Beauty And The Beast

Once upon a time, there was a rich merchant who had three daughters. These Children were very beautiful, but the youngest girl was the most beautiful of the three. She was called Beauty because she was so beautiful.

One day, the merchant lost all his money. He left his fine house in the town and went with his daughters to live in a little cottage in the country. Here he worked in the garden and beauty worked in the house. The merchant and Beauty got up every morning at four o'clock. They worked very hard. But the two elder girls were idle children. They did not like working. They stay in bed till eight o'clock. Beauty was kind to every one and every one liked Beauty because she was so good and kind. The two elder girls were unkind to Beauty when their father was not at home. They were angry because they could not live in a big house and have many servants.

One day, the merchant got a letter which invited him to go to a town far away. "What shall I bring you when I come back?" He asked his daughters. 

One daughter answered: "Please bring me some jewels." 

The other said: "Please bring me some beautiful dresses." 

Then he said to Beauty: "What shall I bring for you?"

She answered: "Please bring me a rose."

The merchant left home, traveled by train and by boat and reach the distance town. After a few days he set out on his way home. He traveled through a big forest. He lost his way and did not know what to do. He heard the wild animals in the distance, he heard the howling of tigers and the panthers. At last, he climbed up a tree and saw a light in the distance. He thought: "If I walk in that direction, I shall come to a house and I can ask for food and a bed. 

When he came to the house, he called many times. But there was no answered. He call again and again, but no one came. Then he walked into a great hall and along many passages into the dining room. In the dining room, there was a table and on the table supper was set ready. The merchant sat down at the table and began to eat.

After supper, he began to feel sleepy. He walked about the house from one room to another and found a very nice bedroom. He undressed, went to bed and soon fell asleep. When he woke up in the morning, he looked for his clothes. He put them on and went into the dining room. He found a good breakfast set ready on the table.

After breakfast, the merchant went into the the garden to look if he could find a rose. He found several beautiful roses. So he took a rose in his hand. But then he heard a loud and terrible noise behind him. A big beast jumped out of the trees and stood behind him. The beast was angry.

He said: "You are a bad man. I have given you food to eat. I have given you a bed to sleep on and I have given you new clothes to put on. What have you done for me? You have taken a rose out of my garden. Now you must die."

The merchant fell on his knees and said: "Do not kill me. I wanted to pick a rose to my youngest daughter.  I did not want to steal rose. If you kill me, Beauty will be so sand that she will die too."

The beast to pity on him and said: "You may go home now. I shall forgive you this time. But you must send me the first thing you meet, when you come home. If you do not send me the first thing you meet, I shall kill you. You must come back here within three months." The Beast went back into the trees and Beauty's father went home sadly.

When the merchant reached his house, Beauty came dancing to meet him. The poor man became very sad, when h thought of his promise to the Beast.

"Here are your roses my child." He said. Then he gave the jewels and the beautiful dresses to his other children. He did not tell them anything about the Beast. But his children saw very well that he did not feel happy.

At last Beauty came to him and said: "Father, you have looked sad for a long time. You looked sadder everyday. Tell me father. Can I do anything for you? Can I help you?" Then the poor merchant told his children all about the Beast.

"This is the last month I have to live." He said.

"No, father." Said Beauty. "We shall go together to the Beast. If you do not take me with you, I shall go alone." The two elder sister pretended to be very sorry. But they were glad that Beauty went away. They were bad girls and they did not love their sister.

Before the three months were over, Beauty and her father were at the Beast's palace. They took their horses to the stable at the back of the house and then went into the dining room. They found a good supper set ready for them. After supper they heard a great noise and the Beast walked in. Beauty was afraid. But when she looked into the Beast eyes, she saw that they were kind eyes.

She thought: "He must be a kind Beast. He will not kill me."

The Beast said: "I am very pleased to see you, Beauty!" Then he said to the merchant: "Go to your own house and do not come back here."

The merchant looked at Beauty: "Shall I go?" He said.

"Yes." Said Beauty. "Go home, for I have seen his eyes and I think he is  kind Beast." So her father went home and Beauty looked for her room. There were a great many rooms in the palace. At the end of the passages, Beauty found a room with the words "Beauty's room," over the door.

She went into the room. It was full of beautiful books and nice things. On the wall hung a looking-glass. I t was a magic looking-glass. When she looked into it, she saw what she wanted to see. She looked into the looking-glass and saw her father riding home. Her two sister came out of the house to meet him.

In the evening, Beauty heard a terrible noise and the Beast came into the room.

"Beauty." Said the Beast. "Do you think I am very ugly?" 

Beauty always told the truth. So she said: "Yes, Beast, you are ugly."

The Beast looked sad and said: "Yes, Beauty, I know that I am ugly. And I am also very stupid Beast."

"Very stupid people," said Beauty. "seldom know that they are stupid. They always think that they are very clever." 

The Beast looked very pleased. Then he said: "You are very kind Beauty. Will you marry me?"

"No, Beast." Said Beauty. And the Beast walked away. He looked very sad.

Beauty lived for many weeks in the Beast's palace. Every evening he came to see her and kept on asking: "Beauty, will you marry me?" And Beauty always answered: "No Beast."

At last, One day, when Beauty looked into her magic-glass, she saw her father lying in bed. He was dying of grief. He could not lived without his daughter. Beauty told the Beast when he came to see her in the evening. She asked him to left her go home. The Beast said: "If you go home Beauty, I shall die. I can not live without you. I love you very much!"

"But my father is ill." Said Beauty.

"Yes. You may go home." Said the Beast. "But please come back after a month."

On the next morning, she found a horse ready for her at the door. She got on the horse and rode to her father's house. Her father was so glad to see her that he began to get better almost at once. Beauty was very glad to be in her father's house again.

One month went by, but she did not think of the Beast. Two months went by, and still did not remember of him. The Beauty dreamed one night that she saw the Beast lying almost dead on the grass in the palace garden. When she woke up in the morning, she jumped out of bed quickly. She dressed carefully and went to her father. She said: "Father I must go back to the Beast's palace.

She took a horse and rode away. She rode all day long. "Poor Beast." She thought as she rode through the forest. "He will think that I have not remembered him." When she arrived at the Beast's palace, she went to her room. She waited till evening, but the Beast did not come to see her.

"Beast, dear Beast, are you ill?" Said Beauty. "I could not live without you, Beauty." He said. "So I am dying now."

"No, no! dear Beast." Cried Beauty. "You must not die. I can not live without you. I am going to marry you." When the Beast heard these words, he looked very happy. Then suddenly a bright light shone out from the palace.

Beauty wanted to looked at the Beast again, but he was gone. "My poor Beast, where is my poor Beast again?" Cried Beauty.

"I am the poor Beast." Said a young man. A beautiful prince stood before her. He said: "A bad fairy changed me into an ugly stupid Beast." The bad fairy said: "You may change back into a man when beautiful girls says that she is willing to marry you. So when you said: "I am going to marry you, I changed back into a man."

The prince married Beauty and they were very happy. Then a good fairy fetched Beauty's father and sisters. She placed the unkind one on each side of the door and changed them into stone. Beauty who was a kind girl, took pity on them. She said: "Dear fairy, do not be angry with them. Change them back into girls, please!"

The fairy said: "Your sisters must stand there until they are sorry. When they are really sorry, I will change them."

After some time, they were really sorry and the fairy changed them into girls again. And they all lived happily ever after.

Written by French novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont