December 2, 2025 • 29 mins
(00:00:00) Welcome to Rest
(00:00:49) Introducing tonight's story
(00:02:14) Beauty and the Beast
Tonight, we’re stepping into a tale as old as time… with Beauty and the Beast 🕰️🥀
An old fairytale told in a soothing, dreamy way - perfect for unwinding, resting and slipping into a peaceful night’s sleep.
NEW episodes are released weekly! Every Tuesday at 6PM (GMT).
If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate and leave a comment, it really goes a long way to help the podcast🌞
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License code: MUADOFIOOFKNBORY
https://uppbeat.io/t/tranquilium/present
License code: U2NDSMGMIIYQCEBL
(00:00:49) Introducing tonight's story
(00:02:14) Beauty and the Beast
Tonight, we’re stepping into a tale as old as time… with Beauty and the Beast 🕰️🥀
An old fairytale told in a soothing, dreamy way - perfect for unwinding, resting and slipping into a peaceful night’s sleep.
NEW episodes are released weekly! Every Tuesday at 6PM (GMT).
If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate and leave a comment, it really goes a long way to help the podcast🌞
Support us:
- Rate the show on Spotify and leave comments on your favourite episodes
- Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
- Stay up to date with all our latest news on our Instagram.
Music from Uppbeat
https://uppbeat.io/t/tranquilium/gentle-resonance
License code: MUADOFIOOFKNBORY
https://uppbeat.io/t/tranquilium/present
License code: U2NDSMGMIIYQCEBL
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good evening, and welcome to Rest, your sanctuary for peaceful
sleep and relaxation. Whether you're escaping daily stresses or seeking
a nightly companion, you're in the right place. My name
is Jessica, and i'll be your host this evening. Before
(00:27):
we begin, why don't you turn off your screens and
turn down your volume. Now that's done, let's unwind and
help you ease into a blessed rest. Tonight, we're stepping
(00:57):
into a tale as old as time. Before the enchanted castle,
before the rose, before the beast himself, there was a
young woman named Beauty, whose gentle heart held more wonder
than the world around her could ever see. And somewhere
(01:19):
deep within a forgotten forest stood a grand, lonely castle,
a place wrapped in shadows and secrets. This is a
story of appearances and truth, of looking past what the
eyes can understand, of discovering that sometimes the softest bravery
(01:42):
is simply choosing to be kind. So as we drift
into Tonight's story, let the world outside fall away, allow
its noise to descend into silence.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
The night is and.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
These fairy tale pages are waiting, And with that, let's
begin Tonight's story. Beauty and the beast. There was once
a merchant who had three daughters. The two older ones
(02:23):
were handsome enough, but the third was a beauty, and
no mistake. Her eyes were as blue as the sky,
her hair was as black as ebony, and her cheeks
were like roses. The merchant loved his two older daughters dearly,
(02:44):
but this beauty was the darling of his heart. Things
went along pleasantly for a long time, and the merchant
was rich and prosperous. But then things began to go
wrong with him. One after another of his ships was
lost at sea, and a great part of his fortune
(03:07):
with them.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
One day, the merchant.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Caught his daughters to him and said, my children, I
find it will be necessary for me to go.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
On a long journey.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
I am no longer a rich man, but I wish
to bring home a gift to each one of you.
So tell me what he would like to have. Then
the two older daughters began to think of all the
things they wanted, and each was afraid that the other
(03:42):
would get something finer than she did. At last, the
eldest spoke, dear father, said, she, I wish you would
bring me a velvet robe. Embroidered with gold, and shoes
to match, and a fan to wave in my hand.
(04:04):
And I said, the second would like a necklace of
pearls and pearls for my hair, and a fine bracelet.
The merchant was troubled that his daughters should ask for
such costly things, but he did not like to refuse them.
