Well, Beauty had been at the great Castle some time when she began to
pine to go home and see her father, and she begged the Beast to let
her go.
"Very good," he said with a great sigh, "you may go home to-day, but
promise me that you will be back early to-morrow morning. If you do
not come back early I am sure I shall die for I love you so dearly."
So Beauty promised and went home, and she took presents for her father
and her sisters, and when the sisters heard of all the wonderful
things at the great Castle, they were envious and jealous, and made up
their minds to do Beauty and the Beast a great injury.
So they mixed something in Beauty's supper that made her sleep nearly
all the next day, and so she did not keep her promise. It was evening
when she arrived at the gate in the wall, instead of early morning.
But she knocked three times and the gate opened by magic, and she went
through the garden and hurried to the Castle, that shone like fire in
the light of the setting sun. And the huge gates opened by magic, and
the doors opened by magic, and she stood in the great hall, but there
was no Beast there.
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