Beauty and the Beast

A merchant had three daughters, and the youngest, called Beauty, was as kind as she was lovely.When the merchant had to travel, his elder daughters asked for fine dresses, but Beauty asked only for a single rose.On his way home, lost in a snowy forest, he came to a great dark palace with warm fires and food, but no people at all.

In the morning, as he left, he picked one rose from the garden for Beauty.At once a terrible Beast appeared and roared, "You have stolen my rose, and now you must stay here forever."But the Beast said that a daughter might come in his place instead — if she came of her own free will.

Beauty would not let her father suffer, so she rode to the palace and told the Beast she would stay.She found beautiful rooms, kind servants she could not see, and a garden full of roses.The Beast was gentle to her, and every evening at supper he asked, "Beauty, will you marry me?"

Every evening she answered "No" — but she was no longer afraid of him, and she began to look forward to his company.In a magic mirror she saw that her father was ill and grieving for her at home.The Beast gave her a ring and let her visit for one week, but warned that if she stayed away too long, he would die of sorrow.

At home her jealous sisters begged and wept until Beauty promised to stay a few days more.On the eighth night she dreamed the Beast was lying still and cold in his garden.She turned the ring at once and found herself back at the palace, where the Beast lay dying beside the rose bushes.

"Do not die," she cried. "I know now that I love you, and I will marry you."At her words the Beast rose up as a handsome prince, freed at last from a fairy's spell that only true love could break.