Book: Beauty and the Beast
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Anonymous >> Beauty and the Beast
by Anonymous
Edition 1, (November 30, 2006)
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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
Once upon a time, in a very far-off country, there lived a merchant who
had been so fortunate in all his undertakings that he was enormously rich.
As he had, however, six sons and six daughters, he found that his money
was not too much to let them all have everything they fancied, as they
were accustomed to do.
But one day a most unexpected misfortune befell them. Their house caught
fire and was speedily burnt to the ground, with all the splendid
furniture, the books, pictures, gold, silver, and precious goods it
contained; and this was only the beginning of their troubles. Their
father, who had until this moment prospered in all ways, suddenly lost
every ship he had upon the sea, either by dint of pirates, shipwreck, or
fire. Then he heard that his clerks in distant countries, whom he trusted
entirely, had proved unfaithful; and at last from great wealth he fell
into the direst poverty.
All that he had left was a little house in a desolate place at least a
hundred leagues from the town in which he had lived, and to this he was
forced to retreat with his children, who were in despair at the idea of
leading such a different life. Indeed, the daughters at first hoped that
their friends, who had been so numerous while they were rich, would insist
on their staying in their houses now they no longer possessed one. But
they soon found that they were left alone, and that their former friends
even attributed their misfortunes to their own extravagance, and showed no
intention of offering them any help. So nothing was left for them but to
take their departure to the cottage, which stood in the midst of a dark
forest, and seemed to be the most dismal place upon the face of the earth.
As they were too poor to have any servants, the girls had to work hard,
like peasants, and the sons, for their part, cultivated the fields to earn
their living. Roughly clothed, and living in the simplest way, the girls
regretted unceasingly the luxuries and amusements of their former life;
only the youngest tried to be brave and cheerful. She had been as sad as
anyone when misfortune first overtook her father, but, soon recovering her
natural gaiety, she set to work to make the best of things, to amuse her
father and brothers as well as she could, and to try to persuade her
sisters to join her in dancing and singing. But they would do nothing of
the sort, and, because she was not as doleful as themselves, they declared
that this miserable life was all she was fit for. But she was really far
prettier and cleverer than they were; indeed, she was so lovely that she
was always called Beauty. After two years, when they were all beginning to
get used to their new life, something happened to disturb their
tranquillity. Their father received the news that one of his ships, which
he had believed to be lost, had come safely into port with a rich cargo.
All the sons and daughters at once thought that their poverty was at an
end, and wanted to set out directly for the town; but their father, who
was more prudent, begged them to wait a little, and, though it was
harvest-time, and he could ill be spared, determined to go himself first,
to make inquiries. Only the youngest daughter had any doubt but that they
would soon again be as rich as they were before, or at least rich enough
to live comfortably in some town where they would find amusement and gay
companions once more. So they all loaded their father with commissions for
jewels and dresses which it would have taken a fortune to buy; only
Beauty, feeling sure that it was of no use, did not ask for anything. Her
father, noticing her silence, said: "And what shall I bring for you,
Beauty?"
"The only thing I wish for is to see you come home safely," she answered.
But this reply vexed her sisters, who fancied she was blaming them for
having asked for such costly things. Her father, however, was pleased, but
as he thought that at her age she certainly ought to like pretty presents,
he told her to choose something.
"Well, dear father," she said, "as you insist upon it, I beg that you will
bring me a rose. I have not seen one since we came here, and I love them
so much."
So the merchant set out and reached the town as quickly as possible, but
only to find that his former companions, believing him to be dead, had
divided between them the goods which the ship had brought; and after six
months of trouble and expense he found himself as poor as when he started,
having been able to recover only just enough to pay the cost of his
journey. To make matters worse, he was obliged to leave the town in the
most terrible weather, so that by the time he was within a few leagues of
his home he was almost exhausted with cold and fatigue. Though he knew it
would take some hours to get through the forest, he was so anxious to be
at his journey's end that he resolved to go on; but night overtook him,
and the deep snow and bitter frost made it impossible for his horse to
carry him any further. Not a house was to be seen; the only shelter he
could get was the hollow trunk of a great tree, and there he crouched all
the night, which seemed to him the longest he had ever known. In spite of
his weariness the howling of the wolves kept him awake, and even when at
last the day broke he was not much better off, for the falling snow had
covered up every path, and he did not know which way to turn.
