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The Black Tulip, a novel by Alexandre Dumas |
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Chapter 4. The Murderers |
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_ The young man with his hat slouched over his eyes, still leaning on the arm of the officer, and still wiping from time to time his brow with his handkerchief, was watching in a corner of the Buytenhof, in the shade of the overhanging weather-board of a closed shop, the doings of the infuriated mob, a spectacle which seemed to draw near its catastrophe. "Indeed," said he to the officer, "indeed, I think you were right, "In truth," replied the officer, "I never heard such shouts." "They seem to have found out the cell of the man. Look, look! is not A man had seized with both hands and was shaking the iron bars of the "Halloa, halloa!" the man called out, "he is gone." "How is that? gone?" asked those of the mob who had not been able to get "Gone, gone," repeated the man in a rage, "the bird has flown." "What does this man say?" asked his Highness, growing quite pale. "Oh, Monseigneur, he says a thing which would be very fortunate if it "Certainly it would be fortunate if it were true," said the young man; "However, look!" said the officer. And indeed, some more faces, furious and contorted with rage, showed "Escaped, gone, they have helped them off!" And the people in the street repeated, with fearful imprecations,-- "Escaped gone! After them, and catch them!" "Monseigneur, it seems that Mynheer Cornelius has really escaped," said "Yes, from prison, perhaps, but not from the town; you will see, Van "Has an order been given to close the town gates, Monseigneur?" "No,--at least I do not think so; who could have given such an order?" "Indeed, but what makes your Highness suppose?" "There are fatalities," Monseigneur replied, in an offhand manner; "and At these words the officer felt his blood run cold, as somehow or other At this moment the roar of the multitude broke forth like thunder, for
Cornelius and John, after driving along the pond, had taken the main But when, on having proceeded half-way down that street, the man felt All at once he stopped. "What is the matter?" asked John, putting his head out of the coach "Oh, my masters!" cried the coachman, "it is----" Terror choked the voice of the honest fellow. "Well, say what you have to say!" urged the Grand Pensionary. "The gate is closed, that's what it is." "How is this? It is not usual to close the gate by day." "Just look!" John de Witt leaned out of the window, and indeed saw that the man was "Never mind, but drive on," said John, "I have with me the order for the The carriage moved along, but it was evident that the driver was no Moreover, as John de Witt put his head out of the carriage window, he The carriage in the meanwhile arrived at the Tol-Hek. "Open!" cried the coachman. "Open!" echoed the gatekeeper, from the threshold of his lodge; "it's "With the key, to be sure!" said the coachman. "With the key! Oh, yes! but if you have not got it?" "How is that? Have not you got the key?" asked the coachman. "No, I haven't." "What has become of it?" "Well, they have taken it from me." "Who?" "Some one, I dare say, who had a mind that no one should leave the "My good man," said the Grand Pensionary, putting out his head from the "Oh, Mynheer de Witt! I am indeed very much grieved," said the "When?" "This morning." "By whom?" "By a pale and thin young man, of about twenty-two." "And wherefore did you give it up to him?" "Because he showed me an order, signed and sealed." "By whom?" "By the gentlemen of the Town-hall." "Well, then," said Cornelius calmly, "our doom seems to be fixed." "Do you know whether the same precaution has been taken at the other "I do not." "Now then," said John to the coachman, "God commands man to do all that And whilst the servant was turning round the vehicle the Grand "Take our thanks for your good intentions; the will must count for the "Alas!" said the gatekeeper, "do you see down there?" "Drive at a gallop through that group," John called out to the coachman, The group which John alluded to had, for its nucleus, those three men These new-comers evidently meant mischief with regard to the carriage. When they saw the horses galloping down upon them, they placed "Stop! stop!" The coachman, on his side, lashed his horses into increased speed, until The brothers De Witt, enclosed within the body of the carriage, were not "Alas!" said Cornelius, "I am afraid we have hurt some one." "Gallop! gallop!" called John. But, notwithstanding this order, the coachman suddenly came to a stop. "Now, then, what is the matter again?" asked John. "Look there!" said the coachman. John looked. The whole mass of the populace from the Buytenhof appeared "Stop and get off," said John to the coachman; "it is useless to go any "Here they are! here they are!" five hundred voices were crying at the "Yes, here they are, the traitors, the murderers, the assassins!" This was the object over which the two brothers had felt their carriage The coachman stopped, but, however strongly his master urged him, he In an instant the carriage was hemmed in between those who followed and At this moment, the shutter of a window opened, and disclosed the sallow "Good heavens, Monseigneur, what is going on there?" whispered the "Something very terrible, to a certainty," replied the other. "Don't you see, Monseigneur, they are dragging the Grand Pensionary from "Indeed, these people must certainly be prompted by a most violent "And here is Cornelius, whom they now likewise drag out of the "Indeed, it is Cornelius, and no mistake." The officer uttered a feeble cry, and turned his head away; the brother Some fellows then seized him by the feet, and dragged him into the The young man--a thing which would have been thought impossible--grew The officer saw this sign of compassion, and, wishing to avail himself "Come, come, Monseigneur, for here they are also going to murder the But the young man had already opened his eyes again. "To be sure," he said. "These people are really implacable. It does no "Monseigneur," said the officer, "may not one save this poor man, who William of Orange--for he it was--knit his brows in a very forbidding "Captain Van Deken, I request you to go and look after my troops, that "But am I to leave your Highness here, alone, in the presence of all "Go, and don't you trouble yourself about me more than I do myself," the The officer started off with a speed which was much less owing to his He had scarcely left the room, when John--who, with an almost superhuman "My brother! where is my brother?" One of the ruffians knocked off his hat with a blow of his clenched Another showed to him his bloody hands; for this fellow had ripped open John uttered a cry of agony and grief, and put one of his hands before "Oh, you close your eyes, do you?" said one of the soldiers of the And saying this he stabbed him with his pike in the face, and the blood "My brother!" cried John de Witt, trying to see through the stream of "Go and run after him!" bellowed another murderer, putting his musket to But the gun did not go off. The fellow then turned his musket round, and, taking it by the barrel "My brother!" with a voice so full of anguish that the young man There remained little more to see; a third murderer fired a pistol with On this, every one of the miscreants, emboldened by his fall, wanted to And after having mangled, and torn, and completely stripped the Then came the most dastardly scoundrels of all, who not having dared to We cannot take upon ourselves to say whether, through the almost "Ah! sir," said the gatekeeper, "do you bring me the key?" "Yes, my man, here it is." "It is most unfortunate that you did not bring me that key only one "And why that?" asked the other. "Because I might have opened the gate to Mynheers de Witt; whereas, "Gate! gate!" cried a voice which seemed to be that of a man in a hurry. The Prince, turning round, observed Captain Van Deken. "Is that you, Captain?" he said. "You are not yet out of the Hague? This "Monseigneur," replied the Captain, "this is the third gate at which I "Well, this good man will open this one for you; do it, my friend." The last words were addressed to the gatekeeper, who stood quite As it were to make up for his fault, he hastened to open the gate, which "Will Monseigneur avail himself of my horse?" asked the Captain. "I thank you, Captain, I shall use my own steed, which is waiting for me And taking from his pocket a golden whistle, such as was generally used William, without touching the stirrup, vaulted into the saddle of the "Do you know," he then said, without stopping, "that those rascals have "Alas! Monseigneur," the Captain answered sadly, "I should like it much "Certainly, it would have been better," said William, "if what did The Captain bowed, allowed the Prince to ride ahead and, for the "How I should wish," William of Orange malignantly muttered to himself, And the young Prince, the relentless rival of the Great King, sped away |