Beauty found her supper served just at the time she preferred to
have it, but she did not see anyone or hear a sound, and, though
her father had warned her that she would be alone, she began to
find it rather dull.
But presently she heard the Beast coming, and wondered
tremblingly if he meant to eat her up now.
However, as he did not seem at all ferocious, and only said
gruffly:
“Good-evening, Beauty,” she answered cheerfully and managed to
conceal her terror. Then the Beast asked her how she had been
amusing herself, and she told him all the rooms she had seen.
Then he asked if she thought she could be happy in his palace;
and Beauty answered that everything was so beautiful that she would
be very hard to please if she could not be happy. And after
about an hour’s talk Bea
