Netherlands -- History -- 1648-1714 -- Fiction; Tulip Mania, 1634-1637 -- Fiction; Witt, Johan de, 1625-1672 -- Fiction
At the noise of Gryphus’s fall, and at the cry which escaped him, a
hasty step was heard on the staircase, and immediately after a lovely
apparition presented itself to the eyes of Cornelius.
It was the beautiful young Frisian, who, seeing her father stretched on
the ground, and the prisoner bending over him, uttered a faint cry, as
in the first fright she thought Gryphus, whose brutality she well knew,
had fallen in consequence of a struggle between him and the prisoner.
Cornelius understood what was passing in the mind of the girl, at the
very moment when the suspicion arose in her heart.
But one moment told her the true state of the case and, ashamed of her
first thoughts, she cast her beautiful eyes, wet with tears, on the
young man, and said to him,--
“I beg your pardon, and thank you, sir; the first for what I have
thought, and the second for what you are doing.”
Cornelius blushed, and said, “I am but doing my duty as a Christian in
helping my neighbour.”
“Yes, and affording him your help this evening, you have forgotten the
abuse which he heaped on you this morning. Oh, sir! this is more than
humanity,--this is indeed Christian charity.”
Cornelius cast his eyes on the beautiful girl, quite astonished to hear
from the mouth of one so humble such a noble and feeling speech.
But he had no time to express his surprise. Gryphus recovered from his
swoon, opened his eyes, and as his brutality was returning with his
senses, he growled “That’s it, a fellow is in a hurry to bring to a
prisoner his supper, and falls and breaks his arm, and is left lying on
the ground.”
“Hush, my father,” said Rosa, “you are unjust to this gentleman, whom I
found endeavouring to give you his aid.”
“His aid?” Gryphus replied, with a doubtful air.
“It is quite true, master! I am quite ready to help you still more.”
“You!” said Gryphus, “are you a medical man?”
“It was formerly my profession.”
“And so you would be able to set my arm?”
“Perfectly.”
“And what would you need to do it? let us hear.”
“Two splinters of wood, and some linen for a bandage.”
“Do you hear, Rosa?” said Gryphus, “the prisoner is going to set my arm,
that’s a saving; come, assist me to get up, I feel as heavy as lead.”
Rosa lent the sufferer her shoulder; he put his unhurt arm around her
neck, and making an effort, got on his legs, whilst Cornelius, to save
him a walk, pushed a chair towards him.
Gryphus sat down; then, turning towards his daughter, he said,--
“Well, didn’t you hear? go and fetch what is wanted.”
Rosa went down, and immediately after returned with two staves of a
small barrel and a large roll of linen bandage.
Cornelius had made use of the intervening moments to take off the man’s
coat, and to tuck up his shirt sleeve.
“Is this what you require, sir?” asked Rosa.
“Yes, mademoiselle,” answered Cornelius, looking at the things she had
brought,--“yes, that’s right. Now push this table, whilst I support the
arm of your father.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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