After breakfast he wandered into the garden. There were many beautiful trees and flowers in bloom, and birds singing. He gathered some of the flowers, and came to a special rose-bush on which was a large rose red like blood. He broke it off with his hand. Then he heard a roaring like some one in anger and distress. He turned, and a terrible Beast came down the path.
“You have plucked my rose and now you shall die or some one in your place,” cried he in a great rage. “That was my magic rose.”
The merchant begged to be allowed first to go home to see his family.
“Very well,” said the Beast, “but be sure to return or send some one, or I shall come after you.”
And the poor merchant found his way home the next day and told his sad story to his three daughters. To-morrow we shall see how it turned out.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Part Two
Self-sacrifice is a noble trait of character and sometimes brings an unexpected reward.
You can imagine how the older sisters acted when they heard their father’s sad story. When the time came for the merchant to go, Beauty declared that she would go with him and die in his stead. So Beauty and her father set out for the palace of the Beast.