Children's stories, French -- Translations into English; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- France
Then Beauty began to fear that she had caused his death. She ran through
the castle, uttering loud cries, for she was in despair. After having
looked everywhere, she remembered her dream, and ran into the garden
towards the water, where she had seen him in her sleep. She found the
poor Beast stretched on the ground, and unconscious, and she thought he
was dead. Forgetting her horror at his appearance, she threw herself
upon him, and feeling that his heart was still beating, she fetched some
water and threw it over his head. The Beast opened his eyes, and said to
Beauty, "You forgot your promise; in my grief at losing you, I
determined to let myself die of hunger; but I die happy, since I have
had the joy of seeing you once again." "No, my dear Beast, you shall not
die," exclaimed Beauty. "You shall live to be my husband; I am yours
from this moment, and only yours. Alas! I thought the feeling I had for
you was only one of friendship; but now I know, by the grief I feel,
that I cannot live without you." Beauty had scarcely uttered these words
before she saw the castle suddenly become brilliantly illuminated,
while fire-works, music, everything indicated the celebration of some
joyful event. She did not gaze long, however, at these splendours, but
quickly turned her eyes again towards her dear Beast, the thought of
whose danger made her tremble with anxiety. But what was her surprise
when she saw that the Beast had disappeared, and that a young and
handsome Prince was lying at her feet, who thanked her for having
released him from enchantment. Although this Prince was fully worthy of
her attention, Beauty, nevertheless, could not help asking what had
become of the Beast. "You see him at your feet," said the Prince to her.
"A wicked fairy condemned me to remain in the form of a monster, until
some fair damsel would consent to marry me, and she forbade me also to
betray that I had intelligence. You are the only one who has been kind
enough to allow the goodness of my heart to touch yours, and I cannot,
even by offering you my crown, acquit myself of obligation to you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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