Blue Beard

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 had the misfortune to have a blue

beard, which made him so frightfully ugly, that all the women and

girls ran away from him.

One of his neighbours, a lady of quality, had two daughters who were

perfect beauties. He desired of her one of them in marriage, leaving

to her the choice which of the two she would bestow upon him. They

would neither of them have him, and each made the other welcome of

him, being not able to bear the thought 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 neighbourhood, 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 playing tricks upon

each other. In short, every thing 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 afterwards 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 will be no bounds to 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.

[Illustration: "THIS MAN HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO HAVE A BLUE BEARD"]

Her neighbours and good friends did not stay to be sent for by the

newmarried 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 thro'

all the rooms, closets, and wardrobes, which were all so rich and

fine, that they seemed to surpass one another.

After that, they went up into the two great rooms, where were 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 which were ever seen. They

ceased not to extol and envy the happiness of their friend, who in the

mean time no way diverted herself in looking upon all these rich

things, because of the impatience she had to go and open the closet of

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-stair-case, and with such excessive haste,

that she had twice or thrice like to have broken her neck.

Being come 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 took then the little key, and opened it

trembling; but could not at first see any thing plainly, because the

windows were shut. After some moments she began to perceive that the

floor was all covered over with clotted blood, in which were reflected

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 was like to have died for fear, and the key, which she

pulled out of the lock, fell out of her hand.

   *       *       *       *       *

After having somewhat recovered her senses, she took up the key,

locked the door, and went up stairs into her chamber to recover

herself; but she could not, so much was she 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 off;

in vain did she wash it, and even rub it with soap and sand, the blood

still remained, for the key was a Fairy, 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," answered she, "have left it above upon the table."

"Fail not," said Blue Beard, "to bring it me presently."

After putting him off several times, 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 a true repentance for her disobedience.

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; 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 any one coming?"

And sister Anne said:

"I see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass growing

green."

In the mean while Blue Beard, holding a great scimitar 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 any body coming?"

And sister Anne answered:

"I see nothing but the sun, which makes a dust, and the grass growing

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 see any one coming?"

"I see," replied sister Anne, "a great dust that comes this way."

"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 coming, but they are yet a great way

off."

"God be praised," she cried presently, "they are my brothers; I am

beckoning to them, 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.

"Nought will avail," said Blue Beard, "you must die"; then, taking

hold of her hair with one hand, and lifting up his scimitar 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 musqueteer; 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

thro' 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.

[Illustration]

The Moral

_O curiosity, thou mortal bane!

Spite of thy charms, thou causest often pain

And sore regret, of which we daily find

A thousand instances attend mankind:

For thou--O may it not displease the fair--

A fleeting pleasure art, but lasting care.

And always proves, alas! too dear the prize,

Which, in the moment of possession, dies._

Another

_A very little share of common sense,

And knowledge of the world, will soon evince

That this a story is of time long pass'd;

No husbands now such panic terrors cast;

Nor weakly, with a vain despotic hand,

Imperious, what's impossible, command:

And be they discontented, or the fire

Of wicked jealousy their hearts inspire,

They softly sing; and of whatever hue

Their beards may chance to be, or black, or blue,

Grizeld, or russet, it is hard to say

Which of the two, the man or wife, bears sway._

The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood

[Illustration]

[Illustration: "AT THIS VERY INSTANT THE YOUNG FAIRY CAME OUT FROM

BEHIND THE HANGINGS" (page 50)]