fear the beast should be angry if
he did not obey his orders. When he had finished he heard a great noise
in the next room, which he knew meant that the beast was coming. As he
could do nothing to escape his visit, the only thing that remained was
to seem as little afraid as possible; so when the beast appeared and
asked roughly if he had supped well, the merchant answered humbly that
he had, thanks to his host's kindness. Then the beast warned him to
remember their agreement and to prepare his daughter exactly for what
she had to expect.

"Do not get up to-morrow," he added, "until you see the sun and hear a
golden bell ring. Then you will find your breakfast waiting for you
here, and the horse you are to ride will be ready in the court-yard. He
will also bring you back again when you come with your daughter a month
hence. Farewell. Take a rose to Beauty, and remember your promise."

The merchant was only too glad when the beast went away, and though he
could not sleep for sadness, he lay down until the sun rose. Then, after
a hasty breakfast, he went to gather Beauty's rose and mounted his
horse, which carried him off so swiftly that in an instant he had lost
sight of the palace, and he was still wrapped in gloomy thoughts when it
stopped before the door of the cottage.

His sons and daughters, who had been very uneasy at his long absence,
rushed to meet him, eager to know the result of his journey, which,
seeing him mounted upon a splendid horse and wrapped in a rich mantle,
they supposed to be favorable. But he hid the truth from them at first,
only saying sadly to Beauty as he gave her the rose:

"Here is what you asked me to bring you. You little know what it has
cost."

But this excited their curiosity so greatly that presently he told them
his adventures from beginning to end, and then they were all very
unhappy. The girls lamented loudly over their lost hopes, and the sons
declared that their father should not return to this terrible castle,
and began to make plans for killing the beast if it should come to fetch
him. But he reminded them that he had promised to go back. Then the
girls were very angry with Beauty and said it was all her fault, and
that if she had asked for something sensible this would never have
happened, and complained bitterly that they should have to suffer for
her folly.

Poor Beauty, much distressed, said to them:

"I have indeed caused this misfortune, but I assure you I did it