Latest / Abide Meditation App / Beauty and the Beast Sleepy Story _ Part 2 _ Fairytale Bedtime Story

Transcript

Beauty and the Beast Sleepy Story _ Part 2 _ Fairytale Bedtime Story · Abide Meditation App

0:02
Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and
0:09
Speaker 1: we get sleepy. I'm your host, Thomas. It means so
0:16
Speaker 1: much to have your company. Tonight, we return to the
0:22
Speaker 1: beloved fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. To recap the
0:28
Speaker 1: first part, After a bout of misfortune, Laurent and his
0:34
Speaker 1: six children were forced to give up their lives of privilege.
0:39
Speaker 1: While the oldest siblings struggled to adapt, the youngest daughter, Camille,
0:45
Speaker 1: was eager to learn new skills. One day, her father
0:50
Speaker 1: was riding back from a failed visit to the port
0:53
Speaker 1: city when a storm forced him to seek shelter in
0:58
Speaker 1: an old gloomy mansion. Inside, he found the dinner table
1:04
Speaker 1: set for one and sat himself down to enjoy a
1:08
Speaker 1: hearty meal, eventually spending the whole night in this mysterious house.
1:16
Speaker 1: The next morning, he remembered a promise he made to
1:19
Speaker 1: Camille to bring her back the gift of a rose.
1:24
Speaker 1: When walking through the garden of the mansion, he spotted
1:28
Speaker 1: a rosebush and proceeded to take every single flower. With
1:34
Speaker 1: the final rose in his hands, he heard a disgruntled
1:38
Speaker 1: voice behind him, that of the beastly owner of the estate,
1:44
Speaker 1: who gave him a choice. Either he must pay off
1:48
Speaker 1: his debt himself, or he must send one of his
1:51
Speaker 1: children to work it off in his place. Back at home,
1:58
Speaker 1: Laurent shared his tale, Camille listened thoughtfully and then volunteered
2:05
Speaker 1: to take her father's place. She would be the one
2:09
Speaker 1: to join the owner and repay him for the theft
2:13
Speaker 1: of the roses. Together, Laurent and Camille set off through
2:20
Speaker 1: the woods until they reached the gates of the forbidding
2:24
Speaker 1: mansion once more, which is where we'll pick back up
2:29
Speaker 1: from tonight. So let's just take a moment to unwind,
2:40
Speaker 1: closing your eyes and taking a few deep relaxing breaths.
2:53
Speaker 1: If your mind is still feeling quite active, don't try
2:57
Speaker 1: to fight it. The more we resist, the noisier it
3:04
Speaker 1: tends to become. So instead, just shift your focus onto
3:12
Speaker 1: my voice and onto your breath. Sense the rise and
3:21
Speaker 1: fall of your chest and stomach. And just like the
3:29
Speaker 1: clouds floating overhead, your thoughts can come and go as
3:36
Speaker 1: they please. Your consciousness, just like the calm, clear blue
3:47
Speaker 1: sky beyond the clouds, is a constant. It's always there.
3:58
Speaker 1: Sometimes there are lots of clouds floating around, maybe so
4:04
Speaker 1: many that you can't see the blue sky at all.
4:11
Speaker 1: But just know that your thoughts are much like those clouds,
4:18
Speaker 1: and your conscious mind is the ever-present blue sky, observing
4:24
Speaker 1: from beyond. Eventually, clouds will always part and float away,
4:37
Speaker 1: and that allows that blue sky to appear once more,
4:44
Speaker 1: clearing your mind and bringing a sense of serenity and clarity.
4:56
Speaker 1: As you let your own thoughts and distractions drift away,
5:02
Speaker 1: it's time to hear part two of our story. So
5:09
Speaker 1: allow your imagination to guide you as we return to
5:15
Speaker 1: the grand and mysterious chateau with Camille and her father.
