When they had removed to their cottage, the merchant and his three sons employed themselves in ploughing and sowing the fields, and working in the garden.  Beauty also did her part, for she got up by four o’clock every morning, lighted the fires, cleaned the house, and got the breakfast for the whole family.  At first she found all this very hard; but she soon grew quite used to it, and thought it no hardship at all; and indeed the work greatly amended her health.  When she had done, she used to amuse herself with reading, playing on her music, or singing while she spun.  But her two sisters were at a loss what to do to pass the time away:  they had their breakfast in bed, and did not rise till ten o’clock.  Then they commonly walked out; but always found themselves very soon tired; when they would often sit down under a shady tree, and grieve for the loss of their carriage and fine clothes, and say to each other, “What a mean-spirited poor stupid creature our young sister is, to be so content with our low way of life!” But their father thought in quite another way:  he admired the patience of this sweet young creature; for her sisters not only left her to do the whole work of the house, but made game of her every moment.

After they had lived in this manner about a year, the merchant received a letter, which informed him that one of the richest ships, which he thought was lost, had just come into port.  This news made the two eldest sisters almost mad with joy; for they thought they should now leave the cottage, and have all their finery again.  When they found that their father must take a journey to the ship, the two eldest begged he would not fail to bring them back some new gowns, caps, rings, and all sorts of trinkets.  But Beauty asked for nothing; for she thought in herself that all the ship was worth would hardly buy every thing her sisters wished for.  “Beauty,” said the merchant, “how comes it about that you ask for nothing; what can I bring you, my child?” “Since you are so kind as to think of me, dear father,” she answered, “I should be glad if you would bring me a rose, for we have none in our garden.”  Now Beauty did not indeed wish for a rose, nor any thing else, but she only said this, that she might not affront her sisters, for else they would have said she wanted her father to praise her for not asking him for any thing.  The merchant took his leave of them and set out on his journey; but when he got to the ship, some persons went to law with him about the cargo, and after a deal of trouble, he came back to his cottage as poor as he had gone away.  When he was within thirty miles of his home, and thinking of the joy he should have in again meeting his children, his road lay through a thick forest, and he quite lost himself.  It rained and snowed very hard, and besides, the wind was so high as to throw him twice from his horse.  Night came on, and he thought to be sure he should die of cold and hunger, or be torn to pieces by the