Then, knitting his brow, he added,—
“As to the tulip, make yourself easy, Master Boxtel, you shall have justice done to you.”
Boxtel bowed with a heart full of joy, and received the congratulations of the President.
“You, my child,” William of Orange continued, “you were going to commit a crime. I will not punish you; but the real evil-doer shall pay the penalty for both. A man of his name may be a conspirator, and even a traitor, but he ought not to be a thief.”
“A thief!” cried Rosa. “Cornelius a thief? Pray, your Highness, do not say such a word, it would kill him, if he knew it. If theft there has been, I swear to you, Sir, no one else but this man has committed it.”
“Prove it,” Boxtel coolly remarked.
“I shall prove it. With God’s help I shall.”
Then, turning towards Boxtel, she asked,—
“The tulip is yours?”
“It is.”