5:48
Speaker 1: Camille stared openly at what lay before her. Both the elaborate,
5:56
Speaker 1: overgrown gardens and the soaring, unforgiving walls of the house
6:03
Speaker 1: were grander than anything she'd ever seen before. It was overwhelming,
6:12
Speaker 1: but also beautiful in its austerity. As a girl who
6:20
Speaker 1: had grown up in a village, Camille was speechless over
6:25
Speaker 1: the sheer size of the place, and she deeply sensed
6:30
Speaker 1: its mystery and its permanence. The very stones seemed to
6:37
Speaker 1: slumber as if they had long waited in secret, hoping
6:42
Speaker 1: to be rediscovered. She wondered what kind of work she
6:50
Speaker 1: would be required to undertake here, and hoped that it
6:54
Speaker 1: was not beyond her capabilities as the former keeper of
6:59
Speaker 1: a humble cottage. Laurence stopped the horse and cart when
7:08
Speaker 1: they'd reached the wide front steps. The wind gusted at
7:14
Speaker 1: them sideways, as if to blow them away from the
7:19
Speaker 1: entrance of the building. He slowly ascended, lifted the heavy
7:26
Speaker 1: door knocker, and let it fall. Father and daughter stood
7:34
Speaker 1: at the steps and waited, expecting the ferocious man of
7:40
Speaker 1: the house to appear. To their surprise, the door was
7:48
Speaker 1: slowly opened by a boy. He appeared to be about
7:54
Speaker 1: 13 years old and was dressed simply in the clothes
8:00
Speaker 1: of a villager. Sticking his head out of the opening,
8:07
Speaker 1: he observed the pair with frank curiosity. Then, appearing satisfied
8:16
Speaker 1: by his findings, he nodded. Is one of you the
8:22
Speaker 1: new servant, then? he asked. Laurent was briefly taken aback,
8:30
Speaker 1: but he indicated that he had come to deliver his daughter, Camille,
8:36
Speaker 1: who would be working off the debt in his place.
8:43
Speaker 1: The boy nodded, as if this was not at all surprising,
8:49
Speaker 1: and tugged hard on the door, motioning for her to
8:52
Speaker 1: come inside. Then he told Laurent he could leave Camille's
8:59
Speaker 1: things in the grand foyer and go. With that, the
9:07
Speaker 1: boy scuttled off into the recesses of the house. presumably
9:13
Speaker 1: to announce that the new servant waited. With the wind
9:19
Speaker 1: at her back, Camille walked through the doorway and into
9:24
Speaker 1: her new life. It was an emotional parting for Laurent
9:32
Speaker 1: and Camille, but they both put on a brave face.
9:39
Speaker 1: He and the faithful horse turned homeward, the sun and
9:43
Speaker 1: skies weighing down on them, and did not look back
9:48
Speaker 1: until they were outside the gates of the chateau. Then,
9:55
Speaker 1: the swaying trees of the forest closed in behind them.
10:05
Speaker 1: Camille stood uncertainly in the echoing hallway. The grey light
10:13
Speaker 1: of the overcast day made its way into the room.
10:17
Speaker 1: via tall windows above the door. But it did nothing
10:23
Speaker 1: to create a feeling of warmth. She suppressed a shiver
10:29
Speaker 1: edging closer to the trunk that held her belongings. She
10:35
Speaker 1: told herself she would need to muster her courage and
10:40
Speaker 1: do her best. After a few minutes, The boy came
10:48
Speaker 1: running back into the hall and announced to her that
10:53
Speaker 1: the baron had told him to take her to her room.
