new goodness, instead of dreading the time of his coming, she
soon began continually looking at her watch, to see if it were nine
o'clock; for that was the hour when he never failed to visit her. One
thing only vexed her, which was that every night before he went away,
he always made it a rule to ask her if she would be his wife, and
seemed very much grieved at her steadfastly replying "No." At last,
one night, she said to him, "You wound me greatly, beast, by forcing
me to refuse you so often; I wish I could take such a liking to you as
to agree to marry you: but I must tell you plainly, that I do not
think it will ever happen. I shall always be your friend; so try to
let that content you."

"I must," sighed the beast, "for I know well enough how frightful I
am; but I love you better than myself. Yet I think I am very lucky in
your being pleased to stay with me: now promise me, Beauty, that you
will never leave me."

Beauty would almost have agreed to this, so sorry was she for him, but
she had that day seen in her magic glass, which she looked at
constantly, that her father was dying of grief for her sake.

"Alas!" she said, "I long so much to see my father, that if you do not
give me leave to visit him, I shall break my heart."

"I would rather break mine, Beauty," answered the beast; "I will send
you to your father's cottage: you shall stay there, and your poor
beast shall die of sorrow."

"No," said Beauty, crying, "I love you too well to be the cause of
your death; I promise to return in a week. You have shown me that my
sisters are married, and my brothers are gone for soldiers, so that my
father is left all alone. Let me stay a week with him."

"You shall find yourself with him to-morrow morning," replied the
beast; "but mind, do not forget your promise. When you wish to return,
you have nothing to do but to put your ring on a table when you go to
bed. Good-bye, Beauty!" The beast sighed as he said these words, and
Beauty went to bed very sorry to see him so much grieved. When she
awoke in the morning, she found herself in her father's cottage. She
rang a bell that was at her bedside, and a servant entered; but as
soon as she saw Beauty, the woman gave a loud shriek; upon which the
merchant ran upstairs, and when he beheld his daughter he ran to her,
and kissed her a hundred times. At last Beauty began to remember that
she had brought no clothes with her to put on; but the servant told
her she had just fo