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第0章 两位破二

But when it did come and no Beast appeared she was really

"Can you really love such an ugly creature as I am?" said theBeast faintly. "Ah! Beauty, you only came just in time. I wasdying because I thought you had forgotten your promise. But goback now and rest, I shall see you again by-and-by."

The horse stopped at the foot of the flight of steps leading tothe terrace, and when they had dismounted her father led her tothe little room he had been in before, where they found a splendidfire burning, and the table daintily spread with a delicious supper.

the sun rose. Then, after a hasty breakfast, he went to gatherBeauty's rose, and mounted his horse, which carried him off soswiftly that in an instant he had lost sight of the palace, and hewas still wrapped in gloomy thoughts when it stopped before thedoor of the cottage.

a dark forest, and seemed to be the most dismal place upon theface of the earth. As they were too poor to have any servants,the girls had to work hard, like peasants, and the sons, for theirpart, cultivated the fields to earn their living. Roughly clothed,and living in the simplest way, the girls regretted unceasingly theluxuries and amusements of their former life; only the youngesttried to be brave and cheerful. She had been as sad as anyonewhen misfortune first overtook her father, but, soon recoveringher natural gaiety, she set to work to make the best of things, toamuse her father and brothers as well as she could, and to tryto persuade her sisters to join her in dancing and singing. Butthey would do nothing of the sort, and, because she was not asdoleful as themselves, they declared that this miserable life wasall she was fit for. But she was really far prettier and clevererthan they were; indeed, she was so lovely that she was alwayscalled Beauty. After two years, when they were all b

Then he went away, after saying, "Good-bye, Beauty; good-bye, old man;" and though Beauty was beginning to think withgreat dismay of her father's departure, she was afraid to disobeythe Beast's orders; and they went into the next room, which hadshelves and cupboards all round it. They were greatly surprisedat the riches it contained. There were splendid dresses fit for aqueen, with all the ornaments that were to be worn with them;and when Beauty opened the cupboards she was quite dazzledby the gorgeous jewels that lay in heaps upon every shelf. Afterchoosing a vast quantity, which she divided between her sisters--for she had made a heap of the wonderful dresses for each ofthem---she opened the last chest, which was full of gold.

Then her sisters seemed to have got quite used to being withouther, and even found her rather in the way, so she would not havebeen sorry when the two months were over but for her fatherand brothers, who begged her to stay, and seemed so grieved atthe thought of her departure that she had not the courage to saygood-bye to them. Every day when she got up she meant to sayit at night, and when night came she put it off again, until at lastshe had a dismal dream which helped her to make up her mind.She thought she was wandering in a lonely path in the palacegardens, when she heard groans which seemed to come fromsome bushes hiding the entrance of a cave, and running quicklyto see what could be the matter, she found the Beast stretchedout upon his side, apparently dying. He reproached her faintlywith being the cause of his distress, and at the same moment astately lady appeared, and said very gravely:

"I consent with all my heart," cried the Queen. "How can Iever thank you enough, charming girl, for having restored mydear son to his natural form?"

ordered with trees, and lamenting her sad fate, when ayoung prince, handsomer than anyone she had ever seen, andwith a voice that went straight to her heart, came and said to her,"Ah, Beauty! you are not so unfortunate as you suppose. Here