善意的谎言议论文素材古人

谎言是丑陋的，但“善意的谎言”却是谎言中的“另类”，它是那么美丽、动人！大千世界，善意的谎言无所不在。大自然中：枯叶蝶把自己伪装成一片干枯的树叶，躲避天敌；斑马让自己全身布满条纹使自己容易隐藏；变色龙可以随环境变色，让自己不易被发现。这些都是弱者保护自己而“说”的善意的谎言，难道，你能说这些“善意的谎言”是丑陋的？当然，同大自然的“弱者们”一样，当我们的生命和财产受到威胁时，我们也会急中生智，用善意的谎言来保护自己。比如：当遇到劫匪绑架了我们的亲人进行敲诈勒索时，我们也会用善意的谎言稳住他，告诉他自己正在准备赎金，然后挂掉电话，悄悄报警，从而让坏人的阴谋落空……但是，作为有思想的人类，我们还有大自然所没有的另一种善意的谎言，他闪烁着人性的光芒，展现了强者对弱者的爱护和鼓励。譬如在《别饿坏了那匹马》的课文中，那位残疾青年见“我”卖马草换钱看书很困难，便谎称家中有马收下了马草，使“我”能够心安理得地在他的书摊看书；而《唯一的听众》里的老教授，为了鼓励作者，使他不再灰心懊恼，就假称自己是聋子，让作者大胆练习，最终成为一名真正的小提琴手；而现实生活中，医生善意的谎言也可以让陷入绝望的病人看到希望，从而走向新生……这样的例子不胜枚举，数不胜数。看到这些“强者”为了保护“弱者”的自尊心，帮助他们放下心理包袱，奔向光明而编造的“善意的谎言”，难道你不为之动容和感动？你能说这些“善意的谎言”不是美丽的？虽然，有些“善意的谎言”可以在关键时刻拯救一个人的生命，但是，在我眼里，最美最珍贵的却是那些“强者”为保护“弱者”所编造的“善意的谎言”。那些“善意的谎言”里包含着“强者”对“弱者”的爱护、关心和鼓励，闪烁着人性的光芒！它们是最美丽的！

在学习、工作中，大家总免不了要接触或使用论文吧，论文对于所有教育工作者，对于人类整体认识的提高有着重要的意义。写起论文来就毫无头绪？以下是我帮大家整理的有关善良的议论文素材，欢迎大家分享。

1、名人名言

一个热情的人，尤其是青年，过火是免不了的;只要心地善良、正直、胸襟宽广，能及时改正自己的判断，不固执己见，那就好了。———傅雷

惆怅隶属于善良，绝无惆怅感的人也许非常不平凡，但是毕竟非善良之辈。———刘心武

对于丑恶没有强烈憎恨的人，也不会对于美善有强烈的执著。———茅盾

善良的东西、美好的东西，能达到一种极致。在一定的时代，在一定的环境，可以达到极致。———孙犁

有善有恶是知，审美辨恶是格，为善去恶是致。———宋教仁

在一切道德品质之中，善良的本性在世界上是最需要的。———罗素

做一个善良的人，为群众去谋幸福。———高尔基

心地过于脆弱而且善良，有时无法做到非常诚实。———罗曼·罗兰

灵魂最美的音乐是善良。———罗曼·罗兰

善心生，亦惟劳乃乐也。———恽代英

没有单纯、善良和真实，就没有伟大。———列夫·托尔斯泰

没有善良———一个人给予另一个人的真正发自肺腑的温暖———就不可能有精神的美。———苏霍姆林斯基

2、经典素材

1、威廉·比尔的故事(观点提炼：善意的谎言呵护了弱小的心灵)

美国著名记者威廉·比尔曾经讲过一段自己的经历。

10岁那年，比尔成了孤儿。一天，靠卖报为生的比尔在纽约某电车站卖报，一个胖男子拿走了两份报纸，还戏弄比尔。之后，那个男子扬长而去。

这时，一辆马车停在比尔身边。车上一个眼里噙着泪花的妇人冲着电车骂道：“这该死的灭绝人性的东西。”然后，又俯身对比尔说：“孩子，我都看见了，你在这儿等着，我就回来。”比尔认出拿玫瑰花的妇人就是电影海报上的大明星梅·欧文小姐。

10分钟后，马车转回来了，女明星招呼比尔上了车，然后对马车夫说：“马克，给他讲讲你都干了些什么。”

“我一把揪住那家伙，”马克咬牙切齿地说，“左右开弓把他两眼揍了个乌青，又往他太阳穴补了一拳。报钱也追回来了。”说着，他把一枚硬币放在比尔的手中。

“孩子，你听我说，”梅?欧文对比尔说，“你不要因为碰到这种坏蛋就把人都看坏了。世上坏蛋是不少，但大多数都是好人———像你，像我。我们都是好人，是不是?”

