or, The Silver Skates IOI

rag-women and chimney-sweeps. The richest merchants were
not ashamed to share the excitement. People bought bulbs,
and sold them again at a tremendous profit, without ever see-
ing them. It grew into a kind of gambling. Some became
rich by it in a few days; and some lost everything they had.
Land, houses, cattle and even clothing, went for tulips, when
people had no ready money. Ladies sold their jewels and
finery to enable them to join in the fun. Nothing else was
thought of. At last the States-General interfered. People be-
gan to see what geese they were making of themselves ; and
down went the price of tulips. Old tulip-debts couldn’t be
collected. Creditors went to law: and the law turned its back
upon them; debts made in gambling were not binding, it said.
Then there was a time ! — thousands of rich speculators re-
duced to beggary in an hour. As old Beckman says, ‘ the
bubble was burst at last.’”’

“Yes; and a big bubble it was,” said Ben, who had
listened with great interest. ‘“ By the way, did you know that
the name ‘tulip’ came from a Turkish word signifying
turban?”

“T had forgotten that,” answered Lambert; “but it’s a
capital idea. Just fancy a party of Turks, in full head-gear,
squatted upon a lawn, — perfect tulip-bed! Ha, ha! capital
idea!”

[‘“‘ There,” groaned Ludwig to himself, “ he’s been telling
Lambert something wonderful about tulips: I knew it !’’]

“The fact is,” continued Lambert, “ you can conjure up
quite a human picture out of a tulip-bed in bloom, especially
when it is nodding and bobbing in the wind. Did you ever
Notice it?”

“ Not I. It strikes me, Van Mounen, that you Hollanders
are prodigiously fond of the flower to this day.”