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At length he made out some sort of track, and though at the beginning it
was so rough and slippery that he fell down more than once, it presently
became easier, and led him into an avenue of trees which ended in a
splendid castle. It seemed to the merchant very strange that no snow had
fallen in the avenue, which was entirely composed of orange trees, covered
with flowers and fruit. When he reached the first court of the castle he
saw before him a flight of agate steps, and went up them, and passed
through several splendidly furnished rooms. The pleasant warmth of the air
revived him, and he felt very hungry; but there seemed to be nobody in all
this vast and splendid palace whom he could ask to give him something to
eat. Deep silence reigned everywhere, and at last, tired of roaming
through empty rooms and galleries, he stopped in a room smaller than the
rest, where a clear fire was burning and a couch was drawn up cosily close
to it. Thinking that this must be prepared for someone who was expected,
he sat down to wait till he should come, and very soon fell into a sweet
sleep.
When his extreme hunger wakened him after several hours, he was still
alone; but a little table, upon which was a good dinner, had been drawn up
close to him, and, as he had eaten nothing for twenty-four hours, he lost
no time in beginning his meal, hoping that he might soon have an
opportunity of thanking his considerate entertainer, whoever it might be.
But no one appeared, and even after another long sleep, from which he
awoke completely refreshed, there was no sign of anybody, though a fresh
meal of dainty cakes and fruit was prepared upon the little table at his
elbow. Being naturally timid, the silence began to terrify him, and he
resolved to search once more through all the rooms; but it was of no use.
Not even a servant was to be seen; there was no sign of life in the
palace! He began to wonder what he should do, and to amuse himself by
pretending that all the treasures he saw were his own, and considering how
he would divide them among his children. Then he went down into the
garden, and though it was winter everywhere else, here the sun shone, and
the birds sang, and the flowers bloomed, and the air was soft and sweet.
The merchant, in ecstacies with all he saw and heard, said to himself:
"All this must be meant for me. I will go this minute and bring my
children to share all these delights."
In spite of being so cold and weary when he reached the castle, he had
taken his horse to the stable and fed it. Now he thought he would saddle
it for his homeward journey, and he turned down the path which led to the
stable. This path had a hedge of roses on each side of it, and the
merchant thought he had never seen or smelt such exquisite flowers. They
reminded him of his promise to Beauty, and he stopped and had just
gathered one to take to her when he was startled by a strange noise behind
him. Turning round, he saw a frightful Beast, which seemed to be very
angry and said, in a terrible voice:
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"Who told you that you might gather my roses? Was it not enough that I
allowed you to be in my palace and was kind to you? This is the way you
show your gratitude, by stealing my flowers! But your insolence shall not
go unpunished." The merchant, terrified by these furious words, dropped
the fatal rose, and, throwing himself on his knees, cried: "Pardon me,
noble sir. I am truly grateful to you for your hospitality, which was so
magnificent that I could not imagine that you would be offended by my
taking such a little thing as a rose." But the Beast's anger was not
lessened by this speech.
"You are very ready with excuses and flattery," he cried; "but that will
not save you from the death you deserve."
"Alas!" thought the merchant, "if my daughter Beauty could only know what
danger her rose has brought me into!"
And in despair he began to tell the Beast all his misfortunes, and the
reason of his journey, not forgetting to mention Beauty's request.
"A king's ransom would hardly have procured all that my other daughters
asked," he said; "but I thought that I might at least take Beauty her
rose. I beg you to forgive me, for you see I meant no harm."
The Beast considered for a moment, and then he said, in a less furious
tone:
"I will forgive you on one condition--that is, that you will give me one
of your daughters."
"Ah!" cried the merchant, "if I were cruel enough to buy my own life at
the expense of one of my children's, what excuse could I invent to bring
her here?"