好多年后，比尔回忆这一经历时说，“梅·欧文小姐是不可能追上电车的.，但是她的话、车夫的虚构是安慰弱小心灵的良药。靠了这些我才没有沉沦，没有一味地把世界连同自己恨死。”

2、红鼻子日(观点提炼：让善良在欢乐中闪光)

自从1988年以来，英国每两年有一个红鼻子日。出自以欢乐温暖人间这样一个意念，全国上下在这一天通过娱乐逗趣的方式，筹募善款，扶贫助弱。

今年3月11日是英国第十个红鼻子日。在当晚7时开始的电视节目汇演之前，全国已经售出了600万个塑料红鼻子，50万瓶新奇红色喷发水，15万件红鼻子日汗衫。

在电视节目开始之后三个小时，全国善款数字已经超过2100万英镑。长达8小时的电视节目汇演结束时，善款达到3700万，打破了往年红鼻子日欢乐夜的筹款纪录。而且，这还是英国公众在数周前对亚洲海啸捐出了2亿英镑巨款之后的募捐成绩。

早在红鼻子日之前，社会各方事实上已经为迎接这个大筹款日行动了。如薯片制造商Walkers几个月前便特别向市场推出多口味混合包装薯片，标明这个包装的薯片盈利将全部捐给红鼻子日做善款。英国电话公司的报时电话捐出十天电话费收入。

红鼻子日的特点，在于它提倡以赞助善款的方式换取任何快乐，而不是毫无回报地施舍。皇室第二继位人威廉王子就在今年的红鼻子日故意从马上摔下来，落地翻个筋斗，还得让全国电视观众一饱眼福，这样换取了可观的善款。从轻松玩笑中感受人间的善良欢乐，让欢乐带来人间温暖。这便是英国的红鼻子日的实质意义。

3、德国的“善良教育”(观点提炼：要重视善良品质的培养)

众所周知，德国是引发两次世界大战的“罪魁祸首”。所幸的是，德国各阶层能够深刻地反思这段历史，甚至因此格外重视对孩子善良品质的培养，并将其列为德国教育的有机组成部分。

爱护小动物是德国幼童接受的“善良教育”的第一课。在孩子刚刚学会走路时，不少德国家庭就特意为孩子喂养了小狗、小猫、小兔、小金鱼等小动物，并让孩子在亲自照料小动物的过程中，学会体贴入微地照顾弱小的生命，从而使孩子们从小就有 “善待生命”的意识。

同情、帮助弱小者也是德国人对孩子进行“善良教育”的另一重要内容。在成人社会的倡导、鼓励下，孩子们帮助盲人、老人过马路早已蔚然成风，为身有残疾的同学排忧解难也并不是什么新鲜事。

“宽容待人”被德国人普遍认定为一个人“善良品质”的一方面。一个叫雪丽的7岁小女孩在自己的生日晚会上遭到好友梅芙的无端抢白而感到大丢面子，因而试图报复以泄心头之恨。但后来在母亲的劝说下，她通过和梅芙谈心了解到：当时梅芙喂养的小兔子突然死去，心情十分沮丧，故难免“出言不逊”。在经过一番“将心比心”后，雪丽宽容地原谅了梅芙，两个小伙伴的友谊更深厚了。

4、世界名曲的诞生(观点提炼：善良的成就)

1814年的一个夜晚，一个酷爱音乐的年轻人走过维也纳街头。因为家境贫穷，买不起钢琴，他只好每天到一所小学去练钢琴。他喜欢作曲，可是有时拮据得连作曲的纸都没钱买。此刻，他正在回家的路上为生计犯愁，忽然看见一家旧货店旁站着一个衣衫褴褛的小孩，手中拿着一本书和一件旧衣在叫卖。年轻人认出这个小孩曾在他教学的唱诗班当过歌童，他顿时鼻子发酸，巨大的同情心驱使他不由自主地在单薄的衣衫里摸出了仅有的一点古尔盾，买下了那本旧书。年轻人边走边看那本书，竟发现其中有大诗人歌德的诗作《野玫瑰》。他一遍又一遍地朗诵，整个身心被诗的意境溶化了，一段清新而亲切的旋律从灵魂深处飘了出来。

这个青年就是被人称为“歌曲之王”的舒伯特，他写的这首《野玫瑰》名曲成为世界音乐宝库中的瑰宝，其手稿价值连城。但是，有多少人知道，这首名曲的诞生源自他的一颗善良之心呢?在一切道德品质中，善良的本性在世界上是最需要的，因为它能唤起人道生活的复苏。

5、蚂蚁报恩

在一个炎热的夏季里，有一只蚂蚁不幸被风刮落到池塘里，命在旦夕。正巧，池塘边的一颗杨树上停着一只鸽子。这只鸽子看到了蚂蚁挣扎的情景。

“好可怜噢!我帮一帮它吧!”鸽子赶忙将一片杨树叶子丢进池塘。小蚂蚁费力地爬上叶子，叶子慢慢漂到池边，蚂蚁便得救了。

“多亏鸽子的救助啊!”蚂蚁始终记得鸽子的救命之恩。虽然它身体弱小，力量也不够，但是，它下定了决心，总有一天它会报答鸽子的。

过了很久，有位猎人来了，用枪瞄准树上的鸽子，但是鸽子一点儿也不知道。这时蚂蚁爬上猎人的脚，狠狠咬了一口。

“哎呀!好痛!啊!”猎人一痛，就把子弹打歪了。使得鸽子逃过一劫，蚂蚁也报答了鸽子的救命之恩。

也许只是你的一丝善念，也许只是你的举手之劳，无论怎样，善良的人总会得到善良的报答。

近年来，人们对诚信的呼吁越来越强烈，这也许并不是中国古人的诚信记录比现在好得多，而是现在人们的诚信意识在缓慢地苏醒。这恰如分蛋糕一样，早些时候，我们的面前其实没有蛋糕，所以大家一团和气，没有什么可以争执的东西。现在我们所处的时代，大概是有了一个蛋糕可供众人分配，但蛋糕不够大，并不能保证每一个人可分得心满意足的一块，况且又没有特别清晰可信的分蛋糕的规则，结果众生你争我夺甚至尔虞我诈，无非是想让自己的那一块做得大一些，自然，别人的蛋糕就少了，这个时期，人们对诚信的呼唤最为迫切。随着社会的逐渐富足，蛋糕做大了，分蛋糕的规则也明确了，社会诚信就会好得多。因此，中国人现在如此迫切地呼唤诚信，并非倒退，而是我们正在爬坡。 古时候杜甫发出“安得广厦千万间，大庇天下寒士俱欢颜”时，他作为寒士之一是有切肤之痛的；而白居易吟唱“地不知寒人要暖，少把人衣作地衣”时，我相信他尽管位高爵厚，但也是出自真诚的。因为我们曾经太贫苦，所以诚信可能总是一种在梦中浮现的奢侈品。 现在中国渐渐地走向富裕了，因此诚信问题一下子就凸现出来，我们身边几乎充斥了各种不诚信的企业和个人，各种极其富有想象力的欺，例如给馒头里放点洗衣粉；给猪喂点瘦肉精或多多注水；给甲鱼鳝鱼喂点避孕药等等，让人叹为观止。各种企业的虚假广告、产品和利润，更是层出不穷，以至于有人发起寻找中国股市中令人尊敬的上市公司这样的事。为什么诚信突然缺失而我们如此迫切地呼唤诚信？ 现时人们对诚信的渴望，实际上具有某种预言的性质。如果我们仍然一无所有或者要斗私批修，那么我们自身尊重生命、财产和自由的意识就仍然沉睡未醒，恰恰是改革开放20年，唤醒了人们内心沉睡的意识，而在醒来时我们又处于蛋糕尚不够大的年代，所以就有了各种不诚信的纷争，其实背后，不过是个利字也！但这依然是一种进步而不是倒退。我们常常说美国等过国民诚信到比较傻的程度，但百年前美国人也并非现在这样有诚信，以前美国的汽车旅馆中，手纸、茶杯乃至毛巾的不翼而飞，几乎是家常便饭，在物质财富很丰裕后，这样盗窃细小财物的行为就少得多了。中国许多地方也是一样，像福建晋江、浙江温州等等，其地方产品都曾经是假冒伪劣的代名词，但现在地方经济和法治发展到一定阶段，他们自己就起来要讲究诚信，并且已经和当年之吴下阿蒙有了天壤之别。这大概就是我们所说的衣食足然后知荣辱，仓廪实然后知礼节的意思吧！ 如何呼唤诚信回归？有两手政策，一手当然是做大蛋糕，让每个国民至少有能维持温饱的一份，这大约就是“发展才是硬道理”吧！另一手是要确立分蛋糕的规则，否则朝令夕改，个人和企业就难以有讲诚信的基础。一个蛋糕如何才能分得公平？这需要权力的制衡机制，例如一个人拥有先切蛋糕的权力时另一个人相应地应拥有先挑蛋糕的权力，这样一块蛋糕才能分割得均匀。没有制衡的权力，我们就不能期望权力拥有者会卑微谨慎地使用权力，而多半会以权谋私。这样分蛋糕过程中，如果立规矩者没有规矩，那么社会诚信的基石就非常不稳固，并且最终影响到国民们努力做大蛋糕的辛苦劳作。 所以，中国呼唤诚信，就需要“两手抓，两手都要硬”，没有诚信规则，社会就会蜕变为水泊梁山的状态，即使是君子，也只能大块吃肉，大碗喝酒，否则其他人就要对其实施“君子可欺之以方”；有了诚信规则，大家才能无论内心愿意或不愿意，至少行为上要可信。两手硬就是说发展经济要硬，完善市场经济框架也要硬，政府诚信的蚀空或缺失，始终是一个社会现代化和文明化的致命软肋。