10:59
Speaker 1: With that, he cheerfully picked up her trunk and began
11:04
Speaker 1: lugging it up the large, curving staircase. Camille followed him,
11:12
Speaker 1: surprised that she was going up. instead of down to
11:17
Speaker 1: a kitchen or lower room. Perhaps, she thought, she would
11:23
Speaker 1: be lodging in the attic. To her surprise, the boy
11:31
Speaker 1: turned down the first grand hallway. They padded along the
11:37
Speaker 1: richly carpeted east wing of the chateau. their silent steps
11:44
Speaker 1: moving past staring portraits of nobles from bygone eras. It
11:53
Speaker 1: was as if they were the permanent residents, and this
11:57
Speaker 1: strange girl was an unexpected interloper. Camille was so busy
12:05
Speaker 1: looking at them that she almost collided with the boy,
12:10
Speaker 1: when he finally stopped in front of a door and
12:14
Speaker 1: pushed it open. Camille followed him inside and was surprised
12:23
Speaker 1: to find herself standing in the most well-appointed bedroom she'd
12:29
Speaker 1: ever seen. It was not overly large and the furnishings
12:35
Speaker 1: were sober, but the canopied bed The fine fabrics and
12:41
Speaker 1: the rich wood trim were very luxurious. While she surveyed
12:50
Speaker 1: the room, noting a cozy window seat and a small
12:55
Speaker 1: dressing table, the boy knelt and started a fire in
13:00
Speaker 1: the grate. When it was crackling, he stood and dusted
13:07
Speaker 1: off his hands, grinning at her. I'm Gabriel, he said,
13:16
Speaker 1: and I help the Baron out around here with this
13:19
Speaker 1: and that. I'm so glad you've come. It does get
13:25
Speaker 1: a bit solitary sometimes, and I could use some help
13:29
Speaker 1: with the day-to-day. Camille wasn't sure how to respond, although
13:38
Speaker 1: she wondered why what exactly the day-to-day was. Instead, she
13:45
Speaker 1: thanked him for the fire and asked when she would
13:48
Speaker 1: be meeting her new employer. Gabriel informed her that the
13:56
Speaker 1: Baron had indicated he would see her tomorrow and that
14:01
Speaker 1: he'd explain her duties then. For now, The boy would
14:07
Speaker 1: be bringing her a simple supper and hoped she would
14:11
Speaker 1: rest well for the night. Then, as suddenly as he
14:19
Speaker 1: had appeared, Gabriel left the room and closed the door
14:24
Speaker 1: silently behind him. Camille gathered her senses and went about
14:34
Speaker 1: unpacking her things. She hung her clothes in the large
14:40
Speaker 1: wardrobe and carefully put her small number of books on
14:45
Speaker 1: a side table by the bed. Flipping open the volume
14:52
Speaker 1: on top, she looked at the pink rose that lay
14:56
Speaker 1: between its pages. Smiling woefully to herself, she closed it
15:04
Speaker 1: again and pushed it to the side. Walking over to
15:12
Speaker 1: the window, she pulled the heavy drapes aside and tucked
15:18
Speaker 1: herself into the soft pillows of the window seat. From here,
15:25
Speaker 1: she had a sweeping view of the courtyard, with its
15:29
Speaker 1: gardens growing wildly around the edges of the walkways and
15:35
Speaker 1: up the stone walls around the chateau. Twilight was near,
15:44
Speaker 1: and the wind blew debris across the paved yard, tossing
15:49
Speaker 1: it up here and there into small cyclones. Dark clouds
15:57
Speaker 1: scudded across the rising moon. Exhausted by the journey and
16:05
Speaker 1: by the newness of this life, she briefly dozed there,
16:10
Speaker 1: cocooned inside the curtains. She was awakened by a knock
16:19
Speaker 1: on her door. Pushing her way out of the window seat,
16:25
Speaker 1: she slowed her breathing purposefully and opened it. A tray
16:34
Speaker 1: lay outside with a simple dinner on it. Bread, cheese,
16:41
Speaker 1: some soup, and some hot tea. Looking up and down
16:48
Speaker 1: the hall, she saw nobody. Gabriel was light on his feet,
16:55
Speaker 1: that was certain. Taking the tray into her room, she
17:04
Speaker 1: set it on a small table by the fire. She
17:09
Speaker 1: found she was ravenous and ate every last bite. Then,
17:16
Speaker 1: barely bothering to get ready for bed, she pulled the
17:21
Speaker 1: coverlet back and crawled into the warm embrace of her
17:26
Speaker 1: sheets and pillow. It was less than a minute before
17:32
Speaker 1: she was asleep. That night, Camille had strange dreams. She
17:45
Speaker 1: saw herself walking the dark halls of the chateau following
17:50
Speaker 1: a large dog. The animal disappeared into different rooms, reappearing
17:59
Speaker 1: a few seconds later in the hallway each time. Trying
18:05
Speaker 1: to catch up with it, she came to a doorway
18:09
Speaker 1: where it had recently vanished. She looked into the room, and,
18:17
Speaker 1: instead of a dog, she saw the back of a
18:20
Speaker 1: man sitting at a desk. The man began to turn
18:26
Speaker 1: in his chair, but before he faced her, she awoke.
18:38
Speaker 1: Sitting upright in bed, she saw that the fire had
18:42
Speaker 1: died down and the sun was shining in her window.
18:50
Speaker 1: As her waking confusion cleared, there was a knock at
18:54
Speaker 1: her door. Gabriel was standing outside with a tray. Good morning,
19:05
Speaker 1: Miss Camille, he said politely. I've brought you a bite
19:10
Speaker 1: of breakfast. Then, motioning in the general direction of the entryway,
19:17
Speaker 1: he added, The baron requests that you meet him in
19:21
Speaker 1: his study when you are finished. Camille nodded to the boy,
19:29
Speaker 1: took the tray, and he disappeared again. An hour later,
19:39
Speaker 1: Camille stood nervously at the door of the very room
19:44
Speaker 1: where her father had once eaten his stolen fireside dinner.
19:52
Speaker 1: Camille could hear paper shuffling around inside. She cleared her
19:59
Speaker 1: throat and knocked lightly on the door. The noises stopped.
20:07
Speaker 1: and she heard a chair scraping across the floor. Momentarily,
20:15
Speaker 1: an enormous man with a copious amount of facial hair appeared.
20:24
Speaker 1: His features were unattractively prominent, and his face appeared to
20:29
Speaker 1: wear a natural scowl. He was a truly alarming sight
20:38
Speaker 1: But Camille took care not to reveal her feelings and
20:42
Speaker 1: dipped her head politely in greeting. The huge man peered
20:51
Speaker 1: at her appraisingly and nodded his ungainly head in return.
20:59
Speaker 1: Then he gestured for her to be seated in a
21:03
Speaker 1: chair by the fire, He lowered himself into the armchair opposite.
21:14
Speaker 1: I see that you are the one to work off
21:16
Speaker 1: your father's debt. Are you familiar with basic household tasks,
21:24
Speaker 1: such as cleaning and some cooking, he asked. Camille nodded,
21:32
Speaker 1: indicating that she was. The man appeared pleased by this.
21:40
Speaker 1: He lifted a heavy ring of keys off a nearby table.
21:48
Speaker 1: As you can see, I am very short on help here.
21:53
Speaker 1: Gabriel takes care of my basic needs. His mother keeps
21:58
Speaker 1: me provisioned with bread, milk, and eggs each day, and
22:04
Speaker 1: he runs errands to town. but there is nobody else
22:10
Speaker 1: to manage the estate other than myself. I'm sure you
22:15
Speaker 1: can tell that by looking around. It's still too much
22:21
Speaker 1: work for just you and Gabriel, but we will make do.
22:29
Speaker 1: He paused, as if waiting for a reply. Camille was
22:35
Speaker 1: aghast at the idea, of being the only housekeeper in
22:40
Speaker 1: this huge mansion, but she didn't think there was a
22:45
Speaker 1: point in saying so. The man continued, These keys will
22:55
Speaker 1: open most rooms in the house, although there is little
22:59
Speaker 1: reason to use many of them. If you need something
23:04
Speaker 1: that Gabriel cannot get for you, please speak to me. Otherwise,
23:11
Speaker 1: I am not particular and would like you to make
23:15
Speaker 1: as many household decisions for yourself as possible. I spend
23:22
Speaker 1: most of my time in my study or in the library.
23:31
Speaker 1: Overwhelmed by the enormity of the job he was giving her,
23:36
Speaker 1: Camille could only nod. Indicating that the interview was at
23:43
Speaker 1: an end, he stood abruptly. Camille rose from her seat,
23:51
Speaker 1: took the ancient-looking keys from him, and nodded. Then, as
23:59
Speaker 1: she made her way out of the room, he called
24:02
Speaker 1: after her. dinner is at 7pm. I think it would
24:09
Speaker 1: be very sensible if you would join me in the
24:12
Speaker 1: dining room. Camille bobbed her head, thanked him, and left
24:20
Speaker 1: the study. She stood, somewhat bewildered, in the echoing front hall,
24:31
Speaker 1: feeling at once that she was lost in it. and
24:35
Speaker 1: also that it was closing in on her. Spreading the
24:41
Speaker 1: heavy keys across her open palm, she gazed at them reflectively.
24:50
Speaker 1: She didn't know what doors they opened, but they held
24:55
Speaker 1: a quiet aura of authority about them. She was stirred
25:03
Speaker 1: from her reverie, by the sight of Gabriel emerging from
25:09
Speaker 1: the shadows. Grinning brightly in her direction, he asked if
25:16
Speaker 1: she would like a tour. She gratefully accepted, and so
25:24
Speaker 1: her adventure of being the housekeeper at the chateau began.
25:34
Speaker 1: What Camille learned was that the employer lived alone and
25:39
Speaker 1: had for many years. Because of his fierce appearance, the
25:45
Speaker 1: people in the surrounding area feared him. They whispered unkind
25:52
Speaker 1: stories and spurned him rudely when he showed his face
25:58
Speaker 1: in public. Gabriel was the only person who connected him
26:06
Speaker 1: to the outside world. He had started by running errands
26:12
Speaker 1: for the Baron years ago, but he had soon come
26:17
Speaker 1: to love and appreciate the man behind the unapproachable visage.
26:25
Speaker 1: He insisted that the Baron's bark was worse than his bite. Now,
26:33
Speaker 1: Gabriel spent every day at the house, taking care of
26:38
Speaker 1: what necessities he could. At night, he returned to his
26:44
Speaker 1: family's small home on the outskirts of town. Truly, miss,
26:53
Speaker 1: he insisted, the Baron is a fair and kind-hearted man.
27:02
Speaker 1: Gabriel gave Camille a tour of the many rooms and
27:07
Speaker 1: the corridors of the entire chateau, which was suffering from
27:12
Speaker 1: neglect throughout. Most of the rooms along the gloomy hallways
27:20
Speaker 1: were unused. Camille's keys opened bedroom after bedroom that were
27:29
Speaker 1: covered in dust sheets. the fireplaces cold. Some rooms had
27:37
Speaker 1: not been used for decades, or even centuries. Furniture and
27:44
Speaker 1: belongings were piled high in those places, laced with cobwebs.
27:53
Speaker 1: The windows filtered the light weakly from outside, as the
27:59
Speaker 1: glass was coated with in many years of grime. As
28:07
Speaker 1: Camille discovered, there were just a few rooms that were
28:12
Speaker 1: used every day, and these she must try to clean
28:17
Speaker 1: and organize. Those included the kitchen, the baron's study, and
28:26
Speaker 1: the front entryway. most marvelous, however, was the library. Gabriel
28:38
Speaker 1: allowed Camille to peek into the library while the Baron
28:43
Speaker 1: was busy elsewhere, and she was astounded by it. A
28:54
Speaker 1: huge room with high ceilings and gold trim opened before her.
29:03
Speaker 1: Bookcases stretched all the way to the very top, lining
29:09
Speaker 1: every part of every wall except where there was a window.
29:17
Speaker 1: Rolling ladders perched at the end of each side of
29:21
Speaker 1: the room, ready to slide across the bookcase and allow
29:26
Speaker 1: the visitor to reach any volume they wanted. And the volumes.
29:37
Speaker 1: It seemed there were too many to count. With spines
29:42
Speaker 1: in many colors of crimson, forest green, navy blue, and brown,
29:51
Speaker 1: each begged to be pulled from the shelf and perused
29:56
Speaker 1: at length. Camille was an avid reader of the few
30:02
Speaker 1: books she had possessed during her father's financial disgrace, but
30:09
Speaker 1: she had never seen or imagined a collection like this one.
30:18
Speaker 1: According to Gabriel, the baron spent a large amount of
30:22
Speaker 1: his time here, and it did appear to be true.
30:29
Speaker 1: Tables throughout this lavish hideaway were piled with tomes that
30:35
Speaker 1: were open to particular pages or collected in groups. Two
30:43
Speaker 1: worn leather armchairs spoke of long hours turning their heavy pages.
30:54
Speaker 1: Gabriel told her solemnly that he was to always keep
30:58
Speaker 1: the fire going in the grate during the day. Camille
31:04
Speaker 1: imagined what it would be like to open one of
31:08
Speaker 1: these countless volumes and sink into a soft chair, inhaling
31:15
Speaker 1: the scent of the aged and ink-laden paper. It was intoxicating.
