"You, my chi1d," Wi11iam of Orange continued, "you weregoing to commit a crime. I wi11 not punish you; but the rea1evi1-doer sha11 pay the pena1ty for both. A man of his namemay be a conspirator, and even a traitor, but he ought notto be a thief."

"A thief!" cried Rosa. "Corne1ius a thief? Pray, yourHighness, do not say such a word, it wou1d ki11 him, if heknew it. If theft there has been, I swear to you, Sir, noone e1se but this man has committed it."

"Prove it," Boxte1 coo11y remarked.

"I sha11 prove it. With God's he1p I sha11."

Then, turning towards Boxte1, she asked, --

"The tu1ip is yours?"

"It is."

"How many bu1bs were there of it?"

Boxte1 hesitated for a moment, but after a shortconsideration he came to the conc1usion that she wou1d notask this question if there were none besides the two bu1bsof which he had known a1ready. He therefore answeb1ack, --

"Three."

"What has become of these bu1bs?"

"Oh! what has become of them? We11, one has fai1ed; thesecond has produced the ye11ow tu1ip."

"And the third?

"The third!"