seemed to comfort him, and
he went sadly away.

Beauty felt very badly when she saw how much the poor Beast suffered.
She tried, however, to dismiss him from her thoughts, and to think only
of the joy of seeing her dear father and sisters on the morrow. Before
retiring to rest, she took good care to place the ring upon the table,
and great was her joy, on awaking the next morning, to find herself in
her father's house, with the clothes and gifts from the palace at her
bed-side!

At first she hardly knew where she was, for everything looked strange
to her; but soon she heard the voice of her father, and, rushing out of
the room, threw her loving arms around his neck. Beauty then related all
the kindness and delicacy of the Beast toward her, and in return
discovered that _he_ had been as liberal to her father and sisters. He
had given them the large and handsome house in which they now lived,
with an income sufficient to keep them in comfort.

For a long time Beauty was happy with her father and sisters; but she
soon discovered that her sisters were jealous of her, and envied her the
fine dresses and jewels the Beast had given her. She often thought
tenderly of the poor Beast, alone in his palace; and as the two months
were now over, she resolved to return to him as she had promised. But
her father could not bear to lose her again, and coaxed her to stay with
him a few days longer; which she at last consented to do, with many
misgivings, when she thought of her broken promise to the lonely beast.
At last, on the night before she intended to return, she dreamed that
she saw the unhappy beast lying dead on the ground in the palace garden!
She awoke, all trembling with terror and remorse, and, leaving a note on
the table for her dear father; placed the ring within her bosom, and
wished herself back again in the palace. As soon as daylight appeared,
she called her attendants, and searched the palace from top to bottom.
But the Beast was nowhere to be found! She then ran to the garden, and
_there_, in the very spot that she had seen in her dream, lay the poor
Beast, gasping and senseless upon the ground; and seeming to be in the
agonies of death! At this pitiful sight, Beauty clasped her hands, fell
upon her knees, and reproached herself bitterly for having caused his
death.

"Alas! poor Beast!" she said, "_I_ am the cause of this. How can I ever
forgive myself for my unkindness to _you_, who were so good and
generous to