herself on her knees beside him.

"Oh, dear Beast," she cried, "and are you really dead? Alas! alas!
then I, too, will die, for I cannot live without you."

Immediately the Beast opened his eyes, sighed, and said:

"Beauty, will you marry me?"

And Beauty, beside herself with joy when she found that he was still
alive, answered:

"Yes, yes, dear Beast, for I love you dearly."

At these words the rough fur dropped to the ground, and in place of
the Beast stood a handsome Prince, dressed in a doublet of white and
silver, like one made ready for a wedding. He knelt at Beauty's feet
and clasped her hands.

"Dear Beauty," he said, "nothing but your love could have disenchanted
me. A wicked fairy turned me into a Beast, and condemned me to remain
one until some fair and good maiden should love me well enough to
marry me, in spite of my ugliness and stupidity. Now, dear one, the
enchantment is broken; let us go back to my palace. You will find that
all my servants--who, too, have been enchanted, and have waited on you
all this long time with invisible hands--will now become visible."

So they returned to the palace, which by this time was crowded with
courtiers, eager to kiss the hands of the Prince and his bride. And
the Prince whispered to one of his attendants, who went out, and in a
very little time came back with Beauty's father and sisters.

The sisters were condemned to be changed into statues, and to stand
at the right and left of the palace gates until their hearts should
be softened, and they should be sorry for their unkindness to their
sister. But Beauty, happily married to her Prince, went secretly to
the statues every day and wept over them.

And by her tears their stony hearts were softened, and they were
changed into flesh and blood again, and were good and kind for the
rest of their lives.

And Beauty and the Beast, who was a Beast no more, but a handsome
Prince, lived happily ever after.

And indeed I believe they are living happily still, in the beautiful
land where dreams come true.

* * * * *

THE WHITE CAT

BY THE COMTESSE D'AULNOY

There was once a King who had three sons, and because they were all so
good and so handsome, he could not make up his mind to which of them
to give his kingdom. For he was growing an old man, and began to think
it would soon be time for him to let one of them reign in his stead.

So he determined to set them a task