(04:25):
And you, Beauty, said he, turning to his youngest daughter,
what will you have, dear father, said she. You have
given me so much that I have nothing left to
wish for. But if you bring me anything at all,
(04:46):
let it be a rose. When her older sisters heard this,
they were very angry. They thought that Beauty had asked
only for a rose, so that she might shame them
before their father and make him think she was more
unselfish than they were. But Beauty had had no such.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Thought as that.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
The merchant smiled at his youngest daughter and kissed her thrice,
but his older daughters he kissed only once. Then he
mounted his horse and rode away. He journeyed on for
several days, and at last he reached the city he
(05:33):
was bound for. Here he found he had lost even
more of his fortune than he had thought.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
He was now a poor man.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Still, he managed to buy the gifts his two older
daughters had asked for, and then, with a sad heart,
he set out for home. He had not journeyed far, however,
when he was overtaken by a storm and lost himself
in a deep forest. He rode this way and that,
(06:10):
trying to find the way out. And then suddenly he
came to an open place, and there he saw before
him a magnificent castle. The merchant was amazed. He had
never heard of such a castle in that forest. He
(06:30):
rode up to the door and knocked, hoping to find
shelter for the night. Scarcely had he knocked when the
great door swung open before him. He entered and looked about.
No one was there. Everything was silent. Wondering, he went
(06:54):
on into one room after another. Everything was very magnificent
and well arranged, but nowhere was a soul to be seen.
At last he came to a room where a supper
was set out. The plates were all of gold, and
(07:15):
the fruits and meats were of the rarest and most
delicious kinds. The merchant was so hungry that he sat
down at the table, and at once the food was
served to him by invisible hands, while soft music sounded
from a hidden room beyond. He ate heartily, and then
(07:40):
arose and went in search of a place to sleep.
This he soon found a bed had been made ready
in a large chamber, and here he undressed, and lying down,
he slept until morning without being disturbed. When he awoke,
(08:03):
he found his own travel stained clothes had been taken away.
In their place, a handsome suit had been laid out,
and other necessary things, all of the richest kind. There
was also a bag filled with gold pieces. Wandering still more,
(08:25):
the merchant arose and dressed, and went out into the
gardens to look about him. Here everything was more beautiful
than any garden he had ever seen before. There were
winding paths, and fountains, and fruit trees and flowering plants.
(08:49):
Beside one of the fountains was a rose bush covered
with the roses. The sight of these roses reminded the
merchant of Beauty's wish, and he thought it would be
no harm to break off one to carry to her.
He chose the largest and finest rose, scarcely had he
(09:12):
plucked it. However, when the air was filled with a
sound of thunder and the ground rocked, under his feet,
and a terrible looking beast appeared before him. Miserable man
cried the beast, What have you done? All the best
(09:36):
in the castle was offered to you. Why have you
broken my rose bush that is dearer to me than
anything in the world. Now for this you must surely die.
The merchant was terrified. Oh, dear good beast, do not
(09:59):
kill me, he cried, I meant no harm. Only let
me go, and I will never trouble you again. No, no,
answered the beast. You shall not escape so easily. You
have broken my rose bush, and you must suffer for it. Still,
(10:23):
the merchant begged and entreated to be spared, and at
last the beast had pity on him. If I spare
your life, said he, what will you give me in
return for it?
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Alas, said the.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Merchant, what can I give you. I have lost all
my fortune and I am now a poor man. I
have nothing left in the world but my three daughters.
Give me one of your daughters for a wife, and
I I will be satisfied, said the beast. The merchant
(11:05):
was horrified at the thought of such a thing. He
would have refused, but he feared that if he did so,
the beast would tear him to pieces at once. You
may have three months in which to think it over,
said the beast, But you must promise me that at
(11:26):
the end of that time you will return here and
either bring me one of your daughters or come prepared
to die. The merchant was obliged to promise this, he
could not help himself. As soon as he had promised,
the beast disappeared, and the man was free to go,
(11:50):
And this he was not slow to do. He rode
on toward his home, and his heart was heavy with
it him. He did not see how he could possibly
give one of his daughters to be the bride of
a hideous beast, and yet he did not wish to die.