"No excuse would be necessary," answered the Beast. "If she comes at all
she must come willingly. On no other condition will I have her. See if any
one of them is courageous enough, and loves you well enough to come and
save your life. You seem to be an honest man, so I will trust you to go
home. I give you a month to see if either of your daughters will come back
with you and stay here, to let you go free. If neither of them is willing,
you must come alone, after bidding them good-bye for ever, for then you
will belong to me. And do not imagine that you can hide from me, for if
you fail to keep your word I will come and fetch you!" added the Beast
grimly.
The merchant accepted this proposal, though he did not really think any of
his daughters would be persuaded to come. He promised to return at the
time appointed, and then, anxious to escape from the presence of the
Beast, he asked permission to set off at once. But the Beast answered that
he could not go until the next day.
"Then you will find a horse ready for you," he said. "Now go and eat your
supper, and await my orders."
The poor merchant, more dead than alive, went back to his room, where the
most delicious supper was already served on the little table which was
drawn up before a blazing fire. But he was too terrified to eat, and only
tasted a few of the dishes, for fear the Beast should be angry if he did
not obey his orders. When he had finished he heard a great noise in the
next room, which he knew meant that the Beast was coming. As he could do
nothing to escape his visit, the only thing that remained was to seem as
little afraid as possible; so when the Beast appeared and asked roughly if
he had supped well, the merchant answered humbly that he had, thanks to
his host's kindness. Then the Beast warned him to remember their
agreement, and to prepare his daughter exactly for what she had to expect.
"Do not get up to-morrow," he added, "until you see the sun and hear a
golden bell ring. Then you will find your breakfast waiting for you here,
and the horse you are to ride will be ready in the courtyard. He will also
bring you back again when you come with your daughter a month hence.
Farewell. Take a rose to Beauty, and remember your promise!"
The merchant was only too glad when the Beast went away, and though he
could not sleep for sadness, he lay down until the sun rose. Then, after a
hasty breakfast, he went to gather Beauty's rose, and mounted his horse,
which carried him off so swiftly that in an instant he had lost sight of
the palace, and he was still wrapped in gloomy thoughts when it stopped
before the door of the cottage.
His sons and daughters, who had been very uneasy at his long absence,
rushed to meet him, eager to know the result of his journey, which, seeing
him mounted upon a splendid horse and wrapped in a rich mantle, they
supposed to be favorable. But he hid the truth from them at first, only
saying sadly to Beauty as he gave her the rose:
"Here is what you asked me to bring you; you little know what it has
cost."
But this excited their curiosity so greatly that presently he told them
his adventures from beginning to end, and then they were all very unhappy.
The girls lamented loudly over their lost hopes, and the sons declared
that their father should not return to this terrible castle, and began to
make plans for killing the Beast if it should come to fetch him. But he
reminded them that he had promised to go back. Then the girls were very
angry with Beauty, and said it was all her fault, and that if she had
asked for something sensible this would never have happened, and
complained bitterly that they should have to suffer for her folly.
Poor Beauty, much distressed, said to them:
"I have indeed caused this misfortune, but I assure you I did it
innocently. Who could have guessed that to ask for a rose in the middle of
summer would cause so much misery? But as I did the mischief it is only
just that I should suffer for it. I will therefore go back with my father
to keep his promise."
At first nobody would hear of this arrangement, and her father and
brothers, who loved her dearly, declared that nothing should make them let
her go; but Beauty was firm. As the time drew near she divided all her
little possessions between her sisters, and said good-bye to everything
she loved, and when the fatal day came she encouraged and cheered her
father as they mounted together the horse which had brought him back. It
seemed to fly rather than gallop, but so smoothly that Beauty was not
frightened; indeed, she would have enjoyed the journey if she had not
feared what might happen to her at the end of it. Her father still tried
to persuade her to go back, but in vain. While they were talking the night
fell, and then, to their great surprise, wonderful colored lights began to
shine in all directions, and splendid fireworks blazed out before them;
all the forest was illuminated by them, and even felt pleasantly warm,
though it had been bitterly cold before. This lasted until they reached
the avenue of orange trees, where were statues holding flaming torches,
and when they got nearer to the palace they saw that it was illuminated
from the roof to the ground, and music sounded softly from the courtyard.
