La Tulipe Noire | Page 3

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This Etext is in French, the English version is Etext #965

La Tulipe Noire Alexandre Dumas (P?re) (1802-1870)
Text entered by Penelope Papangelis Proofread by Maurice M. Mizrahi
This is an abridged version. An English summary, preceded and followed by "------------", is supplied where substantial original French text has been removed. French special characters (accented letters, etc.) were entered as DOS upper-ASCII characters.
=========================================================================
I
Les deux fr?res
Le 20 ao�Ct 1672, la ville de la Haye, si vivante, si blanche, si coquette que l'on dirait que tous les jours sont des dimanches, la ville de la Haye, avec son parc ombreux, avec ses grands arbres inclin?s sur ses maisons gothiques, la ville de la Haye gonflait toutes ses art?res d'un flot noir et rouge de citoyens press?s, haletants, inquiets,--lesquels couraient, le couteau �� la ceinture, le mousquet sur l'?paule ou le b?ton �� la main, vers le Buytenhoff, formidable prison o��, depuis l'accusation d'assassinat port?e contre lui par le chirugien Tyckelaer, languissait Corneille de Witt, fr?re de l'ex-grand pensionnaire de Hollande.
-------------- Holland had reestablished the stadtholderate under the leadership of William of Orange. The former chiefs of the republic, Jean and Corneille de Witt, unjustly accused of betraying their country to France, had been forced to resign and sentenced to perpetual banishment. Corneille de Witt had also been falsely accused of planning to assassinate William of Orange, and had been thrown into prison and tortured. When the story opens Corneille is still in prison, awaiting his brother Jean, who is to accompany him into exile. The Orange party wished the death of the de Witts and had stirred up the populace, which was kept from breaking into the prison only by state troops under the command of Tilly. ---------------
--Mort aux tra?tres! cria la compagnie des bourgeois exasp?r?e.
--Bah! vous dites toujours la m?me chose, grommela l'officier, c'est fatigant!
Et il reprit son poste en t?te de la troupe, tandis que le tumulte allait en augmentant autour du Buytenhoff.
Et cependant le peuple ?chauff? ne savait pas qu'au moment m?me o�� il flairait le sang d'une de ses victimes, l'autre passait �� cent pas de la place derri?re les groupes et les cavaliers pour se rendre au Buytenhoff.
En effet, Jean de Witt venait de descendre de carrosse avec un domestique et traversait tranquillement �� pied l'avant-cour qui pr?c?de la prison.
Il s'?tait nomm? au concierge, qui du reste le connaissait, en disant: --Bonjour, Gryphus, je viens chercher pour l'emmener hors de la ville mon fr?re Corneille de Witt condamn?, comme tu sais, au bannissement.
Et le concierge, esp?ce d'ours dress? �� ouvrir et �� fermer la porte de la prison, l'avait salu? et laiss? entrer dans l'?difice, dont les portes s'?taient referm?es sur lui.
A dix pas de l��, il avait rencontr? une belle jeune fille de dix-sept �� dix-huit ans, en costume de Frisonne, qui lui avait fait une charmante r?v?rence; et il lui avait dit en lui passant la main sous le menton:
--Bonjour, bonne et belle Rosa; comment va mon fr?re? --Oh! monsieur Jean, avait r?pondu la jeune fille, ce n'est pas le mal qu'on lui a fait que je crains pour lui: le mal qu'on lui a fait est pass?. --Que crains-tu donc, la belle fille? --Je crains