(12:14):
His daughters met him with joy, and the two older
sisters were delighted when they saw the beautiful gifts he
had brought them. Only Beauty noticed his sad and downcast looks.
Dear father said she, why are you troubled? Has something
(12:37):
unfortunate happened to you? At first, her father would not
tell her, but she urged and entreated him to tell her,
until finally he could keep silence no longer. He told
his daughters all about the castle and his adventure there,
(12:58):
and of the beast, and of how on less one
of them would consent to marry the beast, he would
have to lose his life. When the older daughters heard this,
they were ready to faint. Not even to save their
father's life, could they consent to marry such a creature.
(13:20):
Dear father said, Beauty, you shall not die. I will
be the beast's bride. Yes, yes, cried her sisters. That
is only right. If Beauty had not asked for the rose,
this misfortune would not have happened. To this, the merchant
(13:45):
would not at first agree. Beauty was the dearest to
him of all his daughters. He had hoped that if
any of them was to marry the beast, it might
be one of the older sisters. But they would not
hear of this. And when at the end of three
(14:05):
months the merchant set out to return to the castle,
he took Beauty with him. They rode along, and rode along,
and after a while they came to the forest. And
then it did not take the merchant long to find
the castle. He knocked at the door, and it opened
(14:30):
as before, and he and Beauty went in through one
room after another, and everything was so magnificent that she
could not but admire it. At last, they came to
the supper room, and here a delicious feast was set
out for them. They sat down and ate, while soft
(14:55):
music sounded around them. Beauty began to think the master
of all this could not be such a terrible creature
after all. But scarcely had they finished their supper before
the beast appeared before them, And when Beauty saw him,
(15:15):
she began to shake and tremble, for he was even
more dreadful looking than her father had said. Do not
fear me, Beauty, he said, in a gentle voice.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
I will do you no harm.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Your father has brought you here, and it is true
that here you must stay, But you need not marry
me unless you are quite willing to. I do not
wish to marry you, beast, and you must know that,
said Beauty. But I fear that if I do not,
(15:57):
you may harm my father. No, Beauty, I will not
harm him. He may go in peace, and perhaps after
you have been here a while, you may learn to
like me enough to marry me. Beauty did not believe this,
(16:18):
but the beast spoke so gently that she no longer
feared him, and when the time came for her father
to go, she bade him good bye and did not
grieve him by weeping. After that, Beauty lived there in
the beast's castle and was well content. Every day she
(16:41):
went out into the gardens, and the beast came and
played with her for a while, and she grew very.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Fond of him.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Every day before he left her, he said, Beauty, are
you willing to marry me? But always Beauty answered, no,
dear Beast, I do not wish to marry you. Then
the beast would sigh heavily and go away. One day,
(17:16):
Beauty was sitting before a large mirror in her room,
and she was sad because she had not seen her
father for so long. I wish, said she that I
could see what my dear father is doing at this moment.
(17:36):
As she said this, she raised her eyes to the mirror.
What was her surprise to see in it the reflection
of a room quite different from the one she was in.
It was a room in her own home that she
saw reflected there. She saw in it the images of
(17:59):
her father and sisters. She could see them smile and move,
and she could tell exactly what they were doing. She
found she could watch them in the mirror for as
long as she pleased, and whenever she pleased. After this,
(18:22):
Beauty often came to sit before the mirror, and she
had only to wish it, and she could see her
home and all that was going on there. But one day,
when she sat down before the glass, she saw that
her father was ill. He lay upon his bed so
(18:45):
pale and weak that Beauty was terrified. She jumped up
and ran out into the garden, calling for the beast.
At once he appeared before her. What is it, the
beast asked anxiously, what has frightened you?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Beauty? Alas she cried, my father is ill.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Oh, dear kind beast, let me go to him. I pray,
and I will love you forever. After the beast looked
very grave, very well, Beauty, he said, I will let
you go, for I can refuse you nothing, but promise
(19:36):
me you will return at the end of a week,
for if you do not, some great misfortune will happen
to me. Beauty was very willing to promise this. The
beast then gave her a ring set with a large ruby.
