to
destroy was injured at all. They raised proudly their noble heads above
the corpses of their slain companions. This was enough to console Van
Baerle, and enough to fan the rage of the horticultural murderer, who
tore his hair at the sight of the effects of the crime which he had
committed in vain.

Van Baerle could not imagine the cause of the mishap, which,
fortunately, was of far less consequence than it might have been. On
making inquiries, he learned that the whole night had been disturbed
by terrible caterwaulings. He besides found traces of the cats,
their footmarks and hairs left behind on the battle-field; to guard,
therefore, in future against a similar outrage, he gave orders that
henceforth one of the under gardeners should sleep in the garden in a
sentry-box near the flower-beds.

Boxtel heard him give the order, and saw the sentry-box put up that
very day; but he deemed himself lucky in not having been suspected, and,
being more than ever incensed against the successful horticulturist, he
resolved to bide his time.

Just then the Tulip Society of Haarlem offered a prize for the discovery
(we dare not say the manufacture) of a large black tulip without a
spot of colour, a thing which had not yet been accomplished, and was
considered impossible, as at that time there did not exist a flower of
that species approaching even to a dark nut brown. It was, therefore,
generally said that the founders of the prize might just as well have
offered two millions as a hundred thousand guilders, since no one would
be able to gain it.

The tulip-growing world, however, was thrown by it into a state of most
active commotion. Some fanciers caught at the idea without believing it
practicable, but such is the power of imagination among florists, that
although considering the undertaking as certain to fail, all their
thoughts were engrossed by that great black tulip, which was looked upon
to be as chimerical as the black swan of Horace or the white raven of
French tradition.

Van Baerle was one of the tulip-growers who were struck with the idea;
Boxtel thought of it in the light of a speculation. Van Baerle, as soon
as the idea had once taken root in his clear and ingenious mind, began
slowly the necessary planting and cross-breeding to reduce the tulips
which he had grown already from red to brown, and from brown to dark
brown.

By the next year he had obtained flowers of a perfect nut-brown, and
Boxtel espied them