‘Certainly, Beauty! if you wish it.’

Next day when she entered the music-room, the
Beast was there, and she found that not only could
he play very charmingly on many instruments, but
also could sing a rich bass. They made together
quite a charming little concert, singing duets and
playing different instruments, and this wore the
morning away.
In the afternoon, Beauty was quite dull by herself.
She wandered in the library, looking at one book
alter another, and she could not choose which to
read.

So at supper she ran along the gallery to meet the
Beast directly she heard his tramp, tramp! stump,
stump! and, dropping a little courtesy, she said:
‘Please, Beast! will you tell me what books to
read ?’

‘Certainly, Beauty!’ he answered; and next day
she found him in the library, and he read with her,
and explained to her difficult passages, and so a
very pleasant morning was passed.

In the afternoon, Beauty walked in the garden,
admiring the flowers, and wishing that she knew
their names. At supper, when she heard the
tramp, tramp! stump, stump! of the Beast, she
ran to meet him, and, taking one of his paws in her
hand, said: ‘Please, Beast! will you walk in the
garden with me?’

‘Certainly, Beauty!’ he answered; and next day
when she went into the garden there he was, and
he was able to tell her all about the flowers, their
names and their properties, and whence they
came.

That evening, at supper, she said to the Beast:
‘Please, Beast! may I make you a pair of slippers?’
‘Certainly, Beauty!’ he answered. ‘But my feet
are very big and clumsy.’

‘Oh!’ said she, ‘not half so big and clumsy as
those of an elephant.’

93

BEAUTY
AND THE
BEAST