FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156  
157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   >>  
Boxtel. Well, my child, you express yourself very badly. The tulip has been stolen, not from you, but from Mynheer Boxtel." "I repeat to you, sir, that I do not know who this Mynheer Boxtel is, and that I have now heard his name pronounced for the first time." "You do not know who Mynheer Boxtel is, and you also had a black tulip?" "But is there any other besides mine?" asked Rosa, trembling. "Yes,--that of Mynheer Boxtel." "How is it?" "Black, of course." "Without speck?" "Without a single speck, or even point." "And you have this tulip,--you have it deposited here?" "No, but it will be, as it has to be exhibited before the committee previous to the prize being awarded." "Oh, sir!" cried Rosa, "this Boxtel--this Isaac Boxtel--who calls himself the owner of the black tulip----" "And who is its owner?" "Is he not a very thin man?" "Bald?" "Yes." "With sunken eyes?" "I think he has." "Restless, stooping, and bowlegged?" "In truth, you draw Master Boxtel's portrait feature by feature." "And the tulip, sir? Is it not in a pot of white and blue earthenware, with yellowish flowers in a basket on three sides?" "Oh, as to that I am not quite sure; I looked more at the flower than at the pot." "Oh, sir! that's my tulip, which has been stolen from me. I came here to reclaim it before you and from you." "Oh! oh!" said Van Systens, looking at Rosa. "What! you are here to claim the tulip of Master Boxtel? Well, I must say, you are cool enough." "Honoured sir," a little put out by this apostrophe, "I do not say that I am coming to claim the tulip of Master Boxtel, but to reclaim my own." "Yours?" "Yes, the one which I have myself planted and nursed." "Well, then, go and find out Master Boxtel, at the White Swan Inn, and you can then settle matters with him; as for me, considering that the cause seems to me as difficult to judge as that which was brought before King Solomon, and that I do not pretend to be as wise as he was, I shall content myself with making my report, establishing the existence of the black tulip, and ordering the hundred thousand guilders to be paid to its grower. Good-bye, my child." "Oh, sir, sir!" said Rosa, imploringly. "Only, my child," continued Van Systens, "as you are young and pretty, and as there may be still some good in you, I'll give you some good advice. Be prudent in this matter, for we have a court of justice and a prison here at
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156  
157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   >>  



Top keywords:
Boxtel
 

Master

 

Mynheer

 

Systens

 

reclaim

 
feature
 
Without
 

stolen

 
settle
 

matters


brought

 

difficult

 
planted
 

apostrophe

 
Honoured
 

coming

 
nursed
 
pretend
 

express

 

continued


pretty

 

advice

 

justice

 

prison

 

matter

 

prudent

 

imploringly

 

making

 

report

 

establishing


content

 
repeat
 

existence

 

ordering

 

grower

 
guilders
 

hundred

 
thousand
 

Solomon

 
trembling

stooping
 

bowlegged

 
Restless
 
sunken
 

deposited

 

single

 
exhibited
 

awarded

 
committee
 

previous