[Comprehensive classics] Let Gao Leng learn the language

On the second day of the trial, Cornelius van Baerle was sentenced to death.

The clerk came to the cell and read the verdict to him.

Grievous was lying in bed unable to get up due to a high fever caused by a broken bone.His key was given to one of his assistant wardens.Ms. Gao Leng followed the assistant guard who brought the clerk into the cell.

The expression of Cornelius when he heard the sentence was more surprised than sad.

After the clerk had read the verdict, he asked him if he had anything else to say.

"To tell the truth, I have nothing to say," he answered, "but I confess that, of all the causes of capital offenses that a prudent man would expect to avoid breaking the law, I have never thought of this one."

The clerk, hearing this reply, bowed to Cornelius with the respect which a civil servant like himself accords to criminals of all kinds.As he was going away, Cornelius asked:

"Mr. Clerk, by the way, when is this event scheduled?"

"Just today," replied the clerk, somewhat bewildered by the prisoner's calm demeanor.

"And," continued Cornelius, "what time will it take place?"

"Twelve o'clock at noon, sir."

"Damn it!" said Cornelius, "I seem to have heard ten strike twenty minutes ago, and I have little time to waste."

"Yes, in reconciliation with God," said the clerk, bowing to him, "you may ask any priest you like."

As he spoke he withdrew step by step; and the assistant warden was just about to lock Cornelius's cell door and follow him, when a free arm was stretched between him and the heavy cell door.

Cornelius saw only a golden hat with a white lace ear-flap, such as the beautiful Friesian girls used to wear; he only heard whispers with the assistant warden.The assistant warden handed over the large bunch of keys to the white hand stretched out before him, then went down a few steps and sat down on the half-stair, so that he was guarding the top of the stairs and the dog was guarding the bottom.

The golden hat turned, and Cornelius saw Rosa's melancholy face and big blue eyes.

Ms. Gao Leng really didn't know whether she should continue her lines according to the script.

She wants to contact the Space-Time Administration and give up this mission.

But now she is screaming every day and not responding to the ground.

The bad mood showed on her face, and Cornelius thought she was worried about him.

"Beautiful girl, what do you want me to do? I can tell you that from now on, I can do nothing."

"No, for you, what can I do for you?"

Ms. Gao Leng looked straight into his eyes, his eyes were open and open, without the fear of life being threatened.

"Me? A man with only an hour left, what more can I ask for?"

"Where's the priest who was mentioned to you?"

"I have worshiped God all my life, Rosa. I honor his deeds and thank him for his holy will. God can have nothing against me. Therefore, I do not want you to go to the priest. Rosa, my last thought, It's about the glory of God. My dear, I'm asking you to help me turn this idea into reality."

"Go ahead!"

"Give me your beautiful hand and promise not to laugh, my child."

"Laugh!" Ms. Gao Leng yelled because she couldn't restrain her emotions, "Laugh at this time!"

"I have seen you, Rosa, with the eyes of my body, and with the eyes of my soul. I have never seen a more beautiful woman, nor a purer soul than your soul; if ever From now on, I don't look at you anymore, please forgive me, it's because when I leave this world, I don't want to have any nostalgia."

Ms. Gao Leng was very awkward when she heard this, but Cornelius's too sincere words eased her awkwardness, and suddenly she shuddered.The clock in the belfry of the Buitenhof prison struck eleven.

Cornelius understood what she was thinking.

"Yes, yes, we must hurry," he said. "You're right, Rosa."

He took out the paper bag containing the three bulbs from his pocket.It turned out that he had put it in his arms again when he was no longer in danger of being searched.

"Beautiful friend," said he, "I love flowers very much. That's because I didn't know then that there is anything else to love than flowers."

Ms. Gao Leng was really embarrassed, she turned her head slightly to avoid his eyes.

"Ah! don't blush, Rosa, don't look back even if I declare my love to you. Poor boy, that's going to come of nowhere; sixty-ten minutes later, that on the Buitenhof square This sharp weapon is about to challenge my folly. Rosa, I used to only love flowers. I have found, at least I believe I have found the secret of the big black tulip, which everyone thinks is impossible to grow. You may I know, maybe I don't know, that the Haarlem Horticultural Society proposes a prize of one hundred thousand florins. And that hundred thousand florins--God knows, it's not the hundred thousand florins I'm sorry for--is on my side in a paper packet; and these three bulbs in it are worth a hundred thousand florins. You may take them, Rosa, for I gave them to you."

"Monsieur Cornelius!"

"Ah! You can take them, Rosa; you will do no harm, my child. I am all alone in this world; my parents are long dead; I have neither brothers nor sisters; I have never I don't think of loving anyone with love, and if anyone thinks of loving me, I don't know. Besides, you can see very clearly, Rosa, that no one cares about me, or you won't be alone at this time Comfort me in the cell, help me."

"One hundred thousand florins, sir! . . . "

"Ah! let us talk seriously, my dear boy," said Cornelius, "the hundred thousand florins is a very handsome dowry, to match your beauty; Rollins, for I am absolutely sure of my bulbs. Therefore, you will surely have them, Rosa dear, if you promise me one thing: Marry someone you will love as I love my flowers Love you, righteous young man. Don't interrupt me, Rosa; I've only got a few minutes left..."

The expression of fearlessness and selfless care that Cornelius showed at this time moved Ms. Gao Leng, who had been immersed in the script speech.

Her eyes flickered, and there was fog in her eye sockets.

Cornelius took her hand and comforted her.