When you go to bed tonight, he said, turn the
(20:00):
ruby in toward the palm of your hand, and wish
you were in your father's house. And in the morning
you will find you are there. When you are ready
to return, do the same thing, and you will find
yourself back in the castle again. And do not forget
(20:23):
that by the end of a week to an hour
you must return, or you will bring suffering upon me.
Beauty did as the beast told her. That night, when
she lay down, she turned the ruby of the ring
in toward the palm of her hand, and wished she
(20:46):
were in her father's house. And what was her joy
when she awakened the next morning to find herself in
her own bed at home. She arose and ran to
her father's room, and the merchant was so delighted to
(21:07):
see her that from that hour he began to get better,
and in a few days he was as well as
ever again. Beauty's sisters asked her a great many questions
about the castle where she lived, and when they heard
(21:28):
how fine it was and how happy she was there,
they were filled with envy. Beauty always gets the best
of everything, they said to each other. She is younger
than either of us, and see how finely she lives,
much better than we do. They then planned together as
(21:53):
to how they could keep Beauty from going back to
the castle at the end.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Of the week.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
If we can only make her break her promise to
the beast, said they, he might be so angry with
her that he would send her away and take one
of us to live at his castle instead. The day
before Beauty was to return to the beast, they put
(22:21):
a sleeping powder in the goblet.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
That she drank from.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
As soon as Beauty had swallowed this powder, she became
very sleepy. Her eyelids weighed like lead, and presently she
fell into a deep slumber, and she did not awaken
for two days and nights. At the end of that time,
(22:48):
Beauty had a dream, and in her dream she walked
in the castle gardens. She came to the rose bush
beside the fountain, and there lay the poor beast, stretched
out on the ground, and he was almost dead. He
(23:09):
opened his eyes and looked at her sadly. Ah, Beauty, Beauty,
He said, why did you break your promise to return
at the end of a week? See what suffering you
have brought on me. Beauty awoke sobbing bitterly. Alas Alas,
(23:35):
she cried, I must go at once, I feel some
harm has come to the beast, and that it is
my fault, though how I do not know, for she
did not know she had been asleep for two days
and nights. She turned the ruby ring with the ruby
(23:57):
toward the palm of her hand, and wished herself back
in the castle, and then lay down and went to sleep.
When she awoke, she was in the castle again, and
it was early morning. She ran out into the garden
(24:18):
and straight to the rose bush. There, as in her dream,
she saw the beast stretched out on the ground, and
he seemed to be without life or breath. Beauty threw
herself down on the ground and took his head in
(24:40):
her lap, and her tears ran down and fell upon him.
And it seemed to her she did not love even
her father as dearly as she loved the beast. Oh, beast, dear,
dear beast, she cried, can you not hear me? Are
(25:04):
you quite quite dead? Then the beast opened his eyes
and looked at her, Ah, Beauty, he said, I thought
you had deserted me. Do you not yet love me
enough to marry me? Oh?
Speaker 2 (25:26):
I do?
Speaker 1 (25:27):
I do love you enough? And gladly will I be
your bride, cried Beauty. No sooner had she said this
than the rough, thiry hide of the beast fell apart,
and a handsome young prince, all dressed in white, satin
(25:48):
and silver, stood before her. Beauty looked at him, wondering, Yes,
you shall indeed be my own. Dear bride, cried the prince,
For you, and you alone, have broken the enchantment that
(26:08):
held me. Then the prince a beast no longer told
Beauty that a wicked fairy had changed him into the
shape of a beast, and not until a fair young
maiden would love him enough to be his bride would
the enchantment be broken. But Beauty had loved him for
(26:33):
his kindness and goodness in spite of his ugly form,
And now never again could the wicked fairy have any
power over him.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
And now all.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Through the castle was heard a sound of life, and
of voices, and of running to and fro. For the
same enchantment that had changed the prince to a beast
had made all his people invisible, and now they too
(27:08):
were freed from the spell. Then how happy Beauty was
if she had loved the beast, she loved the handsome
young prince a thousand times better. A grand wedding feast
was prepared, and her father and sisters were sent for
(27:33):
Her father was given the place of honor, but it
was quite different with her sisters. Because of their hard hearts.
