d
cheerfulness. No frown ever spoiled her fair brow, or bowed the corners
of her mouth. She possessed the charm of good temper, which is in
itself beauty.

The merchant's elder daughters were idle, ill-tempered, and proud;
therefore people soon forgot that they were beautiful, and only
remembered them as very disagreeable.

The pride of these young ladies was so great that they did not care to
visit the daughters of men in their father's own rank of life, but
wished to be the friends of great ladies and princesses.

They were always busy trying to get great acquaintances, and met with
many mortifications in the effort; however, it pleased them to go out
and endeavor to be people of fashion. Every day they drove in the
parks, and went in the evening to balls, operas, and plays.

Meantime, Beauty spent almost all her days in studying. Her recreation
was to do good. She was to be found in every poor cottage where there
was trouble or sickness, and the poor loved her as much as the rich
admired her. As it was known that their father was very rich, many
merchants asked the girls in marriage; but all these offers were
refused, because the two eldest thought they ought at least to be
wives of a rich nobleman or a prince.

As for Beauty, she thanked those who asked her to share their fortunes,
but told them that she was too young; that she wished to be her
father's companion, and cheer his old age by her loving care.

One unhappy day the merchant returned home in the evening, and told
them that he was ruined; that his ships had gone down at sea, and that
the firms with which he had been dealing were bankrupt.

Beauty wept for grief, because her father was unhappy and unfortunate,
and asked him what was to be done.

"Alas! my child," he replied, "we must give up our house, and go into
the country. There I can get a cottage to shelter us; and we must live
by the work of our own hands."

"Ah!" said Beauty eagerly, "I can spin and knit, and sew very well. I
dare say I shall be able to help you, my dear father."

But the elder daughters did not speak. They had made up their minds to
marry one or the other of their rejected lovers, and did not intend to
share their father's fallen fortunes.

They found themselves, however, greatly mistaken. The merchants who had
wished to marry them when rich cared nothing for them when poor, and
never came to see them again. But those who had loved Beauty crowded to
the house, and begg