BEAUTY
AND THE
BEAST

acquaintances, and met with many mortifications
accordingly. They gave themselves great airs, and,
to show the world how high in life they were, they
held up their noses. Their whole time was spent
in balls, operas, and visiting and driving about.
Meanwhile, Beauty kept to her books; and, when
not at work, she loved in kindly way to go among
the sick and poor, and comfort them. Thus it
came about. that she was as much beloved by the
poor as she was admired by the rich.
As it was well known that their father was a well-
to-do man, many merchants asked the girls in
marriage; but all these offers were refused, be-
cause the two eldest had set their minds on
marrying only nobles, and the youngest had no
wish to be married at all.
Beauty’s great desire was to be with her father
when he was old and feeble, and to be then his
comfort.
One unhappy day the merchant returned home,
very downcast, to inform his children that his
ships had been wrecked, his head clerk had
defrauded him, and that the firms which owed
him money were bankrupt. He was, therefore, a
ruined man. Beauty wept because her father was
unfortunate and unhappy, and asked him what
was to be done.
‘Alack, dear child!’ he replied, ‘I must sell this
house, and go to live in a cottage in the country ;
and we shall have to work with our hands to put
bread into our mouths.’
‘Well, father,’ said Beauty, ‘I can spin and knit
and sew very neatly. I daresay I shall be able to
help you.’
The elder daughters said nothing, but resolved to
marry such of their rejected lovers as were richest.
They speedily found, however, that their rejected
lovers rejected all their advances, now that they
were poor.

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