"The Beast must be very hungry," said Beauty, trying to laugh, "if he
makes all this rejoicing over the arrival of his prey."
But, in spite of her anxiety, she could not help admiring all the
wonderful things she saw.
The horse stopped at the foot of the flight of steps leading to the
terrace, and when they had dismounted her father led her to the little
room he had been in before, where they found a splendid fire burning, and
the table daintily spread with a delicious supper.
The merchant knew that this was meant for them, and Beauty, who was rather
less frightened now that she had passed through so many rooms and seen
nothing of the Beast, was quite willing to begin, for her long ride had
made her very hungry. But they had hardly finished their meal when the
noise of the Beast's footsteps was heard approaching, and Beauty clung to
her father in terror, which became all the greater when she saw how
frightened he was. But when the Beast really appeared, though she trembled
at the sight of him, she made a great effort to hide her horror, and
saluted him respectfully.
This evidently pleased the Beast. After looking at her he said, in a tone
that might have struck terror into the boldest heart, though he did not
seem to be angry:
"Good-evening, old man. Good-evening, Beauty."
The merchant was too terrified to reply, but Beauty answered sweetly:
"Good-evening, Beast."
"Have you come willingly?" asked the Beast. "Will you be content to stay
here when your father goes away?"
Beauty answered bravely that she was quite prepared to stay.
"I am pleased with you," said the Beast. "As you have come of your own
accord, you may stay. As for you, old man," he added, turning to the
merchant, "at sunrise to-morrow you will take your departure. When the
bell rings get up quickly and eat your breakfast, and you will find the
same horse waiting to take you home; but remember that you must never
expect to see my palace again."
Then turning to Beauty, he said:
"Take your father into the next room, and help him to choose everything
you think your brothers and sisters would like to have. You will find two
traveling-trunks there; fill them as full as you can. It is only just that
you should send them something very precious as a remembrance of
yourself."
Then he went away, after saying, "Good-bye, Beauty; good-bye, old man;"
and though Beauty was beginning to think with great dismay of her father's
departure, she was afraid to disobey the Beast's orders; and they went
into the next room, which had shelves and cupboards all round it. They
were greatly surprised at the riches it contained. There were splendid
dresses fit for a queen, with all the ornaments that were to be worn with
them; and when Beauty opened the cupboards she was quite dazzled by the
gorgeous jewels that lay in heaps upon every shelf. After choosing a vast
quantity, which she divided between her sisters--for she had made a heap
of the wonderful dresses for each of them---she opened the last chest,
which was full of gold.
"I think, father," she said, "that, as the gold will be more useful to
you, we had better take out the other things again, and fill the trunks
with it." So they did this; but the more they put in, the more room there
seemed to be, and at last they put back all the jewels and dresses they
had taken out, and Beauty even added as many more of the jewels as she
could carry at once; and then the trunks were not too full, but they were
so heavy that an elephant could not have carried them!
"The Beast was mocking us," cried the merchant; "he must have pretended to
give us all these things, knowing that I could not carry them away."
"Let us wait and see," answered Beauty. "I cannot believe that he meant to
deceive us. All we can do is to fasten them up and leave them ready."
So they did this and returned to the little room, where, to their
astonishment, they found breakfast ready. The merchant ate his with a good
appetite, as the Beast's generosity made him believe that he might perhaps
venture to come back soon and see Beauty. But she felt sure that her
father was leaving her for ever, so she was very sad when the bell rang
sharply for the second time, and warned them that the time was come for
them to part. They went down into the courtyard, where two horses were
waiting, one loaded with the two trunks, the other for him to ride. They
were pawing the ground in their impatience to start, and the merchant was
forced to bid Beauty a hasty farewell; and as soon as he was mounted he
went off at such a pace that she lost sight of him in an instant. Then
Beauty began to cry, and wandered sadly back to her own room. But she soon
found that she was very sleepy, and as she had nothing better to do she
lay down and instantly fell asleep. And then she dreamed that she was
walking by a brook bordered with trees, and lamenting her sad fate, when a
young prince, handsomer than anyone she had ever seen, and with a voice
that went straight to her heart, came and said to her, "Ah, Beauty! you
are not so unfortunate as you suppose. Here you will be rewarded for all
you have suffered elsewhere. Your every wish shall be gratified. Only try
to find me out, no matter how I may be disguised, as I love you dearly,
and in making me happy you will find your own happiness. Be as
true-hearted as you are beautiful, and we shall have nothing left to wish
for."
