BEAUTY So she amused herself in embroidering for the AND THE Beast.a pair of slippers. The ground was tur- BEAST quoise blue, and on it were white roses, with stamens of gold, and the pods for seed were scarlet. Never before or after were such beautiful slippers made. That night she dreamed that she saw the Prince. He looked at her, smiling, and showed that he wore her slippers—which she had made for the Beast— and they had shrunk to the size of his finely-formed feet. One day she was in the forest, and she thought: ‘Oh! how nice it would be to ride out hunting, but how dull to ride all alone!’ So that evening at supper, she ran to the Beast, when she heard his tramp, tramp! stump, stump! and, catching hold of both his paws, she said: ‘Please, Beast! will you go hunting with me?’ ‘Certainly, Beauty!’ he answered. Next day there was a fine hunt, and Beauty enjoyed herself vastly. One day, when Beauty was walking in the garden with the Beast, she passed with him by the hedge of white roses, and she put out her hand and picked one. Then he said to her: ‘Beauty, will you marry me? If so—give me the white rose.’ “Oh! what shall I say?’ cried Beauty ; for she was sorry to offend the Beast, who had been so kind to her, and such an agreeable companion, and so eager to forestall all her wishes ; but, at the same time—he was a Beast. fe eS seeing her hesitation: ‘Say just what you ink.’ Then Beauty answered hastily, ‘Oh! no, Beast!’ That night she dreamed of her Prince, and that he looked sad and wobegone. So everything went on for a time, until at last, happy as she was, Beauty began to long for the sight of her father and sisters; and one evening, 94