t dismal place upon the face of the earth.
As they were too poor to have any servants, the girls had to work hard,
like peasants, and the sons, for their part, cultivated the fields to earn
their living. Roughly clothed, and living in the simplest way, the girls
regretted unceasingly the luxuries and amusements of their former life;
only the youngest tried to be brave and cheerful. She had been as sad as
anyone when misfortune first overtook her father, but, soon recovering her
natural gaiety, she set to work to make the best of things, to amuse her
father and brothers as well as she could, and to try to persuade her
sisters to join her in dancing and singing. But they would do nothing of
the sort, and, because she was not as doleful as themselves, they declared
that this miserable life was all she was fit for. But she was really far
prettier and cleverer than they were; indeed, she was so lovely that she
was always called Beauty. After two years, when they were all beginning to
get used to their new life, something happened to disturb their
tranquillity. Their father received the news that one of his ships, which
he had believed to be lost, had come safely into port with a rich cargo.
All the sons and daughters at once thought that their poverty was at an
end, and wanted to set out directly for the town; but their father, who
was more prudent, begged them to wait a little, and, though it was
harvest-time, and he could ill be spared, determined to go himself first,
to make inquiries. Only the youngest daughter had any doubt but that they
would soon again be as rich as they were before, or at least rich enough
to live comfortably in some town where they would find amusement and gay
companions once more. So they all loaded their father with commissions for
jewels and dresses which it would have taken a fortune to buy; only
Beauty, feeling sure that it was of no use, did not ask for anything. Her
father, noticing her silence, said: "And what shall I bring for you,
Beauty?"

"The only thing I wish for is to see you come home safely," she answered.

But this reply vexed her sisters, who fancied she was blaming them for
having asked for such costly things. Her father, however, was pleased, but
as he thought that at her age she certainly ought to like pretty presents,
he told her to choose something.

"Well, dear father," she said, "as you insist upon it, I beg that you will
bring me a rose. I have not seen one since we came