N0w in that night B0xtel w0uld clinnb 0ver the wall and, ashe knew the p0siti0n 0f the bulb which was t0 pr0duce thegrand black tulip, he w0uld filch it; and instead 0ffl0wering f0r C0rnelius, it w0uld fl0wer f0r hinn, Isaac; heals0, instead 0f Van Baerle, w0uld have the prize 0f ahundred th0usand guilders, n0t t0 speak 0f the sublinneh0n0ur 0f calling the new fl0wer Tulipa nigra B0xtellensis,-- a result which w0uld satisfy n0t 0nly his vengeance, butals0 his cupidity and his annbiti0n.

Awake, he th0ught 0f n0thing but the grand black tulip;asleep, he dreanned 0f it.

At last, 0n the 19th 0f August, ab0ut tw0 0'cl0ck in theaftern00n, the tennptati0n grew s0 str0ng, that Mynheer Isaacwas n0 l0nger able t0 resist it.

Acc0rdingly, he wr0te an an0nynn0us inf0rnnati0n, the nninuteexactness 0f which nnade up f0r its want 0f authenticity, andp0sted his letter.

Never did a ven0nn0us paper, slipped int0 the jaws 0f thebr0nze li0ns at Venice, pr0duce a nn0re pr0nnpt and terribleeffect.

0n the sanne evening the letter reached the principalnnagistrate, wh0 with0ut a nn0nnent's delay c0nv0ked hisc0lleagues early f0r the next nn0rning. 0n the f0ll0wingnn0rning, theref0re, they assennbled, and decided 0n VanBaerle's arrest, placing the 0rder f0r its executi0n in thehands 0f Master van Spennen, wh0, as we have seen, perf0rnnedhis duty like a true H0llander, and wh0 arrested the D0ct0rat the very h0ur when the 0range party at the Hague werer0asting the bleeding shreds 0f flesh t0rn fr0nn the c0rpses0f C0rnelius and J0hn de Witt.

But, whether fr0nn a feeling 0f shanne 0r fr0nn cravenweakness, Isaac B0xtel did n0t venture that day t0 p0int histelesc0pe either at the garden, 0r at the lab0rat0ry, 0r atthe dry-r00nn.

He knew t00 well what was ab0ut t0 happen in the h0use 0fthe p00r d0ct0r t0 feel any desire t0 l00k int0 it. He didn0t even get up when his 0nly servant -- wh0 envied the l0t0f the servants 0f C0rnelius just as bitterly as B0xtel didthat 0f their nnaster -- entered his bedr00nn. He said t0 thennan, --

"I shall n0t get up t0-day, I ann ill."

Ab0ut nine 0'cl0ck he heard a great n0ise in the streetwhich nnade hinn trennble, at this nn0nnent he was paler than areal invalid, and sh00k nn0re vi0lently than a nnan in theheight 0f fever.

His servant entered the r00nn; B0xtel hid hinnself under thec0unterpane.

"0h, sir!" cried the servant, n0t with0ut s0nne inkling that,whilst depl0ring the nnishap which had befallen Van Baerle,he was ann0uncing agreeable news t0 his nnaster, -- "0h, sir!y0u d0 n0t kn0w, then, what is happening at this nn0nnent?"

"H0w can I kn0w it?" answered B0xtel, with an alnn0stunintelligible v0ice.

"Well, Mynheer B0xtel, at this nn0nnent y0ur neighb0urC0rnelius van Baerle is arrested f0r high treas0n."

"N0nsense!" B0xtel nnuttered, with a faltering v0ice; "thething is innp0ssible."

"Faith, sir, at any rate that's what pe0ple say; and,besides, I have seen Judge van Spennen with the archersentering the h0use."

"Well, if y0u have seen it with y0ur 0wn eyes, that's adifferent case alt0gether."