They were changed into two statues, and they stood one
on either side of the doorway. But Beauty was too
(27:54):
gentle to bear them any ill will. After she was married,
she often used to go and stand beside the statues
and talk to them, and her tears fell upon them,
so that after a while their hard hearts grew soft
and the stone melted back to flesh again. Then they
(28:19):
were all very happy together. The two sisters were married
to two noblemen of the court. As for Beauty and
the Prince, nothing could equal their love for each other,
and they lived together happy forever after, and no further
(28:44):
harm ever came to them.
Good evening, and welcome to Rest, your sanctuary for peaceful
sleep and relaxation. Whether you're escaping daily stresses or seeking
a nightly companion, you're in the right place. My name
is Jessica, and i'll be your host this evening. Before
(00:27):
we begin, why don't you turn off your screens and
turn down your volume. Now that's done, let's unwind and
help you ease into a blessed rest. Tonight, we're stepping
(00:57):
into a tale as old as time. Before the enchanted castle,
before the rose, before the beast himself, there was a
young woman named Beauty, whose gentle heart held more wonder
than the world around her could ever see. And somewhere
(01:19):
deep within a forgotten forest stood a grand, lonely castle,
a place wrapped in shadows and secrets. This is a
story of appearances and truth, of looking past what the
eyes can understand, of discovering that sometimes the softest bravery
(01:42):
is simply choosing to be kind. So as we drift
into Tonight's story, let the world outside fall away, allow
its noise to descend into silence.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
The night is and.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
These fairy tale pages are waiting, And with that, let's
begin Tonight's story. Beauty and the beast. There was once
a merchant who had three daughters. The two older ones
(02:23):
were handsome enough, but the third was a beauty, and
no mistake. Her eyes were as blue as the sky,
her hair was as black as ebony, and her cheeks
were like roses. The merchant loved his two older daughters dearly,
(02:44):
but this beauty was the darling of his heart. Things
went along pleasantly for a long time, and the merchant
was rich and prosperous. But then things began to go
wrong with him. One after another of his ships was
lost at sea, and a great part of his fortune
(03:07):
with them.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
One day, the merchant.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Caught his daughters to him and said, my children, I
find it will be necessary for me to go.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
On a long journey.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
I am no longer a rich man, but I wish
to bring home a gift to each one of you.
So tell me what he would like to have. Then
the two older daughters began to think of all the
things they wanted, and each was afraid that the other
(03:42):
would get something finer than she did. At last, the
eldest spoke, dear father, said, she, I wish you would
bring me a velvet robe. Embroidered with gold, and shoes
to match, and a fan to wave in my hand.
(04:04):
And I said, the second would like a necklace of
pearls and pearls for my hair, and a fine bracelet.
The merchant was troubled that his daughters should ask for
such costly things, but he did not like to refuse them.
(04:25):
And you, Beauty, said he, turning to his youngest daughter,
what will you have, dear father, said she. You have
given me so much that I have nothing left to
wish for. But if you bring me anything at all,
(04:46):
let it be a rose. When her older sisters heard this,
they were very angry. They thought that Beauty had asked
only for a rose, so that she might shame them
before their father and make him think she was more
unselfish than they were. But Beauty had had no such.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Thought as that.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
The merchant smiled at his youngest daughter and kissed her thrice,
but his older daughters he kissed only once. Then he
mounted his horse and rode away. He journeyed on for
several days, and at last he reached the city he
(05:33):
was bound for. Here he found he had lost even
more of his fortune than he had thought.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
He was now a poor man.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Still, he managed to buy the gifts his two older
daughters had asked for, and then, with a sad heart,
he set out for home. He had not journeyed far, however,
when he was overtaken by a storm and lost himself
in a deep forest. He rode this way and that,
(06:10):
trying to find the way out. And then suddenly he
came to an open place, and there he saw before
him a magnificent castle. The merchant was amazed. He had
never heard of such a castle in that forest. He
(06:30):
rode up to the door and knocked, hoping to find
shelter for the night. Scarcely had he knocked when the
great door swung open before him. He entered and looked about.
