Чорний тюльпан
A Last Request
”
“Toseetheblacktulip,Monseigneur,”saidVanBaerle,claspinghishands,“andwhenIhaveseenit,whenIhaveseenwhatIdesiretoknow,Iamquitereadytodie,ifdieImust;butindyingIshallblessyourHighness’smercyforhavingallowedmetowitnesstheglorificationofmywork.”
Itwas,indeed,acuriousspectacletoseethesetwomenatthewindowsoftheirseveralcarriages;theonesurroundedbyhisguards,andallpowerful,theotheraprisonerandmiserable;theonegoingtomountathrone,theotherbelievinghimselftobeonhiswaytothescaffold.
William,lookingwithhiscoldglanceonCornelius,listenedtohisanxiousandurgentrequest.
Thenaddressinghimselftotheofficer,hesaid,—
“IsthispersonthemutinousprisonerwhohasattemptedtokillhisjaileratLoewestein?”
Corneliusheavedasighandhunghishead.Hisgood-temperedhonestfaceturnedpaleandredatthesameinstant.Thesewordsoftheall-powerfulPrince,whobysomesecretmessengerunavailabletoothermortalshadalreadybeenapprisedofhiscrime,seemedtohimtoforebodenotonlyhisdoom,butalsotherefusalofhislastrequest.
Hedidnottrytomakeastruggle,ortodefendhimself;andhepresentedtothePrincetheaffectingspectacleofdespairinginnocence,likethatofachild,—aspectaclewhichwasfullyunderstoodandfeltbythegreatmindandthegreatheartofhimwhoobservedit.
“Allowtheprisonertoalight,andlethimseetheblacktulip;itiswellworthbeingseenonce