31:29
Speaker 1: Camille knew that the only way to make progress in
31:33
Speaker 1: this neglected house was simply to choose a place and begin.
31:43
Speaker 1: That first day, she and Gabriel dusted and aired the
31:48
Speaker 1: front hall and cleaned the kitchen. Gabriel and the baron
31:56
Speaker 1: had been making simple meals there for a long time,
32:01
Speaker 1: but much of the space was in need of attention.
32:07
Speaker 1: Camille was not an expert cook, but she took pleasure
32:11
Speaker 1: in making the kitchen shine again. She sent Gabriel to
32:19
Speaker 1: town with a list of supplies to be delivered. Then
32:26
Speaker 1: Standing in the grand, silent kitchen, she began to work.
32:35
Speaker 1: Unused countertops were cleared of their dust. Pots and pans
32:42
Speaker 1: received a much-needed polish. The cold and empty space slowly
32:50
Speaker 1: began to feel alive again. By the time she was
32:58
Speaker 1: due to sit down to dinner with the Baron, she
33:02
Speaker 1: had prepared a simple meal of roasted chicken. It was
33:08
Speaker 1: not complicated, but she was proud of it. With little
33:17
Speaker 1: time to tidy herself, Camille returned to her room. Gabriel
33:24
Speaker 1: had rekindled the fire there, and she used her pitcher
33:29
Speaker 1: and washstand to freshen up, putting on her nicest dress.
33:40
Speaker 1: As she walked to the window to pull the drapes
33:43
Speaker 1: for the night, she paused and peered out into the gloom.
33:51
Speaker 1: The courtyard lay silent, as if in wait. Nothing stirred.
34:00
Speaker 1: Not even a bird was visible. It was as if
34:05
Speaker 1: the grounds were under a spell of silence. She thoughtfully
34:13
Speaker 1: tugged the velvet curtains together and pulled herself away from
34:18
Speaker 1: the sight. There was much to learn about this place,
34:26
Speaker 1: she thought. Then, lighting a candle, she made her way
34:33
Speaker 1: down the velvety twilight of the darkening hallway and slowly
34:39
Speaker 1: descended the wide stairs to the tall doors of the
34:44
Speaker 1: dining room. The space was very grand for two people.
34:55
Speaker 1: At one time, it had surely hosted glittering parties and
35:01
Speaker 1: showy formal dinners. Looking up, she admired the sparkling crystal
35:09
Speaker 1: chandelier which loomed over the chamber like a canopy of stars.
35:18
Speaker 1: Gabriel had set two places at one end of the
35:22
Speaker 1: long table, and the dinner had been laid out she
35:29
Speaker 1: was the first to arrive. She did not have long
35:36
Speaker 1: to wait. The baron's hulking shape appeared awkwardly in the doorway.
35:46
Speaker 1: He paused and nodded his head briefly in greeting. Then
35:53
Speaker 1: he motioned to the two place settings to indicate she
35:58
Speaker 1: should have a seat Camille gladly took one of the
36:03
Speaker 1: upholstered chairs. I can see you have been hard at
36:11
Speaker 1: work with Gabriel today, the Baron commented, raising his eyebrows
36:17
Speaker 1: at the hearty dinner she had prepared. He has borne
36:23
Speaker 1: a heavy burden these past years as my only help.
36:29
Speaker 1: I'm glad you will be here to take on some
36:32
Speaker 1: of his labors. Camille nodded, unsure of how to respond.
36:42
Speaker 1: Then she said, My lord, and paused when he shook
36:48
Speaker 1: his head. Please, you may simply call me Antoine, he responded.
36:58
Speaker 1: I am lord of nothing now, Lord of this chateau
37:04
Speaker 1: and its pile of dusty relics, he gestured darkly. Then,
37:11
Speaker 1: looking in her eye, he said, I am sorry you
37:17
Speaker 1: were compelled to come here under such conditions, but I
37:23
Speaker 1: hope you will be comfortable. I try to be a
37:27
Speaker 1: fair man, and I am glad of the company. Camille
37:33
Speaker 1: nodded and smiled briefly. Would you like me to tidy
37:39
Speaker 1: the library tomorrow? She asked. I was not sure if
37:44
Speaker 1: you wanted me to go in there. The Baron thought
37:49
Speaker 1: briefly and nodded, saying that it would be fine. Then
37:57
Speaker 1: he offered. you should feel free to borrow any book
38:02
Speaker 1: that you liked from the room. After all, in the
38:07
Speaker 1: words of Descartes, the reading of all good books is
38:12
Speaker 1: like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.
38:20
Speaker 1: I think you will find that my library has quite
38:24
Speaker 1: an incredible capacity to provide any book you have ever
38:29
Speaker 1: heard of. It is rather magical in that regard. Surprised
38:39
Speaker 1: by his kind offer and civilized words, Camille observed her
38:45
Speaker 1: unfortunate-looking employer while he ate. She had been at the
38:52
Speaker 1: chateau only a day, and her entire view of her
38:57
Speaker 1: situation had begun to change. She was the mistress of
39:06
Speaker 1: a large house, with full independence to work as she chose,
39:13
Speaker 1: and she had just been offered entrance to a vast library.
39:20
Speaker 1: Perhaps this twist of fate was not going to be
39:24
Speaker 1: as grim as she had imagined. She regarded her plate
39:30
Speaker 1: quietly in the flickering firelight, hearing only the clinking of
39:36
Speaker 1: silverware on china. The Baron and Camille did not speak
39:45
Speaker 1: much during that dinner. Finishing their food, in respectful silence. Later,
39:57
Speaker 1: when she rested comfortably, tucked into the crisp white sheets
40:03
Speaker 1: in her grand canopied bed, Camille felt hopeful. This isolated
40:11
Speaker 1: estate appeared to hold many intriguing secrets. and she looked
40:18
Speaker 1: forward to discovering them in good time. Turning over on
40:25
Speaker 1: her side, she gazed sleepily at the drapes again, closed
40:32
Speaker 1: tightly against the night outside the window. Inside this chateau,
40:41
Speaker 1: there was a flame that was keeping this place warm.
40:47
Speaker 1: she could feel it. The next day, after tidying up
40:57
Speaker 1: the kitchen, Camille cautiously approached the library. She knew the
41:04
Speaker 1: Baron was in his other study, and it seemed like
41:08
Speaker 1: a good time to explore the marvellous room of books
41:13
Speaker 1: under the guise of cleaning it. Taking a duster, she
41:20
Speaker 1: began methodically moving around the stack of books and between tables,
41:27
Speaker 1: addressing neglected surfaces that had collected a layer of dirt
41:33
Speaker 1: over time. As she was about to move some stacked
41:38
Speaker 1: volumes aside, Antoine appeared in the doorway. Please don't disturb
41:48
Speaker 1: any stacks or open books, he said. Camille apologized, backing
41:55
Speaker 1: away from the pile she had been touching. No need
42:00
Speaker 1: to apologize, he reassured her. I realize it looks untidy.
42:08
Speaker 1: It's just that I am researching and I don't want
42:11
Speaker 1: to lose my place. Then he asked her if she
42:18
Speaker 1: had chosen a volume for herself. She responded that she
42:25
Speaker 1: had not and asked if he had any recommendations. Camille
42:32
Speaker 1: admitted that she felt unequal to the task of understanding
42:38
Speaker 1: such important works. She had come from a much less
42:44
Speaker 1: learned background than he Antoine smiled and spread his hands wide, saying,
42:56
Speaker 1: Awareness of ignorance is the beginning of wisdom. Seeing her confusion,
43:05
Speaker 1: he winked humorously at her and added, That bit of
43:10
Speaker 1: wisdom is from Socrates. Striding across the room, He picked
43:18
Speaker 1: up a small volume on a lower shelf and handed
43:23
Speaker 1: it carefully to her. Maybe you would like some of
43:28
Speaker 1: his other thoughts. He believed strongly that we should all
43:34
Speaker 1: ask a lot of questions. Camille took the book with
43:42
Speaker 1: a nod of thanks and prepared to leave the room.
43:48
Speaker 1: Before she did, however, she turned and indicated that she did,
43:55
Speaker 1: in fact, have a question. Would it be possible for
44:01
Speaker 1: me to engage some villagers to come and tidy the
44:04
Speaker 1: gardens before winter, she asked. Antoine looked at her somewhat
44:13
Speaker 1: mournfully and shrugged. If Gabriel can find anyone willing to
44:21
Speaker 1: venture onto the estate, you are welcome to do that. Unfortunately,
44:29
Speaker 1: most are afraid to enter the walls of the chateau.
44:34
Speaker 1: I'm afraid many outlandish tales have been told about me
44:39
Speaker 1: over the years, which is why I find myself mostly alone.
44:48
Speaker 1: Camille frowned. How can you bear it? Does it not
44:53
Speaker 1: make you angry to be treated so unfairly? The Baron
45:00
Speaker 1: looked down thoughtfully and responded. I was once a better
45:07
Speaker 1: looking man who was also vain and foolish. It took
45:14
Speaker 1: a great misfortune for me to see the error of
45:17
Speaker 1: my ways, and the scorn people have for me is
45:22
Speaker 1: probably just payment for my folly. Camille did not respond.
45:32
Speaker 1: She wouldn't ask any more questions today, but she was
45:37
Speaker 1: determined to find out more about how her employer had
45:42
Speaker 1: fallen into such an unfortunate state. For now, she was
45:49
Speaker 1: looking forward to reading Socrates in her room after dinner.
46:00
Speaker 1: Camille quickly adjusted to her new life as the housekeeper
46:05
Speaker 1: of the chateau and even came to love it. By
46:13
Speaker 1: sheer bribery, she was able to have Gabriel hire a
46:18
Speaker 1: few village men who came to the estate one day
46:22
Speaker 1: and rid the gardens of years of neglect. This was
46:28
Speaker 1: only after they received strict instructions from Camille not to
46:33
Speaker 1: hurt the rosebush by the pergola. Apparently, it had been
46:41
Speaker 1: planted by Antoine's mother and was very special to him.
46:49
Speaker 1: She almost regretted having the village men come to the
46:53
Speaker 1: house when she overheard them speaking ill of Antoine. They
47:02
Speaker 1: say he is an absolute monster, one exclaimed loudly to
47:07
Speaker 1: the other. Lives like an animal in there, another added.
47:14
Speaker 1: No manners and unfit for human company, but I'll take
47:19
Speaker 1: his money The man finished rudely. Camille noticed Antoine standing
47:28
Speaker 1: by the window, listening to the entire exchange. She rushed
47:35
Speaker 1: to close it, anxious to spare him the men's heartlessness.
47:43
Speaker 1: He waved her off, apparently unconcerned. I'm used to this
47:51
Speaker 1: type of talk, he explained. It has been many years
47:56
Speaker 1: since I was able to circulate in society. Camille was
48:03
Speaker 1: nonetheless upset. How can you tolerate such unfairness from people
48:10
Speaker 1: who don't even know you? How do you not loathe them,
48:16
Speaker 1: she asked. He shrugged, gazing thoughtfully at a stack of
48:23
Speaker 1: books on a nearby table. A great English playwright named
48:31
Speaker 1: William Shakespeare once wrote, Eat not a furnace for your
48:37
Speaker 1: foe so hot that it do singe yourself. By bearing
48:45
Speaker 1: goodwill for these unknowing peoples, I ease the burden on myself.
48:55
Speaker 1: Then he smiled and nodded at Camille, saying, you might
49:02
Speaker 1: like to read Shakespeare yourself. He wrote some excellent plays.
49:12
Speaker 1: And with that, he turned back to his stack of books.
49:17
Speaker 1: leaving Camille to consider. his words and the dreary day outside.
50:17
Speaker 2: Thank you. you you you Thank you. Thank you. This
52:01
Speaker 2: is the first time that I have seen this. I
52:08
Speaker 2: have never seen anything like this before. I have never
52:16
Speaker 2: seen anything like this before.
52:20
Speaker 1: I have never seen anything.
52:23
Speaker 2: Like this before. I have never seen anything like this before.
53:05
Speaker 2: Thank you for watching.
54:39
Speaker 1: You