"Danger!" he cried, quite alarmed; "what danger?"

Rosa looked at him with gentle compassion; she felt thatwhat she wished was beyond the power of this man, and thathe must be taken as he was, with his little foible.

"Yes," she exclaimed, "you have guessed the truth; that suitorand amorous swain, Jacob, did not come on my account."

"And what did he come for?" Cornelius anxiously asked.

"He came for the sake of the tulip."

"Alas!" said Cornelius, growing even paler at this piece ofinformation than he had been when Rosa, a fortnight before,had told him that Jacob was coming for her sake.

Rosa saw this alarm, and Cornelius guessed, from theexpression of her face, in what direction her thoughts wererunning.

"0h, pardon me, Rosa!" he exclaimed, "I know you, and I am wellaware of the kindness and sincerity of your heart. To youGod has given the thought and strength for defendingyourself; but to my poor tulip, when it is in danger, Godhas given nothing of the sort."

Rosa, without replying to this excuse of the prisoner,continued, --

"From the moment when I first knew that you were uneasy onaccount of the man who followed me, and in who I hadrecognized Jacob, I was even more uneasy myself. 0n the day,therefore, after that on which I saw you last, and on whichyou exclaimed -- "

Cornelius interrupted her.

"0nce more, pardon me, Rosa!" he cried. "I was wrong insaying to you what I exclaimed. I always have asked your pardon for thatunfortunate speech before. I ask it again: shall I alwaysask it in vain?"

"0n the following day," Rosa continued, "remembering whatyou had told me about the stratagem which I sometimes was to employ toascertain whether that odious man was after the tulip, orafter me ---- "

"Yes, yes, odious. Tell me," he said, "do you hate thatman?"