Beauty marvelled at the loveliness and walked on.  And when she arrived at this beautiful Castle, the huge gates opened as if by magic, and the doors opened as if by magic, for never a soul did she see, nor living thing of any sort.

And in the great hall was the breakfast table laid for two.  It was a nice breakfast with steaming hot dishes, and jams, honey, and hot rolls, and brightly polished silver, and sweet flowers.

Then the Beast appeared suddenly from behind a curtain; oh, he was an awful Beast, and Beauty’s heart beat fast!  But he seemed a polite Beast for all that.

He handed Beauty a chair, and when she had sat down said: 

“I bid you welcome; which do you take, tea or coffee?”

“Tea please,” answered Beauty.

“Then pour it out,” he said, “and I’ll take tea too, please.  Eggs, do you like eggs hard or soft?”

“I always cook mine three minutes and a half,” replied Beauty.

“Half a minute too much, I think.  But you shall have just what you like.”

And so she had; not only at the breakfast table but in everything.  She had only to express a wish and it was immediately gratified.  She had ponies to ride, and dogs and cats, and pet birds, and the most beautiful dresses ever worn by real princesses.

And if it had not been that she was away from her father she would really have been happy.

[Illustration:  Painted by Jennie Harbour BEAUTY AND THE BEAST]

The Beast was most kind and attentive to her, and told her that he loved her, and three times a day he asked her to marry him, but Beauty shook her head and said, oh no, she couldn’t.

Well, Beauty had been at the great Castle some time when she began to pine to go home and see her father, and she begged the Beast to let her go.

“Very good,” he said with a great sigh, “you may go home to-day, but promise me that you will be back early to-morrow morning.  If you do not come back early I am sure I shall die for I love you so dearly.”

So Beauty promised and went home, and she took presents for her father and her sisters, and when the sisters heard of all the wonderful things at the great Castle, they were envious and jealous, and made up their minds to do Beauty and the Beast a great injury.

So they mixed something in Beauty’s supper that made her sleep nearly all the next day, and so she did not keep her promise.  It was evening when she arrived at the gate in the wall, instead of early morning.

But she knocked three times and the gate opened by magic, and she went through the garden and hurried to the Castle, that shone like fire in the light of the setting sun.  And the huge gates opened by magic, and the doors opened by magic, and she stood in the great hall, but there was no Beast there.  She searched in all the rooms but he was not there; with fear and anxiety in her heart she ran into the gardens, and there she found him at last.  Found him lying stretched out on the grass, and she thought he was dead.