Madame de Beaumont
A rich
merchant who had three sons and three daughters lived in a big house in
the city. His Youngest daughter was so beautiful she was called Beauty
by all
who knew her. She was as sweet and good as she was
beautiful. Sadly all of the merchant's ships were lost at sea and he and
his family had to move to a small
cottage in the country. His sons worked hard on the land
and Beauty was happy working in the house, but his two elder daughters
complained and grumbled all
day long, especially about Beauty.
One day news came that a ship had arrived which would make the
merchant wealthy again. The merchant set off to the city, and just
before he left he said,
"Tell me, daughters, what gifts would you like me to bring back for
you?"
The two older girls asked for fine clothes
and jewels, but Beauty wanted nothing . Realizing this made her sisters
look greedy, she thought it best to ask
for something. "Bring me a rose, father," she said, "just a beautiful
red rose."
When the merchant reached the city he found disaster
had struck once more and the ship's cargo was ruined. He took the road
home wondering how to break the
news to his children. He was so deep in thought that he lost his way.
Worse still, it started to snow, and he feared he would never reach home
alive. Just as
he despaired he noticed lights ahead, and riding towards them he saw a
fine castle. The gates stood open and flares were alight in the
courtyard.
In the stables a stall empty with hay in the manger and clean bedding on the floor
ready for his horse.
The castle itself seemed to be deserted, but a fire was burning
in the dining-hall where a table was laid with food. The merchant
ate well and still finding no one went upstairs to a bedroom which
had been prepared. " It is almost as if I were expected," he thought.
In the morning he found clean clothes had been laid
out for him and breakfast was on the table in the dining - hall. After
he had eaten he fetched his horse
and as he rode away he saw a spray of red roses growing from a rose
bush. Remembering Beauty's request, and thinking he would be able to
bring a present for
at least one daughter, he plucked a rose from the bush.
Suddenly a beast-like monster appeared. "Is this how
you repay my hospitality?" it roared. "You eat my food, sleep in my
guest-room and then insult me by
stealing my flowers. You shall die for this."
The merchant pleaded for his life, and begged to see
his children once more before he died. At last the beast relented.
"I will spare your life," it said, "if one of your daughters will come
here willingly and die for you. Otherwise you must promise to return
within three
months and die yourself."
The merchant agreed to return and went on his way. At
home his children listened with sorrow to his tales of the lost cargo
and his promise to the monster.
His two elder daughters turned on Beauty, saying, "Your stupid request
for a rose has brought all this trouble on us. It is your fault that
father must die."
When the three months were up Beauty insisted on going to the castle
with her father, pretending only to ride with him for company on the
journey. The beast
met them, and asked Beauty if she had come of her own accord, and she
told him she had.
"Good," he said. "Now your father can go home and you will stay with me."
"What shall I call you?" she asked bravely.
"You may call me Beast," he replied.
Certainly he was very ugly and it seemed a good name
for him. Beauty waved a sad farewell to her father. But she was happy
that at least she had saved his
life.
As Beauty wandered through the castle she found many
lovely rooms and beautiful courtyards with gardens. At last she came to a
room which was surely meant
just for her. It had many ofher favourite books and objects in it. On
the wall hung a beautiful mirror and to her surprise, as she looked into
it, she saw
her father arriving back at their home and her brothers and sisters
greeting him. The picture only lasted a few seconds then faded. "This
Beast may be ugly,
but he is certainly kind," she thought. "He gives me all the things I
like and allows me to know how my family is without me."

That
night at supper the Beast joined her at the candle-lit table. He sat
and stared at her. At the end of the meal he asked: "Will you marry me?"
Beauty was startled by the question but said as gently as she could, "No, Beast, you are kind but I cannot marry you."
Each day it was the same. Beauty had everything she
wanted during the day and each evening the Beast asked her to marry him,
and she always said no.
One night Beauty dreamt that her father lay sick. She asked the Beast if
she could go to him, and he refused saying that if she left him he
would die of
loneliness. But when he saw how unhappy Beauty was, he said:
"If you go to your family, will you return within a week?"
"Of course," Beauty replied.
"Very well, just place this ring on your dressing
table the night you wish to return, and you shall come back here. But do
not stay away longer than a week,
or I shall die."
The next morning Beauty awoke to find herself in her
own home. Her father was indeed sick, but Beauty nursed him lovingly.
Beauty's sisters were jealous once
more. They thought that if she stayed at home longer than a week the
Beast would kill her. So they pretended to love her and told her how
much they had
missed her. Before Beauty knew what had happened ten days had passed.
Then she had a dream that the Beast was lying still as though he were
dead by the lake
near his castle.
"I must return at once," she cried and she placed her ring on the dressing table.
The next morning she found herself once more in the
Beast's castle. All that day she expected to see him, but he never came.
"I have killed the Beast," she
cried, "I have killed him." Then she remembered that in her dream he had
been by the lake and quickly she ran there. He lay still as death, down
by the
water's edge.
"Oh, Beast!" she wept, "Oh, Beast! I did not mean to
stay away so long. Please do not die. Please come back to me. You are so
good and kind." She knelt and
kissed his ugly head.
Suddenly no Beast was there, but a handsome prince
stood before her. "Beauty, my dear one," he said. "I was bewitched by a
sell that could only be broken
when a
beautiful girl loved me and wanted me in spite of my ugliness. When you
kissed me just now you broke the enchantment."
Beauty
rode with the prince to her father's house and then they all went
together to the prince's kingdom. There he and Beauty were married. In
time they
became king and queen, and ruled for many happy years.