ONCE upon a time, in a very far-off country, there lived a merchant1 who had been so fortunate in all his undertakings that he was enormously rich. As he had, however, six sons and six daughters,2 he found that his money was not too much to let them all have everything they fancied, as they were accustomed to do.But one day a most unexpected misfortune befell them. Their house caught fire3 and was speedily burnt to the ground, with all the splendid furniture, the books, pictures, gold, silver, and precious goods it contained; and this was only the beginning of their troubles. Their father, who had until this moment prospered in all ways, suddenly lost every ship he had upon the sea, either by dint of pirates, shipwreck, or fire. Then he heard that his clerks in distant countries, whom he trusted entirely, had proved unfaithful; and at last from great wealth he fell into the direst poverty.All that he had left was a little house in a desolate place at least a hundred leagues4 from the town in which he had lived, and to this he was forced to retreat with his children, who were in despair at the idea of leading such a different life. Indeed, the daughters at first hoped that their friends, who had been so numerous while they were rich, would insist on their staying in their houses now they no longer possessed one. But they soon found that they were left alone, and that their former friends even attributed their misfortunes to their own extravagance, and showed no intention of offering them any help. So nothing was left for them but to take their departure to the cottage,5 which stood in the midst of a dark forest,6 and seemed to be the most dismal place upon the face of the earth.As they were too poor to have any servants,7 the girls had to work hard, like peasants, and the sons, for their part, cultivated the fields to earn their living. Roughly clothed, and living in the simplest way, the girls regretted unceasingly the luxuries and amusements of their former life; only the youngest8 tried to be brave and cheerful. She had been as sad as anyone when misfortune overtook her father, but, soon recovering her natural gaiety, she set to work to make the best of things, to amuse her father and brothers as well as she could, and to try to persuade her sisters to join her in dancing and singing. But they would do nothing of the sort, and, because she was not as doleful as themselves, they declared that this miserable life was all she was fit for. But she was really far prettier and cleverer than they were; indeed, she was so lovely that she was always called Beauty.9After two years, when they were all beginning to get used to their new life, something happened to disturb their tranquillity. Their father received the news that one of his ships, which he had believed to be lost, had come safely into port with a rich cargo. All the sons and daughters at once thought that their poverty was at an end, and wanted to set out directly for the town; but their father, who was more prudent, begged them to wait a little, and, though it was harvest time,10 and he could ill be spared, determined to go himself first, to make inquiries. Only the youngest daughter had any doubt but that they would soon again be as rich as they were before, or at least rich enough to live comfortably in some town where they would find amusement and gay companions once more. So they all loaded their father with commissions for jewels and dresses which it would have taken a fortune to buy; only Beauty, feeling sure that it was of no use, did not ask for anything. Her father, noticing her silence, said: "And what shall I bring for you, Beauty?""The only thing I wish for is to see you come home safely," she answered.But this only vexed her sisters, who fancied she was blaming them for having asked for such costly things. Her father, however, was pleased, but as he thought that at her age she certainly ought to like pretty presents, he told her to choose something."Well, dear father," she said, "as you insist upon it, I beg that you will bring me a rose.11 I have not seen one since we came here, and I love them so much."So the merchant set out and reached the town as quickly as possible, but only to find that his former companions, believing him to be dead, had divided between them the goods which the ship had brought; and after six months12 of trouble and expense he found himself as poor as when he started, having been able to recover only just enough to pay the cost of his journey. To make matters worse, he was obliged to leave the town in the most terrible weather, so that by the time he was within a few leagues of his home he was almost exhausted with cold and fatigue. Though he knew it would take some hours to get through the forest, he was so anxious to be at his journey's end that he resolved to go on; but night overtook him, and the deep snow13 and bitter frost made it impossible for his horse to