Красавица и чудовище / Beauty and the Beast

6

“Alas,” said she with a sigh, “there is nothing I desire so much as to see my poor father and know what he is doing.” As soon as she said this, to her great amazement, she saw her own home in a great looking glass, where her father arrived with a very dejected countenance^[36]. Her sisters went to meet him, and notwithstanding their endeavors to appear sorrowful, their joy, felt for having got rid of their sister^[37], was visible in every feature. A moment after, everything disappeared.

At noon she found dinner ready and, while at table, was entertained with an excellent concert of music, though without seeing anybody. But at night, as she was going to sit down to supper, she heard the noise the Beast made and could not help being sadly terrified. “Beauty,” said the monster, “will you give me leave to see you sup?^[38]”

“That is as you please,” answered Beauty trembling.

“No,” replied the Beast, “you alone are mistress here; if my presence is troublesome, I will immediately withdraw. But tell me, do not you think me very ugly?”

“That is true,” said Beauty, “for I cannot tell a lie, but I believe you are very good-natured.”

“So I am,” said the monster, “and I know very well that I am a poor, silly, stupid creature.”

“I don’t think you are a silly and stupid creature,” replied Beauty.

“Eat then, Beauty,” said the monster, “and endeavor to amuse yourself in your palace, for everything here is yours, and I should be very uneasy if you were not happy.”

“You are very obliging,” answered Beauty, “I am pleased with your kindness.”

“Yes, yes,” said the Beast, “my heart is good, but still I am a monster.”

“Among mankind,” said Beauty, “there are many that deserve that name more than you, and I prefer you, just as you are, to those who, under a human form, hide a treacherous, corrupt, and ungrateful heart.”

“If I had sense enough,” replied the Beast, “I would make a fine compliment to thank you, but I am so dull that I can only say I am greatly obliged to you.”

Beauty ate her supper and had almost conquered her dread of the monster^[39], but she had like to have fainted away^[40] when he said to her, “Beauty, will you be my wife?”

She didn’t answer at once, for she was afraid of making him angry if she refused. At last, however trembling, she said, “No, the Beast.” Immediately, the poor monster went to sigh and hissed so frightfully that the whole palace echoed. But Beauty soon recovered her fright^[41], for the Beast having said in a mournful voice, “Then farewell, Beauty,” left the room.

When Beauty was alone, she felt a great deal of compassion for the poor Beast.

Beauty spent three months very contentedly in the palace. Every evening the Beast paid her a visit^[42] and talked to her during supper, very rationally, with good common sense^[43], but never with what the world calls wit; and Beauty daily discovered some valuable qualifications in the monster, and seeing him often had so accustomed her to his deformity^[44] that she would often look at her watch to see when it would be nine, for the Beast never missed coming at that hour. There was but one thing that gave Beauty any concern^[45], which was that every night before she went to bed, the monster always asked her if she would be his wife.

One day she said to him, “Beast, you make me very uneasy. I wish I could consent to marry you, but I am too sincere to make you believe that will ever happen; I shall always esteem you as a friend. Endeavor to be satisfied with this.”

“I must,” said the Beast. “I know too well my own misfortune, but I love you. However, I ought to think myself happy^[46] that you will stay here; promise me never to leave me.”

Beauty blushed at these words; she had seen in her glass that her father had pined himself sick for the loss of her^[47], and she longed to see him again. “I could,” answered she, “indeed, promise never to leave you entirely, but I have so great a desire to see my father that I shall fret to death if you refuse me that satisfaction.”

“I had rather die myself^[48],” said the monster, “than give you the least uneasiness. I will send you to your father; you shall remain with him, and the poor Beast will die with grief^[49].”

“No,” said Beauty weeping, “I love you too well to be the cause of your death. I give you my promise to return in a week. You have shown me that my sisters are married and my brothers went to the army; only let me stay^[50] a week with my father.”

