正文预览

第9章 这该死的魅力

 Once upon a time, in a very far-off country, there lived a mer-chant who had been so fortunate in all his undertakings that hewas enormously rich. As he had, however, six sons and sixdaughters, he found that his money was not too much to let themall have everything they fancied, as they were accustomed to do.

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 reply vexed her sisters, who fancied she was blamingthem for having asked for such costly things. Her father, how-ever, was pleased, but as he thought that at her age she certainlyought to like pretty presents, he told her to choose something.

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

So the merchant set out and reached the town as quickly aspossible, but only to find that his former companions, believinghim to be dead, had divided between them the goods which theship had brought; and after six months of trouble and expensehe found himself as poor as when he started, having been ableto recover only just enough to pay the cost of his journey. Tomake matters worse, he was obliged to leave the town in themost terrible weather, so that by the time he was within a fewleagues of his home he was almost exhausted with cold andfatigue. Though he knew it would take some hours to get throughthe forest, he was so anxious to be at his journey's end that heresolved to go on; but night overtook him, and the deep snowand bitter frost made it impossible for his horse to carry him anyfurther. Not a house was to be seen; the only shelter he could getwas the hollow trunk of a great tree, and there he crouched all thenight, which seemed to him the longest he had ever known. Insp

promise to come back to you and stay for the rest of my life."

But this reply vexed her sisters, who fancied she was blamingthem for having asked for such costly things. Her father, how-ever, was pleased, but as he thought that at her age she certainlyought to like pretty presents, he told her to choose something.

Beauty answered politely, and quite enjoyed telling him allthat had happened to her. And when at last the time came forhim to go, and he asked, as he had so often asked before:

ite of his weariness the howling of the wolves kept him awake,and even when at last the day broke he was not much better off,for the falling snow had covered up every path, and he did notknow which way to turn.