carry him any further. Not a house was to be seen; the only shelter he could get was the hollow trunk of a great tree, and there he crouched all the night which seemed to him the longest he had ever known. In spite of his weariness the howling of the wolves kept him awake, and even when at last the day broke he was not much better off, for the falling snow had covered up every path, and he did not know which way to turn.At length he made out some sort of track, and though at the beginning it was so rough and slippery that he fell down more than once, it presently became easier, and led him into an avenue of trees which ended in a splendid castle.14 It seemed to the merchant very strange that no snow had fallen in the avenue, which was entirely composed of orange trees,15 covered with flowers and fruit. When he reached the first court of the castle he saw before him a flight of agate steps, and went up them, and passed through several splendidly furnished rooms. The pleasant warmth of the air revived him, and he felt very hungry; but there seemed to be nobody in all this vast and splendid palace whom he could ask to give him something to eat. Deep silence16 reigned everywhere, and at last, tired of roaming through empty rooms and galleries, he stopped in a room smaller than the rest, where a clear fire was burning and a couch was drawn up closely to it. Thinking that this must be prepared for someone who was expected, he sat down to wait till he should come, and very soon fell into a sweet sleep.When his extreme hunger wakened him after several hours, he was still alone; but a little table, upon which was a good dinner, had been drawn up close to him, and, as he had eaten nothing for twenty-four hours, he lost no time in beginning his meal, hoping that he might soon have an opportunity of thanking his considerate entertainer, whoever it might be. But no one appeared, and even after another long sleep, from which he awoke completely refreshed, there was no sign of anybody, though a fresh meal of dainty cakes and fruit was prepared upon the little table at his elbow. Being naturally timid, the silence began to terrify him, and he resolved to search once more through all the rooms; but it was of no use. Not even a servant was to be seen; there was no sign of life in the palace! He began to wonder what he should do, and to amuse himself by pretending that all the treasures he saw were his own, and considering how he would divide them among his children. Then he went down into the garden, and though it was winter everywhere else, here the sun shone, and the birds sang, and the flowers bloomed, and the air was soft and sweet. The merchant, in ecstacies with all he saw and heard, said to himself:"All this must be meant for me. I will go this minute and bring my children to share all these delights."In spite of being so cold and weary when he reached the castle, he had taken his horse to the stable and fed it. Now he thought he would saddle it for his homeward journey, and he turned down the path which led to the stable. This path had a hedge of roses on each side of it, and the merchant thought he had never seen or smelt such exquisite flowers. They reminded him of his promise to Beauty, and he stopped and had just gathered one to take to her when he was startled by a strange noise behind him. Turning round, he saw a frightful Beast,17 which seemed to be very angry and said, in a terrible voice:"Who told you that you might gather my roses? Was it not enough that I allowed you to be in my palace and was kind to you? This is the way you show your gratitude, by stealing my flowers! But your insolence shall not go unpunished." The merchant, terrified by these furious words, dropped the fatal rose, and, throwing himself on his knees, cried: "Pardon me, noble sir. I am truly grateful to you for your hospitality, which was so magnificent that I could not imagine that you would be offended by my taking such a little thing as a rose." But the Beast's anger was not lessened by this speech."You are very ready with excuses and flattery," he cried; "but that will not save you from the death you deserve.""Alas!" thought the merchant, "if my daughter could only know what danger her rose has brought me into!"And in despair he began to tell the Beast all his misfortunes, and the reason of his journey, not forgetting to mention Beauty's request."A king's ransom would hardly have procured all that my other daughters asked." he said: "but I thought that I might at least take Beauty her rose. I beg you to forgive me, for you see I meant no harm."The Beast considered for a moment, and then he said, in a less furious tone:"I will forgive you on one condition -- that is, that you will give me one of your daughters."18"Ah!" cried the merchant, "if I were cruel enough to buy my own life at the expense of one of my children's, what excuse could I invent to bring her here?""No excuse would be