He
felt quite a different man when he had put on the suit of blue and
silver, and jingled the gold pieces of money in his pockets.
When he went downstairs, he found a good breakfast waiting for him in
the little room where he had supped the night before, and when he had
made a good meal, he thought he would go for a stroll in the garden.
Down the marble steps he went, and when he came to the garden, he saw
that it was full of roses, red and white and pink and yellow, and the
merchant looked at them, and remembered Beauty's wish.
"Oh, my poor daughters," he said, "what a disappointment it will be to
them to know that my ship has not come home after all, but Beauty at
any rate can have what she wanted."
So he stretched out his hand and plucked the biggest red rose within
his reach.
As the stalk snapped in his fingers, he started back in terror, for he
heard an angry roar, and the next minute a dreadful Beast sprang upon
him. It was taller than any man, and uglier than any animal, but, what
seemed most dreadful of all to the merchant, it spoke to him with a
man's voice, after it had roared at him with the Beast's.
"Ungrateful wretch!" said the Beast. "Have I not fed you, lodged you,
and clothed you, and now you must repay my hospitality by stealing the
only thing I care for, my roses?"
"Mercy! mercy!" cried the merchant.
Pages:
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430