No one was there. Everything was silent. Wondering, he went
(06:54):
on into one room after another. Everything was very magnificent
and well arranged, but nowhere was a soul to be seen.
At last he came to a room where a supper
was set out. The plates were all of gold, and
(07:15):
the fruits and meats were of the rarest and most
delicious kinds. The merchant was so hungry that he sat
down at the table, and at once the food was
served to him by invisible hands, while soft music sounded
from a hidden room beyond. He ate heartily, and then
(07:40):
arose and went in search of a place to sleep.
This he soon found a bed had been made ready
in a large chamber, and here he undressed, and lying down,
he slept until morning without being disturbed. When he awoke,
(08:03):
he found his own travel stained clothes had been taken away.
In their place, a handsome suit had been laid out,
and other necessary things, all of the richest kind. There
was also a bag filled with gold pieces. Wandering still more,
(08:25):
the merchant arose and dressed, and went out into the
gardens to look about him. Here everything was more beautiful
than any garden he had ever seen before. There were
winding paths, and fountains, and fruit trees and flowering plants.
(08:49):
Beside one of the fountains was a rose bush covered
with the roses. The sight of these roses reminded the
merchant of Beauty's wish, and he thought it would be
no harm to break off one to carry to her.
He chose the largest and finest rose, scarcely had he
(09:12):
plucked it. However, when the air was filled with a
sound of thunder and the ground rocked, under his feet,
and a terrible looking beast appeared before him. Miserable man
cried the beast, What have you done? All the best
(09:36):
in the castle was offered to you. Why have you
broken my rose bush that is dearer to me than
anything in the world. Now for this you must surely die.
The merchant was terrified. Oh, dear good beast, do not
(09:59):
kill me, he cried, I meant no harm. Only let
me go, and I will never trouble you again. No, no,
answered the beast. You shall not escape so easily. You
have broken my rose bush, and you must suffer for it. Still,
(10:23):
the merchant begged and entreated to be spared, and at
last the beast had pity on him. If I spare
your life, said he, what will you give me in
return for it?
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Alas, said the.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Merchant, what can I give you. I have lost all
my fortune and I am now a poor man. I
have nothing left in the world but my three daughters.
Give me one of your daughters for a wife, and
I I will be satisfied, said the beast. The merchant
(11:05):
was horrified at the thought of such a thing. He
would have refused, but he feared that if he did so,
the beast would tear him to pieces at once. You
may have three months in which to think it over,
said the beast, But you must promise me that at
(11:26):
the end of that time you will return here and
either bring me one of your daughters or come prepared
to die. The merchant was obliged to promise this, he
could not help himself. As soon as he had promised,
the beast disappeared, and the man was free to go,
(11:50):
And this he was not slow to do. He rode
on toward his home, and his heart was heavy with
it him. He did not see how he could possibly
give one of his daughters to be the bride of
a hideous beast, and yet he did not wish to die.
(12:14):
His daughters met him with joy, and the two older
sisters were delighted when they saw the beautiful gifts he
had brought them. Only Beauty noticed his sad and downcast looks.
Dear father said she, why are you troubled? Has something
(12:37):
unfortunate happened to you? At first, her father would not
tell her, but she urged and entreated him to tell her,
until finally he could keep silence no longer. He told
his daughters all about the castle and his adventure there,
(12:58):
and of the beast, and of how on less one
of them would consent to marry the beast, he would
have to lose his life. When the older daughters heard this,
they were ready to faint. Not even to save their
father's life, could they consent to marry such a creature.
