it quite clean; when the blood was gone off from one ſide it came again on the other.
Blue Beard returned from his journey the ſame evening, and ſaid, "he had received letters upon the road, informing him, that the affair he went about was ended to his advantage." His wife did all ſhe could to convince him ſhe was extremely glad of his ſpeedy return. Next morning he aſked for the keys, which ſhe gave him, but with ſuch a trembling hand, that he eaſily gueſſed what had happened. "What, ſaid he, is not the key of my cloſet among the reſt?" "I muſt certainly, anſwered ſhe, have left it upon the table" "Fail not, ſaid Blue Beard, to bring it me preſently"
After ſeveral goings backwards and forwards, ſhe was forced to bring him the key. Blue Beard, having very attentively conſidered it, ſaid to his wife, "How comes this blood upon the key?" "I do not know," cried the poor woman, paler than death. "You do know, replied Blue Beard, I very well know, you was reſolved to go into the cloſet, was you not? Mighty well, Madam; you ſhall go in, and take your place among the ladies you ſaw there."
Upon this ſhe threw herſelf at her huſband's feet, and begged his pardon, with all the ſigns of a true repentance, and that ſhe ſhould never more be diſobedient. She would have melted a rock, ſo beautiful and ſorrowful was ſhe, but Blue Beard had a heart harder than any rock: "You muſt die, madam. ſaid he, and that preſently." "Since I muſt die, anſwered ſhe, (looking on him with her eyes all bathed in tears) give me ſome little time to ſay my prayers." "I give, replied Blue Beard, half a quarter of an hour, but not one moment longer."
When she was alone, ſhe called out to her ſiſter