necessary," answered the Beast. "If she comes at all she must come willingly.19 On no other condition will I have her. See if any one of them is courageous enough, and loves you well enough to come and save your life. You seem to be an honest man, so I will trust you to go home. I give you a month to see if either of your daughters will come back with you and stay here, to let you go free. If neither of them is willing, you must come alone, after bidding them good-by for ever, for then you will belong to me. And do not imagine that you can hide from me, for if you fail to keep your word I will come and fetch you!" added the Beast grimly.The merchant accepted this proposal, though he did not really think any of his daughters could be persuaded to come. He promised to return at the time appointed, and then, anxious to escape from the presence of the Beast, he asked permission to set off at once. But the Beast answered that he could not go until next day."Then you will find a horse ready for you," he said. "Now go and eat your supper, and await my orders."The poor merchant, more dead than alive, went back to his room, where the most delicious supper was already served on the little table which was drawn up before a blazing fire. But he was too terrified to eat, and only tasted a few of the dishes, for fear the Beast should be angry if he did not obey his orders. When he had finished he heard a great noise in the next room, which he knew meant that the Beast was coming. As he could do nothing to escape his visit, the only thing that remained was to seem as little afraid as possible; so when the Beast appeared and asked roughly if he had supped well, the merchant answered humbly that he had, thanks to his host's kindness. Then the Beast warned him to remember their agreement, and to prepare his daughter exactly for what she had to expect."Do not get up to-morrow," he added, "until you see the sun and hear a golden bell ring. Then you will find your breakfast waiting for you here, and the horse you are to ride will be ready in the courtyard. He will also bring you back again when you come with your daughter a month hence. Farewell. Take a rose to Beauty, and remember your promise!"The merchant was only too glad when the Beast went away, and though he could not sleep for sadness, he lay down until the sun rose. Then, after a hasty breakfast, he went to gather Beauty's rose, and mounted his horse, which carried him off so swiftly that in an instant he had lost sight of the palace, and he was still wrapped in gloomy thoughts when it stopped before the door of the cottage.His sons and daughters, who had been very uneasy at his long absence, rushed to meet him, eager to know the result of his journey, which, seeing him mounted upon a splendid horse and wrapped in a rich mantle, they supposed to be favorable. He hid the truth from them at first, only saying sadly to Beauty as he gave her the rose:"Here is what you asked me to bring you; you little know what it has cost."But this excited their curiosity so greatly that presently he told them his adventures from beginning to end, and then they were all very unhappy. The girls lamented loudly over their lost hopes, and the sons declared that their father should not return to this terrible castle, and began to make plans for killing the Beast if it should come to fetch him. But he reminded them that he had promised20 to go back. Then the girls were very angry with Beauty, and said it was all her fault, and that if she had asked for something sensible this would never have happened, and complained bitterly that they should have to suffer for her folly.Poor Beauty, much distressed, said to them:"I have, indeed, caused this misfortune, but I assure you I did it innocently. Who could have guessed that to ask for a rose in the middle of summer would cause so much misery? But as I did the mischief it is only just that I should suffer for it. I will therefore go back with my father21 to keep his promise."At first nobody would hear of this arrangement, and her father and brothers, who loved her dearly, declared that nothing should make them let her go; but Beauty was firm. As the time drew near she divided all her little possessions between her sisters, and said good-by to everything she loved, and when the fatal day came she encouraged and cheered her father as they mounted together the horse which had brought him back. It seemed to fly rather than gallop, but so smoothly that Beauty was not frightened; indeed, she would have enjoyed the journey if she had not feared what might happen to her at the end of it. Her father still tried to persuade her to go back, but in vain. While they were talking the night fell, and then, to their great surprise, wonderful colored lights began to shine in all directions, and splendid fireworks blazed out before them; all the forest was illuminated by them, and even felt pleasantly warm, though it had