In an era when merchants measured their fortune by the number of ships crossing the oceans, there lived an immensely rich man who had three daughters. The two eldest were vain and selfish, lovers of balls and fine silks. The youngest, however, was so kind and beautiful that everyone simply called her Beauty. Her beauty lay not only in the harmony of her features but in the peace she radiated while reading under the willows or tending her father's garden.
