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第8章 碧海神螺的真正威力！

"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 totrust to appearances? I don't understand it. But, after all, it wasonly a dream, so why should I trouble myself about it? I hadbetter go and find something to do to amuse myself."

he had taken his horse to the stable and fed it. Now he thought hewould saddle it for his homeward journey, and he turned downthe path which led to the stable. This path had a hedge of roseson each side of it, and the merchant thought he had never seen orsmelt such exquisite flowers. They reminded him of his promiseto Beauty, and he stopped and had just gathered one to take toher when he was startled by a strange noise behind him. Turninground, he saw a frightful Beast, which seemed to be very angryand said, in a terrible voice:

But presently she heard the Beast coming, and wonderedtremblingly if he meant to eat her up now.

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

And then she tenderly embraced Beauty and the Prince, whohad meanwhile been greeting the Fairy and receiving her con-gratulations.

"Alas!" thought the merchant, "if my daughter Beauty couldonly know what danger her rose has brought me into!"

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 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.

"Oh! Beast, how you frightened me!" she cried. "I never knewhow much I loved you until just now, when I feared I was toolate to save your life."