Черный тюльпан
An Invasion
“If,therefore,CorneliusdeWittisabadcitizen,—ofwhichtherecanbenodoubt,asheischargedwithhightreason,andarrested,—hisaccomplice,CorneliusvanBaerle,isnolessabadcitizenthanhimself.
“And,asIamagoodcitizen,andasitisthedutyofeverygoodcitizentoinformagainstthebadones,itismydutytoinformagainstCorneliusvanBaerle.”
Speciousasthismodeofreasoningmightsound,itwouldnotperhapshavetakensocompleteaholdofBoxtel,norwouldheperhapshaveyieldedtothemeredesireofvengeancewhichwasgnawingathisheart,hadnotthedemonofenvybeenjoinedwiththatofcupidity.
BoxtelwasquiteawareoftheprogresswhichVanBaerlehadmadetowardsproducingthegrandblacktulip.
Dr.Cornelius,notwithstandingallhismodesty,hadnotbeenabletohidefromhismostintimatefriendsthathewasallbutcertaintowin,intheyearofgrace1673,theprizeofahundredthousandguildersofferedbytheHorticulturalSocietyofHaarlem.
ItwasjustthiscertaintyofCorneliusvanBaerlethatcausedthefeverwhichragedintheheartofIsaacBoxtel.
IfCorneliusshouldbearrestedtherewouldnecessarilybeagreatupsetinhishouse,andduringthenightafterhisarrestnoonewouldthinkofkeepingwatchoverthetulipsinhisgarden.
