ked at Bella who said, in a trembling voice, "Yes, sir."

"Well, no harm shall befall thee." With that he led the merchant down
to his horse and told him he might come that day week to visit his
daughter. Then the Beast returned to Bella and said to her, "This
house with all that therein is thine; if thou desirest aught clap
thine hands and say the word and it shall be brought unto thee." And
with that he made a sort of bow and went away.

So Bella lived on in the home with the Beast and was waited on by
invisible servants and had whatever she liked to eat and to drink; but
she soon got tired of the solitude and, next day, when the Beast came
to her, though he looked so terrible, she had been so well treated
that she had lost a great deal of her terror of him. So they spoke
together about the garden and about the house and about her father's
business and about all manner of things, so that Bella lost altogether
her fear of the Beast. Shortly afterwards her father came to see her
and found her quite happy, and he felt much less dread of her fate at
the hands of the Beast. So it went on for many days, Bella seeing and
talking to the Beast every day, till she got quite to like him, until
one day the Beast did not come at his usual time, just after the
midday meal, and Bella quite missed him. So she wandered about the
garden trying to find him, calling out his name, but received no
reply. At last she came to the rose-bush from which her father had
plucked the rose, and there, under it, what do you think she saw!
There was the Beast lying huddled up without any life or motion. Then
Bella was sorry indeed and remembered all the kindness that the Beast
had shown her; and she threw herself down by it and said, "Oh,
Beast, Beast, why did you die? I was getting to love you so much."

[Illustration: _Beauty and the Beast_]

No sooner had she said this than the hide of the Beast split in two
and out came the most handsome young prince who told her that he had
been enchanted by a magician and that he could not recover his natural
form unless a maiden should, of her own accord, declare that she loved
him.

Thereupon the prince sent for the merchant and his daughters, and he
was married to Bella, and they all lived happy together ever
afterwards.

[Illustration: Reynard]

REYNARD AND BRUIN

You must know that once upon a time Reynard the Fox and Bruin the Bear
went into partnership and kept house together. Would you