"What can I do, Prince, to make you happy?" said Beauty.
"Only be grateful," he answered, "and do not trust too much to your eyes.
And, above all, do not desert me until you have saved me from my cruel
misery."
After this she thought she found herself in a room with a stately and
beautiful lady, who said to her:
"Dear Beauty, try not to regret all you have left behind you, for you are
destined to a better fate. Only do not let yourself be deceived by
appearances."
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Beauty found her dreams so interesting that she was in no hurry to awake,
but presently the clock roused her by calling her name softly twelve
times, and then she got up and found her dressing-table set out with
everything she could possibly want; and when her toilet was finished she
found dinner was waiting in the room next to hers. But dinner does not
take very long when you are all by yourself, and very soon she sat down
cosily in the corner of a sofa, and began to think about the charming
Prince she had seen in her dream.
"He said I could make him happy," said Beauty to herself.
"It seems, then, that this horrible Beast keeps him a prisoner. How can I
set him free? I wonder why they both told me not to trust to appearances?
I don't understand it. But, after all, it was only a dream, so why should
I trouble myself about it? I had better go and find something to do to
amuse myself."
So she got up and began to explore some of the many rooms of the palace.
The first she entered was lined with mirrors, and Beauty saw herself
reflected on every side, and thought she had never seen such a charming
room. Then a bracelet which was hanging from a chandelier caught her eye,
and on taking it down she was greatly surprised to find that it held a
portrait of her unknown admirer, just as she had seen him in her dream.
With great delight she slipped the bracelet on her arm, and went on into a
gallery of pictures, where she soon found a portrait of the same handsome
Prince, as large as life, and so well painted that as she studied it he
seemed to smile kindly at her. Tearing herself away from the portrait at
last, she passed through into a room which contained every musical
instrument under the sun, and here she amused herself for a long while in
trying some of them, and singing until she was tired. The next room was a
library, and she saw everything she had ever wanted to read, as well as
everything she had read, and it seemed to her that a whole lifetime would
not be enough even to read the names of the books, there were so many. By
this time it was growing dusk, and wax candles in diamond and ruby
candlesticks were beginning to light themselves in every room.
Beauty found her supper served just at the time she preferred to have it,
but she did not see anyone or hear a sound, and, though her father had
warned her that she would be alone, she began to find it rather dull.
But presently she heard the Beast coming, and wondered tremblingly if he
meant to eat her up now.
However, as he did not seem at all ferocious, and only said gruffly:
"Good-evening, Beauty," she answered cheerfully and managed to conceal her
terror. Then the Beast asked her how she had been amusing herself, and she
told him all the rooms she had seen.
Then he asked if she thought she could be happy in his palace; and Beauty
answered that everything was so beautiful that she would be very hard to
please if she could not be happy. And after about an hour's talk Beauty
began to think that the Beast was not nearly so terrible as she had
supposed at first. Then he got up to leave her, and said in his gruff
voice:
"Do you love me, Beauty? Will you marry me?"
"Oh! what shall I say?" cried Beauty, for she was afraid to make the Beast
angry by refusing.
"Say 'yes' or 'no' without fear," he replied.
"Oh! no, Beast," said Beauty hastily.
"Since you will not, good-night, Beauty," he said. And she answered:
"Good-night, Beast," very glad to find that her refusal had not provoked
him. And after he was gone she was very soon in bed and asleep, and
dreaming of her unknown Prince. She thought he came and said to her: