Черный тюльпан
Haarlem
Hehadsointentlywatchedthistulip,followeditsoeagerlyfromthedrawerinCornelius’sdry-roomtothescaffoldoftheBuytenhof,andfromthescaffoldtothefortressofLoewestein;hehadseenitbudandgrowinRosa’swindow,andsooftenwarmedtheairrounditwithhisbreath,thathefeltasifnoonehadabetterrighttocallhimselfitsproducerthanhehad;andanyonewhowouldnowtaketheblacktulipfromhimwouldhaveappearedtohimasathief.
YethedidnotperceiveRosa;hisjoythereforewasnotspoiled.
Inthecentreofacircleofmagnificenttrees,whichweredecoratedwithgarlandsandinscriptions,theprocessionhalted,amidstthesoundsoflivelymusic,andtheyoungdamselsofHaarlemmadetheirappearancetoescortthetuliptotheraisedseatwhichitwastooccupyontheplatform,bythesideofthegildedchairofhisHighnesstheStadtholder.
Andtheproudtulip,raisedonitspedestal,soonoverlookedtheassembledcrowdofpeople,whoclappedtheirhands,andmadetheoldtownofHaarlemre-echowiththeirtremendouscheers.
