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Read Ebook: The Wonderful Story of Blue Beard and His Last Wife by Cruikshank George Illustrator
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every sort of entertainment that can amuse you during my absence. Here are all the keys of the castle; you may therefore examine the different apartments which you have not seen; and I hope you will find some that will surprise and please you as well as those with which you are already acquainted. I must however most earnestly caution and require you not to open the blue closet at the end of the gallery; and although I leave the key of it with you, yet I trust you will have the prudence to fulfil my wishes in this particular. Remember this, as you value my love and your own life and happiness."
Fatima promised that she would obey his desire. She thanked her husband for his kind attention to her comforts; and again promised that she would not disappoint the confidence he had placed in her, but would carefully abstain from examining the particular apartment he had named.
Blue Beard set off upon his journey; and Fatima having informed her sister of every thing that had passed in their late conversation, they agreed to invite their relatives and friends to an entertainment the next day; but more particularly their two brothers, who, having been absent from home as military officers, had not yet seen their sister's magnificent residence.
Having arranged every thing for their intended party, Fatima proposed that they should see the apartments of which she now had the keys. They accordingly proceeded to that part of the extensive castle which they had not as yet seen, and at last arrived at a most splendid suit of rooms, far surpassing those to which they had been accustomed.
On one side of one of these apartments they perceived a door, which they opened, and found behind it an iron gate of amazing strength. Among the keys Blue Beard had left, they found one which opened this massy portal.
When they entered the room which was before them, they were surprised to find it almost full of large iron chests: but their surprise was considerably increased when they had found, that they were full of gold, silver, and jewels; even the costliness of the apartments they had just quitted, seemed insignificant when compared with the riches which this treasury contained.
Having fastened the entrance to the treasury, they sat down and conversed upon what they had seen. Fatima could not avoid feeling that the personal deformity in Blue Beard was compensated by the vast wealth of which she was become the mistress; but both she and her sister were almost lost in admiration of the immeasurable riches they had lately beheld.
In returning to their usual apartments, they passed the door of the mysterious blue closet, which Blue Beard had cautioned his wife not to examine. They could not help expressing their mutual curiosity upon the interior of this particular chamber. It could not have been his wish to conceal any articles of value; as nothing could be more valuable than the contents of the treasury. After some deliberation, Fatima said that they could do no harm by merely looking inside; and although her sister reminded her of the promise she had made her husband, and of his express desire, yet she resolved to gratify her irresistible curiosity, and put the key to the door.
Fatima hastened to her sister, who not choosing to partake of her sister's folly, had proceeded to their customary sitting-room. She related what she had seen; particularly the sentence which was on the wall. Her sister partook of her alarm; and feared that evil consequences would result from this unfortunate affair. She asked Fatima if she had closed the window-shutters and brought away the key: and returned every thing she had moved to its proper place; Fatima said she had; and, in proof of her answer to the inquiry, showed the key itself.
The key, however, was no sooner produced than they both turned pale with horror. This fatal instrument was covered with blood! and all their endeavours could not clear it of its condemning evidence.
During the remainder of the evening they employed themselves in making every sort of exertion to restore the key to its former state; but all they could do was ineffectual; it still preserved the testimony of Fatima's indiscretion. At night they retired to bed; but no sleep did the wretched girls obtain. The splendor and riches of the castle lost all their charms; Fatima no longer prided herself upon her good fortune; she felt that no creature could be more miserable than she was. How soon Blue Beard would return, she had no means of conjecturing; it was not likely, however, that he would be at the castle again for some days to come; she therefore resolved to escape from this dreadful mansion as soon as the entertainment, which was appointed for the next day, should have taken place.
When she arose in the morning, she communicated to her sister the intention she had formed; and they both began to feel less dread than they had experienced since the discoveries in the fatal closet. The day advanced, and they looked forward to the arrival of the relatives and friends whom they had invited to this day's entertainment.
