ce. Let me alight, let me see it close, I beg of
you."

"Are you mad, Sir? How could I allow such a thing?"

"I implore you."

"But you forget that you are a prisoner."

"It is true I am a prisoner, but I am a man of honour, and I promise you
on my word that I will not run away, I will not attempt to escape,--only
let me see the flower."

"But my orders, Sir, my orders." And the officer again made the driver a
sign to proceed.

Cornelius stopped him once more.

"Oh, be forbearing, be generous! my whole life depends upon your pity.
Alas! perhaps it will not be much longer. You don't know, sir, what I
suffer. You don't know the struggle going on in my heart and mind. For
after all," Cornelius cried in despair, "if this were my tulip, if it
were the one which has been stolen from Rosa! Oh, I must alight, sir! I
must see the flower! You may kill me afterwards if you like, but I will
see it, I must see it."

"Be quiet, unfortunate man, and come quickly back into the carriage, for
here is the escort of his Highness the Stadtholder, and if the Prince
observed any disturbance, or heard any noise, it would be ruin to me, as
well as to you."

Van Baerle, more afraid for his companion than himself, threw himself
back into the carriage, but he could only keep quiet for half a minute,
and the first twenty horsemen had scarcely passed when he again leaned
out of the carriage window, gesticulating imploringly towards the
Stadtholder at the very moment when he passed.

William, impassible and quiet as usual, was proceeding to the green to
fulfil his duty as chairman. He held in his hand the roll of parchment,
which, on this festive day, had become his baton.

Seeing the man gesticulate with imploring mien, and perhaps also
recognising the officer who accompanied him, his Highness ordered his
carriage to stop.

In an instant his snorting steeds stood still, at a distance of about
six yards from the carriage in which Van Baerle was caged.

"What is this?" the Prince asked the officer, who at the first order
of the Stadtholder had jumped out of the carriage, and was respectfully
approaching him.

"Monseigneur," he cried, "this is the prisoner of state whom I have
fetched from Loewestein, and whom I have brought to Haarlem according to
your Highness's command."

"What does he want?"

"He entreats for permission to stop here for minute."

"To see the black tulip, Monseigneur," said Van Baerle, clasping his
hands, "an