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第7章 彪悍女汉子

Then she went to bed, but could hardly sleep for joy. Andwhen at last she did begin to dream of her beloved Prince shewas grieved to see him stretched upon a grassy bank sad andweary, and hardly like himself.

"if he makes all this rejoicing over the arrival of his prey."

So saying she opened a door, and found to her delight that itled into her own room, though she had thought it was quite theother side of the palace.

"Let us wait and see," answered Beauty. "I cannot believe thathe meant to deceive us. All we can do is to fasten them up andleave them ready."

So they did this and returned to the little room, where, to theirastonishment, they found breakfast ready. The merchant ate hiswith a good appetite, as the Beast's generosity made him believethat he might perhaps venture to come back soon and see Beauty.But she felt sure that her father was leaving her for ever, so shewas very sad when the bell rang sharply for the second time, andwarned them that the time was come for them to part. They wentdown into the courtyard, where two horses were waiting, oneloaded with the two trunks, the other for him to ride. They werepawing the ground in their impatience to start, and the merchantwas forced to bid Beauty a hasty farewell; and as soon as he wasmounted he went off at such a pace that she lost sight of him inan instant. Then Beauty began to cry, and wandered sadly backto her own room. But she soon found that she was very sleepy,and as she had nothing better to do she lay down and instantlyfell asleep. And then she dreamed that she was walking by abrook b

This evidently pleased the Beast. After looking at her he said,

"A king's ransom would hardly have procured all that my otherdaughters asked," he said; "but I thought that I might at least takeBeauty her rose. I beg you to forgive me, for you see I meant noharm."

As soon as Beauty was alone she hastened to fill the boxeswith all the rare and precious things she saw about her, and onlywhen she was tired of heaping things into them did they seem tobe full.

standing opposite the shady path she had seen in her dream. She