However, in the midst of their mutual congratulations upon the plan which had been formed, they heard the arrival of a carriage at the castle, and in a few moments Blue Beard himself entered their apartment. Fatima felt all the horror which the remembrance of the closet could excite, and all the shame which the consciousness of her own impropriety could not fail to produce.
Blue Beard did not seem to notice his wife's uneasiness; but with apparent good humour said, "that he had not proceeded very far, when he met a messenger who was coming to the castle to inform him that it was no longer necessary he should proceed on his intended journey; that he had therefore lost no time in returning home; where," he said, "Fatima's presence rendered him so peculiarly happy."
Soon afterwards Blue Beard, as though he wanted something, asked his wife for the keys. She went to the chamber and returned with all of them excepting the one which belonged to the dreadful closet; for it still preserved the evidence of her disobedience. He took them with seeming good-natured indifference, and did not pretend to observe how the wretched girl trembled. As he held them in his hand, he said to her, with affected carelessness, "The key of the blue closet is not here; bring it to me in my dressing-room."
He arose and left the apartment in which they were sitting; and Fatima and her sister proceeded to her chamber. Again they tried to remove the blood with which the key was stained; but all their efforts were unavailing. At length Blue Beard called his wife, and as she and her sister were going to his dressing-room, they met him in the gallery, close to the stairs which led to the top of the castle.
As soon as she approached him, he threw off the disguise of good nature which he had assumed in the sitting room, and demanded the key of the closet. The tone of voice in which this was uttered, struck upon her ear like the knell for her execution; she seemed to be deprived of the power of speaking. He became impatient, and seizing her hand, took from it the blood-stained key. The wretched girl fell upon her knees, the tears rushed into her eyes, and enabled her to speak; but by this time Blue Beard stood over her with his sword unsheathed.
These last words roused the almost inanimate girl; she recollected that she had seen them on the wall of the fatal closet. He was now about to fulfil his sentence; his arm was again uplifted; when she entreated him to spare her for a few minutes, to prepare for this unexpected end. He consented, after much entreaty, to allow her a quarter of an hour. As soon as this indulgence was given her, she begged her sister to ascend the staircase to the top of the castle, and see if any of their friends were to be seen. She did so; but no signs of a human being could be perceived.
At length the short interval which had been allowed her came to an end, and Blue Beard approached to complete his determination. She again implored mercy, and he, knowing that she was in his power, gave her five minutes more. She now renewed her frenzied enquiries to her sister; "Is no one coming?" asked she. After a short time her sister told her that she saw something approaching; which cheered the heart of the unhappy girl. Alas! it was but transient,--it was a flock of sheep.
Blue Beard's patience was now exhausted; and he came to the foot of the tower where Fatima was; when her sister called out, "I see two horsemen coming." "Make signs for them to hasten," shrieked the miserable girl.
Her brutal husband had now caught her by the hair of her head, and in spite of her heart-rending cries for mercy, was about to strike at her with his scymitar, when two men in soldiers' uniform rushed to the spot, and plunged their swords in the breast of the relentless Blue Beard.
He grew faint; and having uttered a few prayers for forgiveness, he fell back, and expired.
During the day, all the friends who had been invited arrived. They were told the occurrences which had happened; and such of them as chose it, saw the horrid proofs of Blue Beard's cruelty.
Fatima shortly afterwards had a day of great rejoicing; she not only gave a magnificent entertainment to her relations and friends, but the poor, for miles round, were collected together to partake of her hospitality: and on this occasion every face glowed with smiles of happiness.
HAS ALWAYS ON HAND AN EXTENSIVE ASSORTMENT OF VALENTINES, PLAIN AND COLORED TOY BOOKS, SONG BOOKS, ALMANACKS, PLAYS, CARDS, MOTTO VERSES, BLANK BOOKS, STATIONERY, &c. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL.
Country orders attended to with punctuality--and liberal Discount TO THE TRADE.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Otherwise, the author's original spelling, punctuation, and hyphenation have been left intact.
Page 6 - The word 'expence' has been retained. It is an obsolete spelling of 'expense'.
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