第67章

"At the White Swan; I shall send for him, and if in the meanwhile your Highness will do me the honour of stepping into my drawing-room, he will be sure -- knowing that your Highness is here -- to lose no time in bringing his tulip.""Very well, send for him."

"Yes, your Highness, but ----

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing of any consequence, Monseigneur.""Everything is of consequence, Mynheer van Systens.""Well, then, Monseigneur, if it must be said, a little difficulty has presented itself.""What difficulty?"

"This tulip has already been claimed by usurpers.It's true that it is worth a hundred thousand guilders.""Indeed!"

"Yes, Monseigneur, by usurpers, by forgers.""This is a crime, Mynheer van Systens."

"So it is, your Highness."

"And have you any proofs of their guilt? '

"No, Monseigneur, the guilty woman ---- ""The guilty woman, Sir?"

"I ought to say, the woman who claims the tulip, Monseigneur, is here in the room close by.""And what do you think of her?"

"I think, Monseigneur, that the bait of a hundred thousand guilders may have tempted her.""And so she claims the tulip?"

"Yes Monseigneur."

"And what proof does she offer?"

"I was just going to question her when your Highness came in.""Question her, Mynheer van Systens, question her.I am the first magistrate of the country; I will hear the case and administer justice.""I have found my King Solomon," said Van Systens, bowing, and showing the way to the Prince.

His Highness was just going to walk ahead, but, suddenly recollecting himself he said --"Go before me, and call me plain Mynheer."The two then entered the cabinet.

Rosa was still standing at the same place, leaning on the window, and looking through the panes into the garden.

"Ah! a Frisian girl," said the Prince, as he observed Rosa's gold brocade headdress and red petticoat.

At the noise of their footsteps she turned round, but scarcely saw the Prince, who seated himself in the darkest corner of the apartment.

All her attention, as may be easily imagined, was fixed on that important person who was called Van Systens, so that she had no time to notice the humble stranger who was following the master of the house, and who, for aught she knew, might be somebody or nobody.

The humble stranger took a book down from the shelf, and made Van Systens a sign to commence the examination forthwith.

Van Systens, likewise at the invitation of the young man in the violet coat, sat down in his turn, and, quite happy and proud of the importance thus cast upon him, began, --"My child, you promise to tell me the truth and the entire truth concerning this tulip?""I promise."

"Well, then, speak before this gentleman; this gentleman is one of the members of the Horticultural Society.""What am I to tell you, sir," said Rosa, "beside that which I have told you already.""Well, then, what is it?"

"I repeat the question I have addressed to you before.""Which?"

"That you will order Mynheer Boxtel to come here with his tulip.If I do not recognise it as mine I will frankly tell it; but if I do recognise it I will reclaim it, even if I go before his Highness the Stadtholder himself, with my proofs in my hands.""You have, then, some proofs, my child?"

"God, who knows my good right, will assist me to some."Van Systens exchanged a look with the Prince, who, since the first words of Rosa, seemed to try to remember her, as if it were not for the first time that this sweet voice rang in his ears.

An officer went off to fetch Boxtel, and Van Systens in the meanwhile continued his examination.

"And with what do you support your assertion that you are the real owner of the black tulip?""With the very simple fact of my having planted and grown it in my own chamber.""In your chamber? Where was your chamber?""At Loewestein."

"You are from Loewestein?"