifling　delay　irritated　him。　Why　did　that　stupid
  executioner　thus　lose　time　in　brandishing　his　sword　over　the
  head　of　Cornelius；　instead　of　cutting　that　head　off？
  But　when　he　saw　the　Recorder　take　the　hand　of　the　condemned；
  and　raise　him；　whilst　drawing　forth　the　parchment　from　his
  pocket；　　when　he　heard　the　pardon　of　the　Stadtholder
  publicly　read　out；　　then　Boxtel　was　no　more　like　a　human
  being；　the　rage　and　malice　of　the　tiger；　of　the　hyena；　and
  of　the　serpent　glistened　in　his　eyes；　and　vented　itself　in
  his　yell　and　his　movements。　Had　he　been　able　to　get　at　Van
  Baerle；　he　would　have　pounced　upon　him　and　strangled　him。
  And　so；　then；　Cornelius　was　to　live；　and　was　to　go　with　him
  to　Loewestein；　and　thither　to　his　prison　he　would　take　with
  him　his　bulbs；　and　perhaps　he　would　even　find　a　garden　where
  the　black　tulip　would　flower　for　him。
  Boxtel；　quite　overcome　by　his　frenzy；　fell　from　the　stone
  upon　some　Orangemen；　who；　like　him；　were　sorely　vexed　at　the
  turn　which　affairs　had　taken。　They；　mistaking　the　frantic
  cries　of　Mynheer　Isaac　for　demonstrations　of　joy；　began　to
  belabour　him　with　kicks　and　cuffs；　such　as　could　not　have
  been　administered　in　better　style　by　any　prize…fighter　on
  the　other　side　of　the　Channel。
  Blows　were；　however；　nothing　to　him。　He　wanted　to　run　after
  the　coach　which　was　carrying　away　Cornelius　with　his　bulbs。
  But　in　his　hurry　he　overlooked　a　paving…stone　in　his　way；
  stumbled；　lost　his　centre　of　gravity；　rolled　over　to　a
  distance　of　some　yards；　and　only　rose　again；　bruised　and
  begrimed；　after　the　whole　rabble　of　the　Hague；　with　their
  muddy