BLUE
BEARD
There
was a man who had fine houses, both in town and country, a deal of silver and
gold plate, embroidered furniture, and coaches gilded all over with gold. But
this man was so unlucky as to have a blue beard, which made him so frightfully
ugly that all the women and girls ran away from him.
One
of his neighbors, a lady of quality, had two daughters who were perfect
beauties. He desired of her one of them in marriage, leaving to her choice
which of the two she would bestow on him. They would neither of them have him,
and sent him backward and forward from one another, not being able to bear the
thoughts of marrying a man who had a blue beard, and what besides gave them
disgust and aversion was his having already been married to several wives, and
nobody ever knew what became of them.
Blue
Beard, to engage their affection, took them, with the lady their mother and
three or four ladies of their acquaintance, with other young people of the
neighborhood, to one of his country seats, where they stayed a whole week.
There
was nothing then to be seen but parties of pleasure, hunting, fishing, dancing,
mirth, and feasting. Nobody went to bed, but all passed the night in rallying
and joking with each other. In short, everything succeeded so well that the
youngest daughter began to think the master of the house not to have a beard so
very blue, and that he was a mighty civil gentleman.
As
soon as they returned home, the marriage was concluded. About a month
afterward, Blue Beard told his wife that he was obliged to take a country
journey for six weeks at least, about affairs of very great consequence,
desiring her to divert herself in his absence, to send for her friends and
acquaintances, to carry them into the country, if she pleased, and to make good
cheer wherever she was.
"Here,"
said he, "are the keys of the two great wardrobes, wherein I have my best
furniture; these are of my silver and gold plate, which is not every day in
use; these open my strong boxes, which hold my money, both gold and silver;
these my caskets of jewels; and this is the master-key to all my apartments.
But for this little one here, it is the key of the closet at the end of the
great gallery on the ground floor. Open them all; go into all and every one of
them, except that little closet, which I forbid you, and forbid it in such a
manner that, if you happen to open it, there's nothing but what you may expect
from my just anger and resentment."
She
promised to observe, very exactly, whatever he had ordered; when he, after
having embraced her, got into his coach and proceeded on his journey.
Her
neighbors and good friends did not stay to be sent for by the new married lady,
so great was their impatience to see all the rich furniture of her house, not
daring to come while her husband was there, because of his blue beard, which
frightened them. They ran through all the rooms, closets, and wardrobes, which
were all so fine and rich that they seemed to surpass one another.
After
that they went up into the two great rooms, where was the best and richest
furniture; they could not sufficiently admire the number and beauty of the
tapestry, beds, couches, cabinets, stands, tables, and looking-glasses, in
which you might see yourself from head to foot; some of them were framed with
glass, others with silver, plain and gilded, the finest and most magnificent
ever were seen.
They
ceased not to extol and envy the happiness of their friend, who in the meantime
in no way diverted herself in looking upon all these rich things, because of
the impatience she had to go and open the closet on the ground floor. She was
so much pressed by her curiosity that, without considering that it was very
uncivil to leave her company, she went down a little back staircase, and with
such excessive haste that she had twice or thrice like to have broken her neck.
Coming
to the closet-door, she made a stop for some time, thinking upon her husband's
orders, and considering what unhappiness might attend her if she was
disobedient; but the temptation was so strong she could not overcome it. She
then took the little key, and opened it, trembling, but could not at first see
anything plainly, because the windows were shut. After some moments she began
to perceive that the floor was all covered over with clotted blood, on which
lay the bodies of several dead women, ranged against the walls. (These were all
the wives whom Blue Beard had married and murdered, one after another.) She
thought she should have died for fear, and the key, which she pulled out of the
lock, fell out of her hand.
After
having somewhat recovered her surprise, she took up the key, locked the door,
and went upstairs into her chamber to recover herself; but she could not, she
was so much frightened. Having observed that the key of the closet was stained
with blood, she tried two or three times to wipe it off, but the blood would not
come out; in vain did she wash it, and even rub it with soap and sand; the
blood still remained, for the key was magical and she could never make it quite
clean; when the blood was gone off from one side, it came again on the other.
Blue
Beard returned from his journey the same evening, and said he had received
letters upon the road, informing him that the affair he went about was ended to
his advantage. His wife did all she could to convince him she was extremely
glad of his speedy return.
