She took him by the hand and led him down a narrow glade to a little clearing in the middle of the wood. Then she made him sit down beside her on the grass, and there she told him her tale.
"There is a giant called Blunderbus," she said, "who lives in a great castle ten miles from here. He is a terrible magician, and years ago because I would not marry him he turned my—my brother into a—I don't know how to tell you—into a—a tortoise." She put her hands to her face and sobbed again.
"Why a tortoise?" said Charming, knowing that sympathy was useless, but feeling that he ought to say SOMETHING.
"I don't know. He just thought of it. It—it isn't a very nice thing to be."
"And why should he turn your BROTHER into it? I mean, if he had turned YOU into a tortoise—Of course," he went on hurriedly, "I'm very glad he didn't."
"Thank you," said Beauty.
"But I don't understand why—"
"He knew he could hurt me more by making my brother a tortoise than by making me one," she explained, and looked at him anxiously.
This was a new idea to Charming, who had two brothers of his own; and he looked at her in some surprise.
"Oh, what does it matter WHY he did it?" she cried as he was about to speak. "Why do giants do things? I don't know."