"Listen," he went on, "you must do this. Go to Dordrecht and fetch the soil from my garden. Ask my gardener Peter Ruiesheim for the loam of the sixth flowerbed; You plant these three bulbs in a deep planter in rich soil. Next May, seven months from now, they will bloom; and when you see flowers on the stalks, be careful, No wind at night, no sun during the day. Black flowers will definitely bloom, I am absolutely sure. Then you go and inform the chairman of the Haarlem Association. He will call a meeting, confirm the color of the flowers, and the hundred thousand florins will be yours gone."

Ms. Gao Leng sighed deeply.

"Now," continued Cornelius, wiping away a tear quivering on the edge of his eyelid, which flowed not for the life he was about to lose, but for the flower he could not see. Exotic Black Tulip Flowers. "I don't want anything but this tulip to be called 'RosaBarleonsis', that is, to call you and me both; of course, you don't know Latin, Maybe you will forget the name, go get me a pencil and a piece of paper, and let me write it down for you."

Ms. Gao Leng handed him a pearl-covered book with the word "Gao Wei" printed on the cover.

"What is it?" asked Cornelius.

"Alas!" replied Madam Gauling, "this is the Bible of your poor godfather Corneille de Witte."

Cornelius took the Bible and kissed it reverently.

"What shall I write in?" he asked.

"There is a pencil in this "Bible," Ms. Gao Leng said. "It's in it, and I put it in it."

This is the same pencil that John DeWitt had lent to his brother for use and then forgot to take it back.

Cornelius took up the pencil, and on the second page (for the first page, we must remember, was torn off), wrote with the same firm hand as his godfather, before he died:

On the 23rd of August, [-], when I was about to hand over my innocent soul to God on the scaffold, I bequeathed to Rosa Grievous the only property I had left in this world, for the rest were Already confiscated.I mean, I'm gifting Rosa Grievous three bulbs.I have no doubts that these three bulbs will produce large black tulips next May and will receive a prize of [-] florins from the Haarlem Association.I want her to be my only heir, to receive the hundred thousand florins for me; and I have but one condition, that she marry a young man of my own age, who will love her, and she will love, and give this The black tulip that became a new variety was named RosaBarleonsis, that is to say, combining her and my names.

May God grant me grace and give her health!

Cornelius Swanberg

Then he returned the Bible to Ms. Gao Leng, saying

"have a look."

"Ah!" Ms. Gao Leng felt sour in her heart, she pondered for a moment, and said, "I've already told you that I can't read."

Cornelius then read to Madame Gauling the will he had just written.Just as she had learned from the novel.

"Do you accept my terms?" Cornelius asked with a melancholy smile while kissing Madam Gao Leng's fingertips.

Madam Gao Leng retracted abruptly, like a frightened animal.Ms. Gao Leng has never been close to a man.

"Ah! I can't, sir," she stammered, both ashamed and unaccustomed to Cornelius' sudden intimacy.However, what she said next made Cornelius understand her feelings so well.We can imagine Ms. Gao Leng's ambivalence.

"You can't, my child, why can't you?"

"Because of one of the conditions I cannot comply."

"Which one? I thought we were all set."

"Will you give me the hundred thousand florins as a dowry?"

"Correct."

"And want me to marry someone I'll love?"

"of course."

"Well, sir, I don't have the money. I can't love anyone, and I can't marry."

Cornelius had already understood the love of the beautiful girl in front of him, and his face became more melancholy, lamenting that fate is tricky, and he stretched out his hands, wanting to hug this beautiful girl.At this moment, amidst the barking of dogs, hurried footsteps could be heard on the stairs, followed by other ominous sounds.

"They're here to take you!" Ms. Gao Leng said anxiously, twisting her hands, "Do you have anything else to tell me?"

"What I want to say to you is, take care of these three bulbs of yours, and plant them as I tell you, for my sake. Farewell, Rosa."

"Ah, good, I will do what you told me, don't worry!"

Ms. Gao Leng held Cornelius' things in her hands, and she didn't say "except that she won't marry" according to the lines. At this moment, she only hoped that Cornelius, who was about to go to the execution ground, could be here Take it easy on Black Tulip.

What Cornelius heard was the footsteps of the clerk returning to bring the prisoner.Following him were the executioner, the soldiers who would stand guard around the scaffold, and the spectators from the prison.

Cornelius, neither weak nor heroic, received them rather as friends than as persecutors.He was at the mercy of these people and gave them every convenience in the performance of their duties.

Then, looking through the little barred window into the square, he saw the guillotine, and the gallows twenty paces away.By order of the governor, the insulted corpses of the de Witt brothers had been unloaded from their crenellations.

When he was supposed to go downstairs behind the guards, Cornelius searched for Rosa with his eyes; behind the sword and the halberd, the lady Gao Leng looked pale, and the hand holding the life-saving paper trembled slightly.

Corneille de Witt, who had suffered so much, and endured so much pain, wrote a few lines on it; if Cornelius had seen these lines, there is no doubt that these lines would have saved a person. Life and a tulip.

However, he didn't see it after all, and the gears of fate continued to turn.

The road from the prison gate to the guillotine is very short, surrounded by crowds of onlookers, whose noisy voices are like the last carnival when the god of death comes, and seem to be toasting the wine cup that the god of death is about to fill with blood.

Madam Gao Leng turned her head away from watching Cornelius' back gradually approaching the guillotine.

She knew that he would be escorted to another prison without incident in the end, but she really couldn't witness the black terror of this era with her own eyes, and couldn't watch indifferently what should have been stopped by her to continue to develop.

The author has something to say: Why can’t the jokes that were agreed to be funny...just look at the development behind