CHAPTER FIVE
The Magic Ring
Beauty spends three months at the beautiful castle. Every day she reads books and plays the piano. She walks everywhere in the big garden. She likes the tall trees and the flowers of different colours. She puts beautiful flowers in the rooms of the castle. Sometimes she makes perfume from the flowers.
But the days are long and she is often lonely. Beauty often thinks about her father, her sisters and her brothers.
‘I want to see my father again,’ she thinks sadly. ‘And I want to see my home again too.’
The Beast goes to see her every evening at dinner time, at nine o’clock.
They talk about interesting things and are happy together. Beauty is not afraid of his ugly face now. Every evening the Beast asks Beauty the same question:
‘Beauty, do you want to marry me?’
And every evening Beauty answers, ‘No.’
One day Beauty says, ‘Why do you ask me the same question every evening?’
‘Because I hope to hear a different answer,’ says the Beast.
‘I’m sorry, I don’t want to marry you,’ says Beauty.
The Beast is very sad.
‘But I’m always going to be your friend,’ she says.
‘You’re a wonderful friend,’ says the Beast.
‘And you are too,’ says Beauty smiling.
‘I know I’m terribly ugly,’ says the Beast. ‘But I love you a lot. I’m very happy with you. Please, don’t leave me!’
Beauty’s face becomes red and she is quiet for a moment.
‘In the mirror of my room,’ says Beauty, ‘I see my poor father. He’s sad and lonely. He thinks I’m dead. My sisters are married and my brothers are away. I want to see my father for the last time. Can I go and see him, please?’
‘Yes, you can go and see your father,’ says the Beast. ‘But I’m going to be very sad without you.’
‘Oh, thank you!’ says Beauty happily. ‘Please don’t be sad, Beast. I’m going to come back in a week.’
‘Alright,’ says the Beast. ‘You can visit your father tomorrow morning. But remember, you must come back in a week. Before you come back put this ring on a table near your bed. It’s a magic ring. Goodbye, Beauty.’
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