(13:20):
Dear father said, Beauty, you shall not die. I will
be the beast's bride. Yes, yes, cried her sisters. That
is only right. If Beauty had not asked for the rose,
this misfortune would not have happened. To this, the merchant
(13:45):
would not at first agree. Beauty was the dearest to
him of all his daughters. He had hoped that if
any of them was to marry the beast, it might
be one of the older sisters. But they would not
hear of this. And when at the end of three
(14:05):
months the merchant set out to return to the castle,
he took Beauty with him. They rode along, and rode along,
and after a while they came to the forest. And
then it did not take the merchant long to find
the castle. He knocked at the door, and it opened
(14:30):
as before, and he and Beauty went in through one
room after another, and everything was so magnificent that she
could not but admire it. At last, they came to
the supper room, and here a delicious feast was set
out for them. They sat down and ate, while soft
(14:55):
music sounded around them. Beauty began to think the master
of all this could not be such a terrible creature
after all. But scarcely had they finished their supper before
the beast appeared before them, And when Beauty saw him,
(15:15):
she began to shake and tremble, for he was even
more dreadful looking than her father had said. Do not
fear me, Beauty, he said, in a gentle voice.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
I will do you no harm.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Your father has brought you here, and it is true
that here you must stay, But you need not marry
me unless you are quite willing to. I do not
wish to marry you, beast, and you must know that,
said Beauty. But I fear that if I do not,
(15:57):
you may harm my father. No, Beauty, I will not
harm him. He may go in peace, and perhaps after
you have been here a while, you may learn to
like me enough to marry me. Beauty did not believe this,
(16:18):
but the beast spoke so gently that she no longer
feared him, and when the time came for her father
to go, she bade him good bye and did not
grieve him by weeping. After that, Beauty lived there in
the beast's castle and was well content. Every day she
(16:41):
went out into the gardens, and the beast came and
played with her for a while, and she grew very.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Fond of him.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Every day before he left her, he said, Beauty, are
you willing to marry me? But always Beauty answered, no,
dear Beast, I do not wish to marry you. Then
the beast would sigh heavily and go away. One day,
(17:16):
Beauty was sitting before a large mirror in her room,
and she was sad because she had not seen her
father for so long. I wish, said she that I
could see what my dear father is doing at this moment.
(17:36):
As she said this, she raised her eyes to the mirror.
What was her surprise to see in it the reflection
of a room quite different from the one she was in.
It was a room in her own home that she
saw reflected there. She saw in it the images of
(17:59):
her father and sisters. She could see them smile and move,
and she could tell exactly what they were doing. She
found she could watch them in the mirror for as
long as she pleased, and whenever she pleased. After this,
(18:22):
Beauty often came to sit before the mirror, and she
had only to wish it, and she could see her
home and all that was going on there. But one day,
when she sat down before the glass, she saw that
her father was ill. He lay upon his bed so
(18:45):
pale and weak that Beauty was terrified. She jumped up
and ran out into the garden, calling for the beast.
At once he appeared before her. What is it, the
beast asked anxiously, what has frightened you?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
Beauty? Alas she cried, my father is ill.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Oh, dear kind beast, let me go to him. I pray,
and I will love you forever. After the beast looked
very grave, very well, Beauty, he said, I will let
you go, for I can refuse you nothing, but promise
(19:36):
me you will return at the end of a week,
for if you do not, some great misfortune will happen
to me. Beauty was very willing to promise this. The
beast then gave her a ring set with a large ruby.
When you go to bed tonight, he said, turn the
(20:00):
ruby in toward the palm of your hand, and wish
you were in your father's house. And in the morning
you will find you are there. When you are ready
to return, do the same thing, and you will find
yourself back in the castle again. And do not forget
(20:23):
that by the end of a week to an hour
you must return, or you will bring suffering upon me.
