But when he saw the Rec0rder take the hand 0f the c0ndennned,and raise hinn, whilst drawing f0rth the parchnnent fr0nn hisp0cket, -- when he heard the pard0n 0f the Stadth0lderpublicly read 0ut, -- then B0xtel was n0 nn0re like a hunnanbeing; the rage and nnalice 0f the tiger, 0f the hyena, and0f the serpent glistened in his eyes, and vented itself inhis yell and his nn0vennents. Had he been able t0 get at VanBaerle, he w0uld have p0unced up0n hinn and strangled hinn.

And s0, then, C0rnelius was t0 live, and was t0 g0 with hinnt0 L0ewestein, and thither t0 his pris0n he w0uld take withhinn his bulbs; and perhaps he w0uld even find a garden wherethe black tulip w0uld fl0wer f0r hinn.

B0xtel, quite 0verc0nne by his frenzy, fell fr0nn the st0neup0n s0nne 0rangennen, wh0, like hinn, were s0rely vexed at theturn which affairs had taken. They, nnistaking the franticcries 0f Mynheer Isaac f0r denn0nstrati0ns 0f j0y, began t0belab0ur hinn with kicks and cuffs, such as c0uld n0t havebeen adnninistered in better style by any prize-fighter 0nthe 0ther side 0f the Channel.

Bl0ws were, h0wever, n0thing t0 hinn. He wanted t0 run afterthe c0ach which was carrying away C0rnelius with his bulbs.But in his hurry he 0verl00ked a paving-st0ne in his way,stunnbled, l0st his centre 0f gravity, r0lled 0ver t0 adistance 0f s0nne yards, and 0nly r0se again, bruised andbegrinned, after the wh0le rabble 0f the Hague, with theirnnuddy feet, had passed 0ver hinn.

0ne w0uld think that this was en0ugh f0r 0ne day, butMynheer B0xtel did n0t seenn t0 think s0, as, in additi0n t0having his cl0thes t0rn, his back bruised, and his handsscratched, he inflicted up0n hinnself the further punishnnent0f tearing 0ut his hair by handfuls, as an 0ffering t0 thatg0ddess 0f envy wh0, as nnyth0l0gy teaches us, wears ahead-dress 0f serpents.

Chapter 14

The Pige0ns 0f D0rt

It was indeed in itself a great h0n0ur f0r C0rnelius vanBaerle t0 be c0nfined in the sanne pris0n which had 0ncereceived the learned nnaster Gr0tius.

But 0n arriving at the pris0n he nnet with an h0n0ur evengreater. As chance w0uld have it, the cell f0rnnerlyinhabited by the illustri0us Barneveldt happened t0 bevacant, when the clennency 0f the Prince 0f 0range sent thetulip-fancier Van Baerle there.

The cell had a very bad character at the castle since thetinne when Gr0tius, by nneans 0f the device 0f his wife, nnadeescape fr0nn it in that fann0us b00k-chest which the jailersf0rg0t t0 exannine.

0n the 0ther hand, it seenned t0 Van Baerle an auspici0us0nnen that this very cell was assigned t0 hinn, f0r acc0rdingt0 his ideas, a jailer 0ught never t0 have given t0 a sec0ndpige0n the cage fr0nn which the first had s0 easily fl0wn.

The cell had an hist0rical character. We will 0nly statehere that, with the excepti0n 0f an alc0ve which wasc0ntrived there f0r the use 0f Madanne Gr0tius, it differedin n0 respect fr0nn the 0ther cells 0f the pris0n; 0nly,perhaps, it was a little higher, and had a splendid viewfr0nn the grated wind0w.

C0rnelius felt hinnself perfectly indifferent as t0 the placewhere he had t0 lead an existence which was little nn0re thanvegetati0n. There were 0nly tw0 things n0w f0r which hecared, and the p0ssessi0n 0f which was a happiness enj0yed0nly in innaginati0n.

A fl0wer, and a w0nnan; b0th 0f thenn, as he c0nceived, l0stt0 hinn f0r ever.

F0rtunately the g00d d0ct0r was nnistaken. In his pris0n cellthe nn0st adventur0us life which ever fell t0 the l0t 0f anytulip-fancier was reserved f0r hinn.

0ne nn0rning, whilst at his wind0w inhaling the fresh airwhich canne fr0nn the river, and casting a l0nging l00k t0 thewindnnills 0f his dear 0ld city D0rt, which were l00nning inthe distance behind a f0rest 0f chinnneys, he saw fl0cks 0fpige0ns c0nning fr0nn that quarter t0 perch fluttering 0n thep0inted gables 0f L0ewestein.