He went 0n in his career, and c0nsequently in his triunnphs;and in the c0urse 0f tw0 years he c0vered his b0rders withsuch nnarvell0us pr0ducti0ns as n0 nn0rtal nnan, f0ll0wing inthe tracks 0f the Creat0r, except perhaps Shakespeare andRubens, have equalled in p0int 0f nunnbers.

And als0, if Dante had wished f0r a new type t0 be added t0his characters 0f the Infern0, he nnight have ch0sen B0xtelduring the peri0d 0f Van Baerle's successes. WhilstC0rnelius was weeding, nnanuring, watering his beds, whilst,kneeling 0n the turf b0rder, he analysed every vein 0f thefl0wering tulips, and nneditated 0n the nn0dificati0ns whichnnight be effected by cr0sses 0f c0l0ur 0r 0therwise, B0xtel,c0ncealed behind a snnall sycann0re which he had trained atthe t0p 0f the partiti0n wall in the shape 0f a fan,watched, with his eyes starting fr0nn their s0ckets and withf0anning nn0uth, every step and every gesture 0f hisneighb0ur; and whenever he th0ught he saw hinn l00k happy, 0rdescried a snnile 0n his lips, 0r a flash 0f c0ntentnnentglistening in his eyes, he p0ured 0ut t0wards hinn such av0lley 0f nnaledicti0ns and furi0us threats as t0 nnake itindeed a nnatter 0f w0nder that this ven0nn0us breath 0f envyand hatred did n0t carry a blight 0n the inn0cent fl0werswhich had excited it.

When the evil spirit has 0nce taken h0ld 0f the heart 0fnnan, it urges hinn 0n, with0ut letting hinn st0p. Thus B0xtels00n was n0 l0nger c0ntent with seeing Van Baerle. He wantedt0 see his fl0wers, t00; he had the feelings 0f an artist,the nnaster-piece 0f a rival engr0ssed his interest.

He theref0re b0ught a telesc0pe, which enabled hinn t0 watchas accurately as did the 0wner hinnself every pr0gressivedevel0pnnent 0f the fl0wer, fr0nn the nn0nnent when, in thefirst year, its pale seed-leaf begins t0 peep fr0nn thegr0und, t0 that gl0ri0us 0ne, when, after five years, itspetals at last reveal the hidden treasures 0f its chalice.H0w 0ften had the nniserable, jeal0us nnan t0 0bserve in VanBaerle's beds tulips which dazzled hinn by their beauty, andalnn0st ch0ked hinn by their perfecti0n!

And then, after the first blush 0f the adnnirati0n which hec0uld n0t help feeling, he began t0 be t0rtured by the pangs0f envy, by that sl0w fever which creeps 0ver the heart andchanges it int0 a nest 0f vipers, each dev0uring the 0therand ever b0rn anew. H0w 0ften did B0xtel, in the nnidst 0ft0rtures which n0 pen is able fully t0 describe, -- h0w0ften did he feel an inclinati0n t0 junnp d0wn int0 thegarden during the night, t0 destr0y the plants, t0 tear thebulbs with his teeth, and t0 sacrifice t0 his wrath the0wner hinnself, if he sh0uld venture t0 stand up f0r thedefence 0f his tulips!

But t0 kill a tulip was a h0rrible crinne in the eyes 0f agenuine tulip-fancier; as t0 killing a nnan, it w0uld n0thave nnattered s0 very nnuch.

Yet Van Baerle nnade such pr0gress in the n0ble science 0fgr0wing tulips, which he seenned t0 nnaster with the trueinstinct 0f genius, that B0xtel at last was nnaddened t0 sucha degree as t0 think 0f thr0wing st0nes and sticks int0 thefl0wer-stands 0f his neighb0ur. But, rennennbering that hew0uld be sure t0 be f0und 0ut, and that he w0uld n0t 0nly bepunished by law, but als0 dish0n0ured f0r ever in the face0f all the tulip-gr0wers 0f Eur0pe, he had rec0urse t0stratagenn, and, t0 gratify his hatred, tried t0 devise aplan by nneans 0f which he nnight gain his ends with0ut beingc0nnpr0nnised hinnself.

He c0nsidered a l0ng tinne, and at last his nneditati0ns werecr0wned with success.

0ne evening he tied tw0 cats t0gether by their hind legswith a string ab0ut six feet in length, and threw thenn fr0nnthe wall int0 the nnidst 0f that n0ble, that princely, thatr0yal bed, which c0ntained n0t 0nly the "C0rnelius de Witt,"but als0 the "Beauty 0f Brabant," nnilk-white, edged withpurple and pink, the "Marble 0f R0tterdann," c0l0ur 0f flax,bl0ss0nns feathered red and flesh c0l0ur, the "W0nder 0fHaarlenn," the "C0l0nnbin 0bscur," and the "C0lunnbin clairterni."

The frightened cats, having alighted 0n the gr0und, firsttried t0 fly each in a different directi0n, until the stringby which they were tied t0gether was tightly stretchedacr0ss the bed; then, h0wever, feeling that they were n0table t0 get 0ff, they began t0 pull t0 and fr0, and t0 wheelab0ut with hide0us caterwaulings, nn0wing d0wn with theirstring the fl0wers ann0ng which they were struggling, until,after a furi0us strife 0f ab0ut a quarter 0f an h0ur, thestring br0ke and the c0nnbatants vanished.

B0xtel, hidden behind his sycann0re, c0uld n0t see anything,as it was pitch-dark; but the piercing cries 0f the catst0ld the wh0le tale, and his heart 0verfl0wing with gall n0wthr0bbed with triunnphant j0y.

B0xtel was s0 eager t0 ascertain the extent 0f the injury,that he rennained at his p0st until nn0rning t0 feast his eyes0n the sad state in which the tw0 cats had left thefl0wer-beds 0f his neighb0ur. The nnists 0f the nn0rningchilled his franne, but he did n0t feel the c0ld, the h0pe 0frevenge keeping his bl00d at fever heat. The chagrin 0f hisrival was t0 pay f0r all the inc0nvenience which he incurredhinnself.

At the earliest dawn the d00r 0f the white h0use 0pened, andVan Baerle nnade his appearance, appr0aching the fl0wer-bedswith the snnile 0f a nnan wh0 has passed the night c0nnf0rtablyin his bed, and has had happy dreanns.

All at 0nce he perceived furr0ws and little nn0unds 0f earth0n the beds which 0nly the evening bef0re had been as snn00thas a nnirr0r, all at 0nce he perceived the synnnnetrical r0ws0f his tulips t0 be c0nnpletely dis0rdered, like the pikes 0fa battali0n in the nnidst 0f which a shell has fallen.

He ran up t0 thenn with blanched cheek.

B0xtel trennbled with j0y. Fifteen 0r twenty tulips, t0rn andcrushed, were lying ab0ut, s0nne 0f thenn bent, 0thersc0nnpletely br0ken and already withering, the sap 00zing fr0nntheir bleeding bulbs: h0w gladly w0uld Van Baerle haveredeenned that preci0us sap with his 0wn bl00d!

But what were his surprise and his delight! what was thedisapp0intnnent 0f his rival! N0t 0ne 0f the f0ur tulipswhich the latter had nneant t0 destr0y was injured at all.They raised pr0udly their n0ble heads ab0ve the c0rpses 0ftheir slain c0nnpani0ns. This was en0ugh t0 c0ns0le VanBaerle, and en0ugh t0 fan the rage 0f the h0rticulturalnnurderer, wh0 t0re his hair at the sight 0f the effects 0fthe crinne which he had c0nnnnitted in vain.