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029 - Blue Beard · Blue Fairy Book

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