Only she had this time resolved within herself not to approach too near the grating.

In order, however, to engage Van Baerle in a conversation from the very first which would seriously occupy his attention, she tendered to him through the grating the three bulbs, which were still wrapped up in the same paper.
But to the great astonishment of Rosa, Van Baerle pushed back her white hand with the tips of his fingers.
The young man had been considering about the matter.
"Listen to me," he said.

"I think we should risk too much by embarking our whole fortune in one ship.

Only think, my dear Rosa, that the question is to carry out an enterprise which until now has been considered impossible, namely, that of making the great black tulip flower.

Let us, therefore, take every possible precaution, so that in case of a failure we may not have anything to reproach ourselves with.