7

“You shall be there tomorrow morning^[51],” said the Beast, “but remember your promise. You need only lay your ring on a table before you go to bed when you have a mind to come back^[52]. Farewell, Beauty.” The Beast sighed bidding her good night^[53], and Beauty went to bed very sad at seeing him so afflicted. When she woke the next morning, she found herself at her father’s, and when she rang a little bell that was by her bedside, she saw the maid come, who, the moment she saw her, gave a loud shriek^[54], at which her father ran up the stairs and thought he should have died with joy to see his dear daughter again.

Beauty dressed herself and came down the stairs. Soon she learnt that both her sisters were very unhappy. The eldest had married a gentleman, extremely handsome indeed but so fond of his own person^[55] that he completely neglected his wife. The second had married a man of wit, but he only made use of it to mock at everybody—and his wife most of all. Beauty’s sisters sickened with envy^[56] when they saw her dressed like a princess, very happy, and more beautiful than ever. They went down into the garden and said one to the other, “In what way is this little creature better than us that she should be so much happier?” “Sister,” said the oldest, “an idea occurred to me^[57]; let us endeavor to detain her for over a week, and perhaps the silly monster will be so enraged at her for breaking her word^[58] that he will devour her.”

“Right, sister,” answered the other, “therefore we must show her as much kindness as possible.” After they had taken this resolution, they went up and behaved so affectionately to their sister that poor Beauty cried for joy. When the week was expired, they cried and seemed so sorry to part with her that she promised to stay a week longer.

In the meantime, Beauty was thinking about the uneasiness she was likely to cause the poor Beast^[59], whom she sincerely loved and really longed to see again. The tenth night she spent at her father’s, she dreamed she was in the palace garden and saw the Beast lying on the grass, who, in a dying voice, reproached her with her ingratitude. Beauty woke up and burst into tears^[60]. “Am I not very wicked,” said she, “to act so unkindly to the Beast that has studied so much to please me in everything? Is it his fault if he is so ugly? He is kind and good, and that is sufficient. Why did I refuse to marry him? I should be happier with the monster than my sisters are with their husbands; it is neither wit nor a fine person in a husband that makes a woman happy but virtue, sweetness of temper^[61], and complaisance, and Beast has all these valuable qualifications. It is true I do not feel the tenderness of affection for him^[62], but I find I have the highest gratitude, esteem, and friendship; I will not make him miserable; were I to be so ungrateful, I should never forgive myself^[63].” Saying this, Beauty rose, put her ring on the table, and then laid down again. When she woke the next morning, she was overjoyed to find herself in the Beast’s palace.

She put on one of her best dresses to please him and waited for the evening with utmost impatience. When the clock struck nine, the Beast didn’t appear. Beauty then feared she had been the cause of his death; she ran all about the palace, crying in despair. She looked for him everywhere but couldn’t find him. Then she recollected her dream and ran to the garden where she dreamed she saw him. There she found poor Beast stretched out, quite senseless, and, as she imagined, dead. She threw herself upon him without any dread^[64] and, finding his heart beat still, fetched some water from the canal and poured it on his head. The Beast opened his eyes and said to Beauty, “You forgot your promise, and I was so afflicted for having lost you that I resolved to starve myself, but since I have the happiness of seeing you once more, I die satisfied.”

“No, my dear Beast,” said Beauty, “you must not die. Live to be my husband; from this moment I give you my hand and swear to be none but yours. I thought I had only a friendship for you, but the grief I now feel convinces me that I cannot live without you.” When Beauty said these words, she saw the palace sparkle with light^[65], and fireworks, instruments of music, everything seemed to give notice of some great event^[66]. She turned to her dear Beast, for whom she trembled with fear, but how great was her surprise! The Beast disappeared, and she saw at her feet the loveliest prince, who returned her thanks for having put an end to the charm^[67] under which he had so long resembled a beast. Though this prince was worthy of all her attention, she could not forbear asking where the Beast was^[68].