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第2章 九哥的态度

"Good-evening, Beauty," she answered cheerfully and man-aged to conceal her terror. Then the Beast asked her how shehad been amusing herself, and she told him all the rooms she hadseen.

"Let us wait and see," answered Beauty. "I cannot believe thathe meant to deceive us. All we can do is to fasten them up andleave them ready."

Poor Beauty, much distressed, said to them:

revive.

There were more birds in a room farther on, parrots and cock-atoos that could talk, and they greeted Beauty by name; indeed,she found them so entertaining that she took one or two back toher room, and they talked to her while she was at supper; afterwhich the Beast paid her his usual visit, and asked the samequestions as before, and then with a gruff "good-night" he tookhis departure, and Beauty went to bed to dream of her mysteriousPrince. The days passed swiftly in different amusements, andafter a while Beauty found out another strange thing in the palace,which often pleased her when she was tired of being alone. Therewas one room which she had not noticed particularly; it wasempty, except that under each of the windows stood a verycomfortable chair; and the first time she had looked out of the

But this excited their curiosity so greatly that presently hetold them his adventures from beginning to end, and then theywere all very unhappy. The girls lamented loudly over their losthopes, and the sons declared that their father should not returnto this terrible castle, and began to make plans for killing theBeast if it should come to fetch him. But he reminded them thathe had promised to go back. Then the girls were very angrywith Beauty, and said it was all her fault, and that if she hadasked for something sensible this would never have happened,and complained bitterly that they should have to suffer for herfolly.

"Good-night, Beast," very glad to find that her refusal had notprovoked him. And after he was gone she was very soon in bedand asleep, and dreaming of her unknown Prince. She thoughthe came and said to her:

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

And in despair he began to tell the Beast all his misfortunes,and the reason of his journey, not forgetting to mention Beauty'srequest.