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第0章 剑竹林

So the merchant set out and reached the town as quickly aspossible, but only to find that his former companions, believinghim to be dead, had divided between them the goods which theship had brought; and after six months of trouble and expensehe found himself as poor as when he started, having been ableto recover only just enough to pay the cost of his journey. Tomake matters worse, he was obliged to leave the town in themost terrible weather, so that by the time he was within a fewleagues of his home he was almost exhausted with cold andfatigue. Though he knew it would take some hours to get throughthe forest, he was so anxious to be at his journey's end that heresolved to go on; but night overtook him, and the deep snowand bitter frost made it impossible for his horse to carry him anyfurther. Not a house was to be seen; the only shelter he could getwas the hollow trunk of a great tree, and there he crouched all thenight, which seemed to him the longest he had ever known. Insp

"I think, father," she said, "that, as the gold will be more usefulto you, we had better take out the other things again, and fill thetrunks with it." So they did this; but the more they put in, themore room there seemed to be, and at last they put back all thejewels and dresses they had taken out, and Beauty even added asmany more of the jewels as she could carry at once; and then thetrunks were not too full, but they were so heavy that an elephantcould not have carried them!

Then turning to Beauty, he said:

"I think, father," she said, "that, as the gold will be more usefulto you, we had better take out the other things again, and fill thetrunks with it." So they did this; but the more they put in, themore room there seemed to be, and at last they put back all thejewels and dresses they had taken out, and Beauty even added asmany more of the jewels as she could carry at once; and then thetrunks were not too full, but they were so heavy that an elephantcould not have carried them!

"Here is what you asked me to bring you; you little know whatit has cost."

"Ah! Beauty, have you the heart to desert an unhappy Beastlike this? What more do you want to make you happy? Is itbecause you hate me that you want to escape?"

But, in spite of her anxiety, she could not help admiring allthe wonderful things she saw.

So saying she opened a door, and found to her delight that itled into her own room, though she had thought it was quite theother side of the palace.

paths and avenues ran poor Beauty, calling him in vain, for no