Journeys Through Bookland, Volume 2 | Page 8

all her life with such a hideous blue beard,
however rich the owner might be. Moreover, they had heard, and the
report was true, that the man had been married several times before,
and no one knew what had become of his wives.
In order to become better acquainted with the women, Bluebeard
invited them and their mother to visit him at one of his castles in the
country. They accepted the invitation, and for nine delightful days they
hunted and fished over his vast estates, and for nine wonderful
evenings they feasted and danced in his magnificent rooms.
Everything went so much to their liking, and Bluebeard himself was so
gracious, that the younger girl began to think that after all his beard was
not so very blue; and so, soon after their return to town, the mother
announced that the younger daughter was ready to marry him. In a few
days the ceremony was performed, and Bluebeard took his wife to one
of his castles, where they spent a happy month.
At the end of that time Bluebeard told his wife that he was obliged to
make a long journey and would be away from home about six weeks.
He added that he hoped his wife would enjoy herself, and that he
wished her to send for her friends if she wanted them, and to spend his
money as freely as she liked in their entertainment.
"Here," he said, "are the keys of my two great storerooms, where you
will find everything you need for the house; here are the keys of the
sideboards, where you will find all the gold and silver plate for the
table; here are the keys of my money chests, where you will find gold
and silver in abundance [Illustration: a key] and many caskets
containing beautiful jewels which you have not yet seen; and here is a
pass key which will open all the rooms in the castle excepting one.
"But here is a little key which fits the lock in the door of the little room
at the end of the long gallery on the first floor. This little room you
must not enter. Open everything else, go everywhere you like, treat
everything as though it was your own; but I strictly forbid you to enter
the little room. If you even so much as put the key in the lock you may
expect to suffer direfully from my anger."
The young wife promised faithfully to observe her husband's wishes to
the letter, and he, pleased with the readiness with which she consented

to obey him, kissed her fondly, sprang into his carriage and departed on
his journey.
[Illustration: SHE SLIPPED SILENTLY AWAY]
No sooner had Bluebeard left than the friends of his wife began to
arrive. Many of them did not wait for an invitation, but came as soon as
they heard that her husband had gone with his terrible blue beard. Then
was there great merrymaking all over the house, and it was overrun
from top to bottom with the excited guests, for all were consumed with
the desire to see the treasures the castle contained. These were truly
wonderful. Rich tapestries hanging on the walls, great mirrors that
reflected the whole image of a person from head to foot, wonderful
pictures in frames of pure gold, gold and silver vessels of graceful
shape and elegant design, cabinets filled with curiosities, lights
gleaming with crystals, caskets filled with sparkling diamonds and
other precious stones without number, all served to charm and delight
the guests so that they had little time to think about their hostess.
The wife, however, soon wearied of the splendor of her home, for she
kept continually thinking about the little room at the end of the long
gallery on the first floor. The more she thought about it the more
curious she became, and finally, forgetting her good manners, she left
her guests, slipped silently away from them, and in her excitement
nearly fell the whole length of the secret stairway that led to the long
gallery. Her courage did not fail her till she reached the door of the
little room. Then she remembered how false she was to her trust, and
hesitated. Her conscience, however, was soon silenced by her curiosity,
and with a beating heart and trembling hand she pushed the little key
into the lock, and the door flew open.
The shutters of the window in the little room were closed, and at first
she could see nothing; but as her eyes became accustomed to the dim
light she saw that clotted blood covered the floor, and that hanging
from the walls by their long hair were the bloody heads of Bluebeard's
other wives, while on the floor lay their dead bodies.