CHAPTER FOUR
Life at the Castle
The next morning Beauty’s father leaves the castle. He is crying.
‘Don’t cry, father,’ says Beauty. ‘Remember, I love you.’
‘Goodbye, dear Beauty,’ says her father.
Beauty is terrified. ‘The Beast is going to eat me tonight,’ she thinks. ‘I want to enjoy my last day. I’m going to visit the garden of the castle.’
She goes to see the big garden and she is surprised. It is a beautiful garden with a lot of lovely flowers. Then she goes to see the big castle. She looks in all the rooms. On one door she sees this sign:
BEAUTY’S ROOM
She opens the door and sees a lovely room. There is a nice bed and a mirror on the wall.
Beauty looks round and thinks, ‘There’s a piano and a lot of books for me. How strange! Perhaps the Beast doesn’t want to eat me tonight.’
She takes a book and starts to read it. Suddenly she sees these words on the pages:
Welcome, Beauty!
You’re the queen here.
Tell me everything you want.
‘I only want to see my poor father,’ says Beauty.
Suddenly she sees her father in the mirror on the wall. He is very sad. She also sees her home and Hortensia and Rosalind. They are happy without Beauty.
‘The Beast is kind to me,’ she thinks. ‘Why am I afraid of him?’
At 12 o’clock she has lunch. After lunch she goes to her room.
‘What a beautiful piano!’ thinks Beauty. ‘I want to play it.’
She plays some wonderful music on the piano. Then she looks at all the books in her room. Some of them have got pictures and others have not. She takes a book about flowers and looks at the pictures of different flowers. Then she sees pictures of roses of all colours.
‘Now I want to go to the garden and look at the lovely roses,’ she thinks. She goes to the garden and stays there all afternoon. She looks at the flowers and feels happy.
At dinner time she sits down at the long table and then she hears the Beast coming. She is terrified.
‘Beauty, can I sit here with you?’ asks the Beast.
‘You’re the lord of the castle,’ says Beauty.
‘And you’re the queen,’ says the Beast. ‘Can I ask you a question?’
‘Yes, of course,’ says Beauty quietly.
‘Am I very ugly?’ asks the Beast.
Beauty does not know what to say. She looks at him and thinks for a moment.
‘Well, yes you are!’ says Beauty. ‘But you’re kind and polite.’
The Beast looks at Beauty and smiles. ‘You’re right, I’m terribly ugly but I’m kind. This is your home now, Beauty. Please don’t be sad!’
‘Some men are handsome but they’re not kind,’ says Beauty. ‘I prefer you because you’ve got a good heart.
‘Thank you, Beauty,’ says the Beast.
Now Beauty is not afraid of the Beast and she eats a big dinner.
The Beast looks at her and asks a question.
Do you want to marry me, Beauty?’
What a question! Beauty is terrified.
‘What can I say?’ thinks Beauty.
She is silent for a moment and then she says, ‘No, I’m sorry I don’t want to marry you.’
The Beast is angry and Beauty is afraid.
Then he goes out of the room and says, ‘Goodbye, Beauty.’
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