The Black Tulip | Page 5

see us
perhaps they will grow calmer, as we have never done them anything
but good."
"That's unfortunately no reason, except for the contrary," muttered the
girl, as, on an imperative sign from her father, she withdrew.
"Indeed, child, what you say is only too true."
Then, in pursuing his way, he said to himself, --

"Here is a damsel who very likely does not know how to read, who
consequently has never read anything, and yet with one word she has
just told the whole history of the world."
And with the same calm mien, but more melancholy than he had been
on entering the prison, the Grand Pensionary proceeded towards the
cell of his brother.
Chapter 2
The Two Brothers
As the fair Rosa, with foreboding doubt, had foretold, so it happened.
Whilst John de Witt was climbing the narrow winding stairs which led
to the prison of his brother Cornelius, the burghers did their best to
have the troop of Tilly, which was in their way, removed.
Seeing this disposition, King Mob, who fully appreciated the laudable
intentions of his own beloved militia, shouted most lustily, --
"Hurrah for the burghers!"
As to Count Tilly, who was as prudent as he was firm, he began to
parley with the burghers, under the protection of the cocked pistols of
his dragoons, explaining to the valiant townsmen, that his order from
the States commanded him to guard the prison and its approaches with
three companies.
"Wherefore such an order? Why guard the prison?" cried the Orangists.
"Stop," replied the Count, "there you at once ask me more than I can
tell you. I was told, 'Guard the prison,' and I guard it. You, gentlemen,
who are almost military men yourselves, you are aware that an order
must never be gainsaid."
"But this order has been given to you that the traitors may be enabled to
leave the town."

"Very possibly, as the traitors are condemned to exile," replied Tilly.
"But who has given this order?"
"The States, to be sure!"
"The States are traitors."
"I don't know anything about that!"
"And you are a traitor yourself!"
"I?"
"Yes, you."
"Well, as to that, let us understand each other gentlemen. Whom should
I betray? The States? Why, I cannot betray them, whilst, being in their
pay, I faithfully obey their orders."
As the Count was so indisputably in the right that it was impossible to
argue against him, the mob answered only by redoubled clamour and
horrible threats, to which the Count opposed the most perfect urbanity.
"Gentlemen," he said, "uncock your muskets, one of them may go off
by accident; and if the shot chanced to wound one of my men, we
should knock over a couple of hundreds of yours, for which we should,
indeed, be very sorry, but you even more so; especially as such a thing
is neither contemplated by you nor by myself."
"If you did that," cried the burghers, "we should have a pop at you,
too."
"Of course you would; but suppose you killed every man Jack of us,
those whom we should have killed would not, for all that, be less dead."
"Then leave the place to us, and you will perform the part of a good
citizen."

"First of all," said the Count, "I am not a citizen, but an officer, which
is a very different thing; and secondly, I am not a Hollander, but a
Frenchman, which is more different still. I have to do with no one but
the States, by whom I am paid; let me see an order from them to leave
the place to you, and I shall only be too glad to wheel off in an instant,
as I am confoundedly bored here."
"Yes, yes!" cried a hundred voices; the din of which was immediately
swelled by five hundred others; "let us march to the Town-hall; let us
go and see the deputies! Come along! come along!"
"That's it," Tilly muttered between his teeth, as he saw the most violent
among the crowd turning away; "go and ask for a meanness at the
Town-hall, and you will see whether they will grant it; go, my fine
fellows, go!"
The worthy officer relied on the honour of the magistrates, who, on
their side, relied on his honour as a soldier.
"I say, Captain," the first lieutenant whispered into the ear of the Count,
"I hope the deputies will give these madmen a flat refusal; but, after all,
it would do no harm if they would send us some reinforcement."
In the meanwhile, John de Witt, whom we left climbing the stairs, after
the conversation with the jailer Gryphus and his daughter Rosa, had
reached the door of the cell, where on a mattress his brother Cornelius
was resting, after