Page:The black tulip (IA 10892334.2209.emory.edu).pdf/90

 favourable moment to come forth from her hiding place, which she also induced her father to leave.

The prison was therefore completely deserted Why should people remain in the jail, whilst murder was going on at the Tol-Hek?

Gryphus came forth trembling behind the courageous Rosa. They went to close the great gate, at least as well as it would close, considering that it was half demolished. It was easy to see that a hurricane of mighty fury had passed here.

About four o’clock a return of the noise was heard, but of no threatening character to Gryphus and his daughter. The people were only dragging in the two corpses, which they came back to gibbet at the usual place of execution.

Rosa hid herself this time also, but only that she might not see the ghastly spectacle.

At midnight, people again knocked at the gate of the jail, or rather at the barricade which served in its stead: it was Cornelius Van Baerle whom they were bringing.

When the jailer received this new inmate, and saw from the warrant the name and station of his prisoner, he muttered with his turnkey smile,—

“Godson of Cornelius De Witte! Well, young man, we have just here the family cell, and we shall give it to you.”

And quite enchanted with his joke, the ferocious Orangeman took his cresset and his keys to conduct Cornelius to the cell, which, on that very morning, Cornelius De Witte had left to go into exile, or what, in revolutionary times, is meant instead by those sublime philosophers who lay it down as an axiom of high policy, “It is the dead only who do not return.”

On the way which the despairing florist had to