Beauty and the Beast

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.

“Do not trust your eyes,” he answered, “and set me free from my misery.”

When Beauty awoke, she 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 that this horrible Beast keeps him a prisoner. How can I set him free? I don’t understand it. After all, it was only a dream, so why should I worry about it?”

She got up to explore the castle, but she did not see anyone or hear any sound, and she began to find it rather dull.

Only that evening, after supper, she heard the Beast coming, and she trembled with fear at what it might do. But he only said, “Good evening, Beauty.”

She answered cheerfully and managed to hide her terror. He spoke politely to her for about an hour, and asked her all about her life with her family.

Then he said in a 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, goodnight Beauty,” he said.

And she answered, “Goodnight, Beast,” very glad to find that he had not attacked her. After he was gone, she was very soon in bed asleep, and dreaming of her unknown prince. He came to her and said to her, “Ah, Beauty! Why are you so unkind to me? I fear I will be unhappy for many a long day still.”

The next morning, she decided to amuse herself in the garden, for the sun shone, and all the fountains were playing. When she was tired she went back to the palace, and found a new room full of rare birds, so tame that they flew to Beauty as soon as they saw her, and perched upon her shoulders and her head. Some of them were parrots and cockatoos that could talk, and they greeted Beauty by name.

"Pretty little creatures,” she said. “Oh how I wish that your cage was nearer to my room, that I could often hear you sing!" When she left, she opened a door and found that it led straight into her own room.

After supper, the Beast paid her his usual visit, and before he left he asked her as before, “Beauty, will you marry me?” And when she refused, he gave her a gruff, “Goodnight” and left her. The days passed, and every evening the Beast asked her the same question and she gave him the same answer.

Beauty felt that when she said, “No, Beast,” he went away quite sad. But her happy dreams of the handsome young prince soon made her forget the poor Beast. Her prince always told to let her heart guide her, and not her eyes, and many other equally baffling things which she could not understand.

At last, happy as she was, Beauty began to long for her family. One night, seeing her look very sad, the Beast asked her what was the matter. Beauty was no longer afraid of him. Now she knew that he was really gentle in spite of his ferocious looks and his dreadful voice. She answered that she was longing to see her home once more.

When he heard this, the Beast cried miserably, “Ah! Beauty, have you the heart to leave an unhappy Beast like me? Is it because you hate me that you want to escape?”

“No, dear Beast,” answered Beauty softly. “I do not hate you, and I should be very sorry never to see you anymore, but I long to see my father again. Only let me go for two months, and I promise to come back to you and stay for the rest of my life.”

The Beast replied with a sigh, “I cannot refuse you anything you ask, even though it should cost me my life. You may go. But remember your promise and come back when the two months are over, or you may be sorry, for if you do not come in good time you will find your faithful Beast dead.”

Then she went to bed, but could hardly sleep for joy. When at last she did begin to dream of her beloved prince she saw him stretched upon a grassy bank, sad and weary, and hardly like himself.

“What is the matter?” She cried.

He looked at her reproachfully, and said, “How can you ask me, cruel one?”

“Ah! Don’t be so sad,” cried Beauty. “I am only going to let my father know that I am safe and happy. I have promised my Beast that I shall come back. I would not cause him pain by breaking my word. He told me he would die if did not keep my promise to him.”

“What do you care for an ugly Beast?” Asked the prince.

“Oh,” said Beauty, “It is not his fault that he is so ugly. He is a very kind beast.”

Just then, she heard someone speaking not very far away. She got up and then she suddenly heard her father’s voice. She rushed out and greeted him. She was home. Her sisters were quite astonished to see her, and there was no end to their questions about her life with the Beast.

Then Beauty asked her father what he thought could be the meaning of her strange dreams. After much thought, he answered, “You tell me yourself that The Beast, frightful as he is, loves you dearly and is kind and gentle to you. I think the prince means that you should do as the Beast wishes in spite of his ugliness.”

But Beauty’s thoughts were full of her handsome dream prince, and she could not imagine marrying the Beast.

When the two months were over, Beauty’s sisters begged her not to return to the ugly beast, but to stay with her family. At first she could not refuse them, and she stayed on for a few days more. Then one night she had a different dream from usual. She saw not her prince, but the Beast. He was lying in a cave and he looked ill and in pain. Then Beauty remember his words that he might die if she did not stay true to her word.

The next day, Beauty said goodbye to her father and all her sisters, and as soon as she was in bed she turned her ring around upon her finger, and said firmly, “I wish to go back to see my Beast again.”

She fell asleep instantly, and only woke up to hear the clock saying, “Beauty, Beauty,” twelve times in its musical voice, which told her at once that she was in the palace once more. Everything was just as before, and her birds were so glad to see her! Beauty thought she had never known such a long day, for she was so anxious to see the Beast again, that she felt as if suppertime would never come.

When it did come and no Beast appeared she was really frightened. She ran down into the garden to search for him. Up and down the paths and avenues ran poor Beauty, calling him in vain, for no one answered.

At last, quite tired, she stopped for a minute’s rest, and saw that she was standing opposite a cave, and in it lay the Beast, asleep. Quite glad to have found him, she ran up and stroked his head, but to her horror, he did not move or open his eyes.

“Oh! He is dead, and it is all my fault,” said Beauty, crying bitterly.

But then, looking at him again, she fancied he still breathed. She fetched some water from the nearest fountain and sprinkled it over his face. Slowly, he began to open his eyes.

“Ah Beauty,” he said faintly, “now you see what happens when you do not keep your word.”

“Oh! Beast,” she cried. “I never knew how much I loved you until now, when I feared I was too late to save your life.”

“Can you really love such an ugly creature as I am?” asked the Beast. “You only came just in time. I was dying because I thought you had forgotten your promise. Go back now and rest, I shall see you by and by.”

Beauty went back to the palace, where supper was awaiting her; and afterward the Beast came in as usual, and asked about the time she had spent with her family, and if they had all been very glad to see her.

When at last the time came for him to go, and he asked, as he had so often asked before, “Beauty, will you marry me?” She answered softly, “Yes, dear Beast.”

As she spoke a blaze of light sprang up before the windows of the palace; fireworks crackled and guns banged, and across the avenue of orange trees, in letters all made of fireflies, was written, “Long live the prince and his bride.”

Beauty meant to ask the Beast what it all meant, but he had gone. In his place stood her long-loved prince! At the same moment, two ladies entered the room