Next
morning he asked her for the keys, which she gave him, but with such a
trembling hand that he easily guessed what had happened.
"What!"
said he, "is not the key of my closet among the rest?"
"I
must certainly have left it above upon the table," said she.
"Fail
not to bring it to me presently," said Blue Beard.
After
several goings backward and forward she was forced to bring him the key. Blue
Beard, having very attentively considered it, said to his wife,
"How
comes this blood upon the key?"
"I
do not know," cried the poor woman, paler than death.
"You
do not know!" replied Blue Beard. "I very well know. You were
resolved to go into the closet, were you not? Mighty well, madam; you shall go
in, and take your place among the ladies you saw there."
Upon
this she threw herself at her husband's feet, and begged his pardon with all
the signs of true repentance, vowing that she would never more be disobedient.
She would have melted a rock, so beautiful and sorrowful was she; but Blue
Beard had a heart harder than any rock!
"You
must die, madam," said he, "and that presently."
"Since
I must die," answered she (looking upon him with her eyes all bathed in
tears), "give me some little time to say my prayers."
"I
give you," replied Blue Beard, "half a quarter of an hour, but not
one moment more."
When
she was alone she called out to her sister, and said to her:
"Sister
Anne" (for that was her name), "go up, I beg you, upon the top of the
tower, and look if my brothers are not coming over; they promised me that they
would come to-day, and if you see them, give them a sign to make haste."
Her
sister Anne went up upon the top of the tower, and the poor afflicted wife
cried out from time to time:
"Anne,
sister Anne, do you see anyone coming?"
And
sister Anne said:
"I
see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, which looks
green."
In
the meanwhile Blue Beard, holding a great sabre in his hand, cried out as loud
as he could bawl to his wife:
"Come
down instantly, or I shall come up to you."
"One
moment longer, if you please," said his wife, and then she cried out very
softly, "Anne, sister Anne, dost thou see anybody coming?"
And
sister Anne answered:
"I
see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass, which is
green."
"Come
down quickly," cried Blue Beard, "or I will come up to you."
"I
am coming," answered his wife; and then she cried, "Anne, sister
Anne, dost thou not see anyone coming?"
"I
see," replied sister Anne, "a great dust, which comes on this side
here."
"Are
they my brothers?"
"Alas!
no, my dear sister, I see a flock of sheep."
"Will
you not come down?" cried Blue Beard
"One
moment longer," said his wife, and then she cried out: "Anne, sister
Anne, dost thou see nobody coming?"
"I
see," said she, "two horsemen, but they are yet a great way
off."
"God
be praised," replied the poor wife joyfully; "they are my brothers; I
will make them a sign, as well as I can, for them to make haste."
Then
Blue Beard bawled out so loud that he made the whole house tremble. The
distressed wife came down, and threw herself at his feet, all in tears, with
her hair about her shoulders.
"This
signifies nothing," says Blue Beard; "you must die"; then,
taking hold of her hair with one hand, and lifting up the sword with the other,
he was going to take off her head. The poor lady, turning about to him, and
looking at him with dying eyes, desired him to afford her one little moment to
recollect herself.
"No,
no," said he, "recommend thyself to God," and was just ready to
strike . . .
At
this very instant there was such a loud knocking at the gate that Blue Beard
made a sudden stop. The gate was opened, and presently entered two horsemen,
who, drawing their swords, ran directly to Blue Beard. He knew them to be his
wife's brothers, one a dragoon, the other a musketeer, so that he ran away
immediately to save himself; but the two brothers pursued so close that they
overtook him before he could get to the steps of the porch, when they ran their
swords through his body and left him dead. The poor wife was almost as dead as
her husband, and had not strength enough to rise and welcome her brothers.
Blue
Beard had no heirs, and so his wife became mistress of all his estate. She made
use of one part of it to marry her sister Anne to a young gentleman who had
loved her a long while; another part to buy captains commissions for her
brothers, and the rest to marry herself to a very worthy gentleman, who made
her forget the ill time she had passed with Blue Beard.[1]
[1]
Charles Perrault.
0 Comments
If you have any Misunderstanding Please let me know