This night, without any doubt, our tulip will be in flower." "And will it flower black ?" "Black as jet." "Without a speck of any other colour." "Without one speck." "Good Heavens! my dear Rosa, I have been dreaming all night, in the first place of you," (Rosa made a sign of incredulity,) "and then of what we must do." "Well ?" "Well, and I will tell you now what I have decided on.

The tulip once being in flower, and it being quite certain that it is perfectly black, you must find a messenger." "If it is no more than that, I have a messenger quite ready." "Is he safe ?" "One for whom I will answer,--he is one of my lovers." "I hope not Jacob." "No, be quiet, it is the ferryman of Loewestein, a smart young man of twenty-five." "By Jove!" "Be quiet," said Rosa, smiling, "he is still under age, as you have yourself fixed it from twenty-six to twenty-eight." "In fine, do you think you may rely on this young man ?" "As on myself; he would throw himself into the Waal or the Meuse if I bade him." "Well, Rosa, this lad may be at Haarlem in ten hours; you will give me paper and pencil, and, perhaps better still, pen and ink, and I will write, or rather, on second thoughts, you will, for if I did, being a poor prisoner, people might, like your father, see a conspiracy in it.
You will write to the President of the Horticultural Society, and I am sure he will come." "But if he tarries ?" "Well, let us suppose that he tarries one day, or even two; but it is impossible.

A tulip-fancier like him will not tarry one hour, not one minute, not one second, to set out to see the eighth wonder of the world.

But, as I said, if he tarried one or even two days, the tulip will still be in its full splendour.

The flower once being seen by the President, and the protocol being drawn up, all is in order; you will only keep a duplicate of the protocol, and intrust the tulip to him.
Ah! if we had been able to carry it ourselves, Rosa, it would never have left my hands but to pass into yours; but this is a dream, which we must not entertain," continued Cornelius with a sigh, "the eyes of strangers will see it flower to the last.