Beauty did as the beast told her. That night, when
she lay down, she turned the ruby of the ring
in toward the palm of her hand, and wished she
(20:46):
were in her father's house. And what was her joy
when she awakened the next morning to find herself in
her own bed at home. She arose and ran to
her father's room, and the merchant was so delighted to
(21:07):
see her that from that hour he began to get better,
and in a few days he was as well as
ever again. Beauty's sisters asked her a great many questions
about the castle where she lived, and when they heard
(21:28):
how fine it was and how happy she was there,
they were filled with envy. Beauty always gets the best
of everything, they said to each other. She is younger
than either of us, and see how finely she lives,
much better than we do. They then planned together as
(21:53):
to how they could keep Beauty from going back to
the castle at the end.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Of the week.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
If we can only make her break her promise to
the beast, said they, he might be so angry with
her that he would send her away and take one
of us to live at his castle instead. The day
before Beauty was to return to the beast, they put
(22:21):
a sleeping powder in the goblet.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
That she drank from.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
As soon as Beauty had swallowed this powder, she became
very sleepy. Her eyelids weighed like lead, and presently she
fell into a deep slumber, and she did not awaken
for two days and nights. At the end of that time,
(22:48):
Beauty had a dream, and in her dream she walked
in the castle gardens. She came to the rose bush
beside the fountain, and there lay the poor beast, stretched
out on the ground, and he was almost dead. He
(23:09):
opened his eyes and looked at her sadly. Ah, Beauty, Beauty,
He said, why did you break your promise to return
at the end of a week? See what suffering you
have brought on me. Beauty awoke sobbing bitterly. Alas Alas,
(23:35):
she cried, I must go at once, I feel some
harm has come to the beast, and that it is
my fault, though how I do not know, for she
did not know she had been asleep for two days
and nights. She turned the ruby ring with the ruby
(23:57):
toward the palm of her hand, and wished herself back
in the castle, and then lay down and went to sleep.
When she awoke, she was in the castle again, and
it was early morning. She ran out into the garden
(24:18):
and straight to the rose bush. There, as in her dream,
she saw the beast stretched out on the ground, and
he seemed to be without life or breath. Beauty threw
herself down on the ground and took his head in
(24:40):
her lap, and her tears ran down and fell upon him.
And it seemed to her she did not love even
her father as dearly as she loved the beast. Oh, beast, dear,
dear beast, she cried, can you not hear me? Are
(25:04):
you quite quite dead? Then the beast opened his eyes
and looked at her, Ah, Beauty, he said, I thought
you had deserted me. Do you not yet love me
enough to marry me? Oh?
Speaker 2 (25:26):
I do?
Speaker 1 (25:27):
I do love you enough? And gladly will I be
your bride, cried Beauty. No sooner had she said this
than the rough, thiry hide of the beast fell apart,
and a handsome young prince, all dressed in white, satin
(25:48):
and silver, stood before her. Beauty looked at him, wondering, Yes,
you shall indeed be my own. Dear bride, cried the prince,
For you, and you alone, have broken the enchantment that
(26:08):
held me. Then the prince a beast no longer told
Beauty that a wicked fairy had changed him into the
shape of a beast, and not until a fair young
maiden would love him enough to be his bride would
the enchantment be broken. But Beauty had loved him for
(26:33):
his kindness and goodness in spite of his ugly form,
And now never again could the wicked fairy have any
power over him.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
And now all.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Through the castle was heard a sound of life, and
of voices, and of running to and fro. For the
same enchantment that had changed the prince to a beast
had made all his people invisible, and now they too
(27:08):
were freed from the spell. Then how happy Beauty was
if she had loved the beast, she loved the handsome
young prince a thousand times better. A grand wedding feast
was prepared, and her father and sisters were sent for
(27:33):
Her father was given the place of honor, but it
was quite different with her sisters. Because of their hard hearts.
They were changed into two statues, and they stood one
on either side of the doorway. But Beauty was too
(27:54):
gentle to bear them any ill will. After she was married,
she often used to go and stand beside the statues
and talk to them, and her tears fell upon them,
so that after a while their hard hearts grew soft
and the stone melted back to flesh again. Then they
(28:19):
were all very happy together. The two sisters were married
to two noblemen of the court. As for Beauty and
the Prince, nothing could equal their love for each other,
and they lived together happy forever after, and no further
(28:44):
harm ever came to them.
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