been bitterly cold before. This lasted until they reached the avenue of orange trees, where were statues holding flaming torches, and when they got nearer to the palace they saw that it was illuminated from the roof to the ground, and music sounded softly from the courtyard."The Beast must be very hungry," said Beauty, trying to laugh, "if he makes all this rejoicing over the arrival of his prey." But, in spite of her anxiety, she could not help admiring all the wonderful things she saw.The horse stopped at the foot of the flight of steps leading to the terrace, and when they had dismounted her father led her to the little room he had been in before, where they found a splendid fire burning, and the table daintily spread with a delicious supper.The merchant knew that this was meant for them, and Beauty, who was rather less frightened now that she had passed through so many rooms and seen nothing of the Beast, was quite willing to begin, for her long ride had made her very hungry. But they had hardly finished their meal when the noise of the Beast's footsteps was heard approaching, and Beauty clung to her father in terror, which became all the greater when she saw how frightened he was. But when the Beast really appeared, though she trembled at the sight of him, she made a great effort to hide her terror, and saluted him respectfully.This evidently pleased the Beast. After looking at her he said, in a tone that might have struck terror into the boldest heart, though he did not seem to be angry:"Good-evening, old man. Good-evening, Beauty."The merchant was too terrified to reply, but Beauty answered sweetly: "Good-evening, Beast.""Have you come willingly?" asked the Beast. "Will you be content to stay here when your father goes away?"Beauty answered bravely that she was quite prepared to stay."I am pleased with you," said the Beast. "As you have come of your own accord, you may stay.22 As for you, old man," he added, turning to the merchant, "at sunrise tomorrow you will take your departure. When the bell rings get up quickly and eat your breakfast, and you will find the same horse waiting to take you home; but remember that you must never expect to see my palace again."Then turning to Beauty, he said:"Take your father into the next room, and help him to choose everything you think your brothers and sisters would like to have. You will find two traveling-trunks there; fill them as full as you can. It is only just that you should send them something very precious as a remembrance of yourself."Then he went away, after saying, "Good-by, Beauty; good-by, old man"; and though Beauty was beginning to think with great dismay of her father's departure, she was afraid to disobey the Beast's orders; and they went into the next room, which had shelves and cupboards all round it. They were greatly surprised at the riches it contained. There were splendid dresses fit for a queen, with all the ornaments that were to be worn with them; and when Beauty opened the cupboards she was quite dazzled by the gorgeous jewels that lay in heaps upon every shelf. After choosing a vast quantity, which she divided between her sisters -- for she had made a heap of the wonderful dresses for each of them -- she opened the last chest, which was full of gold.23"I think, father," she said, "that, as the gold will be more useful to you, we had better take out the other things again, and fill the trunks with it." So they did this; but the more they put in the more room there seemed to be, and at last they put back all the jewels and dresses they had taken out, and Beauty even added as many more of the jewels as she could carry at once; and then the trunks were not too full, but they were so heavy that an elephant could not have carried them! "The Beast was mocking us," cried the merchant; "he must have pretended to give us all these things, knowing that I could not carry them away.""Let us wait and see," answered Beauty. "I cannot believe that he meant to deceive us. All we can do is to fasten them up and leave them ready."So they did this and returned to the little room, where, to their astonishment, they found breakfast ready. The merchant ate his with a good appetite, as the Beast's generosity made him believe that he might perhaps venture to come back soon and see Beauty. But she felt sure that her father was leaving her for ever, so she was very sad when the bell rang sharply for the second time, and warned them that the time had come for them to part. They went down into the courtyard, where two horses were waiting, one loaded with the two trunks, the other for him to ride. They were pawing the ground in their impatience to start, and the merchant was forced to bid Beauty a hasty farewell; and as soon as he was mounted he went off at such a pace that she lost sight of him in an instant.Then Beauty began to cry, and wandered sadly back to her own room. But she soon found that she was very sle