ou are all by yourself, and very
soon she sat down cosily in the corner of a sofa, and began to think
about the charming Prince she had seen in her dream.

"He said I could make him happy," said Beauty to herself.

"It seems, then, that this horrible Beast keeps him a prisoner. How
can I set him free? I wonder why they both told me not to trust to
appearances? I don't understand it. But, after all, it was only a
dream, so why should I trouble myself about it? I had better go and find
something to do to amuse myself."

So she got up and began to explore some of the many rooms of the palace.

The first she entered was lined with mirrors, and Beauty saw herself
reflected on every side, and thought she had never seen such a charming
room. Then a bracelet which was hanging from a chandelier caught her
eye, and on taking it down she was greatly surprised to find that it
held a portrait of her unknown admirer, just as she had seen him in her
dream. With great delight she slipped the bracelet on her arm, and went
on into a gallery of pictures, where she soon found a portrait of the
same handsome Prince, as large as life, and so well painted that as she
studied it he seemed to smile kindly at her. Tearing herself away from
the portrait at last, she passed through into a room which contained
every musical instrument under the sun, and here she amused herself for
a long while in trying some of them, and singing until she was tired.
The next room was a library, and she saw everything she had ever wanted
to read, as well as everything she had read, and it seemed to her that a
whole lifetime would not be enough to even read the names of the books,
there were so many. By this time it was growing dusk, and wax candles
in diamond and ruby candlesticks were beginning to light themselves in
every room.

Beauty found her supper served just at the time she preferred to have
it, but she did not see anyone or hear a sound, and, though her father
had warned her that she would be alone, she began to find it rather
dull.

But presently she heard the Beast coming, and wondered tremblingly if he
meant to eat her up now.

However, as he did not seem at all ferocious, and only said gruffly:

"Good-evening, Beauty," she answered cheerfully and managed to conceal
her terror. Then the Beast asked her how she had been amusing herself,
and she told him all the rooms she had seen.

Then he asked if she thought she could be happy in his palace; a