y. Go back and tell them what has
happened to you, but you must give me your promise that either you,
or one of your daughters, shall be at my palace door in three months'
time from to-day."

The wretched man promised.

"At any rate," he thought, "I shall have three months more of life."

Then the Beast said, "I will not let you go empty-handed."

So the merchant followed him back into the palace. There, on the floor
of the hall, lay a great and beautiful chest of wrought silver.

"Fill this with any treasures that take your fancy," said the Beast.

And the merchant filled it up with precious things from the Beast's
treasure-house.

"I will send it home for you," said the Beast, shutting down the lid.

And so, with a heavy heart, the merchant went away; but as he went
through the palace gate, the Beast called to him that he had forgotten
Beauty's rose, and at the same time held out to him a large bunch of
the very best.

The merchant put these into Beauty's hand when she ran to meet him at
the door of their cottage.

"Take them, my child," he said, "and cherish them, for they have cost
your poor father his life."

And with that he sat down and told them the whole story. The two elder
sisters wept and wailed, and of course blamed Beauty for all that had
happened.

"If it had not been for your wanting a rose, our father would have
left the palace in safety, with his new suit and his gold pieces; but
your foolishness has cost him his life."

"No," said Beauty, "it is _my_ life that shall be sacrificed, for when
the three months are over, I shall go to the Beast, and he may kill me
if he will, but he shall never hurt my dear father."

The father tried hard to persuade her not to go, but she had made
up her mind, and at the end of the three months she set out for the
Beast's palace.

Her father went with her, to show her the way. As before, he saw the
lights shining through the wood, knocked and rang in vain at the great
gate, warmed himself at the fire in the big hall, and then found the
little room with the supper on the table that made you hungry to look
at. Only this time the table was laid for two.

"Come, father dear," said Beauty, "take comfort. I do not think the
Beast means to kill me, or surely he would not have given me such a
good supper."

But the next moment the Beast came into the room. Beauty screamed and
clung to her father.

"Don't be frightened," said the Beast gently, "but tell me,