Page:History of Beauty and the Beast.pdf/21

 one. Beauty’s sisters sickened with envy, when they saw her dressed like a Princess, and look more beautiful than ever. They went down into the garden to vent their spleen, and agreed to persuade her to stay a week longer with them, which probably might so enrage the Beast as to make him devour her. After they had taken this resolution, they went up, and behaved so affectionately to their sister that poor Beauty wept for joy, and, at their request, promised to stay seven nights longer.

In the mean time, Beauty was unhappy. The tenth night she dreamed she was in the palace garden, and that she saw Beast extended on the grass-plot, who seemed just expiring, and in a dying voice, reproached her with her ingratitude. Beauty started out of her sleep, and bursting into tears, reproached herself for her ingratitude, and her insensibility of his many kind and agreeable qualifications. Having said much on this, she rose, put her ring on the table, and then laid down again; scarcely was she in bed before she fell asleep; and when she waked the next morning, she was overjoyed to find herself in the Beast’s palace. She put on one of her richest suits to please him, and wait-