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Bluebeard - Charles Perrault

A fairy tale about a rich man who had a blue beard. Because of his beard, all women and girls were afraid of him. One girl, a neighbor of a rich man, decided to marry him, because she spent a week in his company and did not find anything wrong with this man. However, she was very mistaken in him and almost lost her life...

Bluebeard read

Once upon a time there lived a man who had a lot of all sorts of good things: he had beautiful houses in the city and outside the city, gold and silver dishes, embroidered chairs and gilded carriages, but, unfortunately, this man had a blue beard, and this beard gave him such an ugly and menacing appearance that all the girls and women used to say, as soon as they saw him, God bless him with his feet.
One of his neighbors, a lady of noble origin, had two daughters, perfect beauties. He wooed one of them, without specifying which one, and leaving it to the mother herself to choose his bride. But neither one nor the other agreed to be his wife: they could not decide to marry a man who had a blue beard, and only quarreled among themselves, sending him to each other. They were embarrassed by the fact that he already had several wives and no one in the world knew what happened to them.

Bluebeard, wanting to give them the opportunity to get to know him better, took them with their mother, three or four of their closest friends and several young people from the neighborhood to one of his country houses, where he spent a whole week with them.

The guests walked, went hunting and fishing; the dancing and feasting did not stop; there was no trace of sleep at night; everyone had fun, came up with funny pranks and jokes;

in a word, everyone was so good and cheerful that the youngest of the daughters soon came to the conviction that the owner’s beard was not at all so blue and that he was a very amiable and pleasant gentleman. As soon as everyone returned to the city, the wedding was immediately celebrated.

After a month had passed, Bluebeard told his wife that he was obliged to be absent for at least six weeks on very important business. He asked her not to be bored in his absence, but, on the contrary, to try in every possible way to unwind, invite her friends, take them out of town if she wanted, eat and drink sweetly, in a word, live for her own pleasure.

Here,” he added, “are the keys to the two main storerooms; here are the keys to gold and silver dishes, which are not placed on the table every day; here from chests with money; here from boxes with precious stones; here, finally, is the key with which you can unlock all the rooms. But this small key unlocks the closet, which is located below, at the very end of the main gallery. You can unlock everything, enter everywhere; but I forbid you to enter that closet. My prohibition on this matter is so strict and formidable that if you happen - what God forbid - to unlock it, then there is no such misfortune that you should not expect from my anger.

Bluebeard's wife promised to strictly carry out his orders and instructions; and he, having kissed her, got into the carriage and set off. The young woman’s neighbors and friends did not wait for an invitation, but all came on their own, so great was their impatience to see with their own eyes the untold riches that were rumored to be in her house. They were afraid to come until her husband left: his blue beard frightened them very much. They immediately went to inspect all the chambers, and there was no end to their surprise: everything seemed magnificent and beautiful to them! They got to the storerooms, and there was something they didn’t see there! Lush beds, sofas, rich curtains, tables, tables, mirrors - so huge that you could see yourself in them from head to toe, and with such wonderful, extraordinary frames! Some frames were also mirrored, others were made of gilded carved silver. Neighbors and friends incessantly praised and extolled the happiness of the mistress of the house, but she was not at all amused by the spectacle of all these riches: she was tormented by the desire to unlock the closet below, at the end of the gallery.

So strong was her curiosity that, not realizing how impolite it was to leave guests, she suddenly rushed down the secret staircase, almost breaking her neck. Having run to the door of the closet, she, however, stopped for a moment. Her husband's prohibition came to her mind. “Well,” she thought, “I will be in trouble for my disobedience!” But the temptation was too strong - she could not cope with it. She took the key and, trembling like a leaf, unlocked the closet.

At first she couldn’t make out anything: the closet was dark, the windows were closed. But after a while she saw that the entire floor was covered in dried blood and in this blood were reflected the bodies of several dead women tied along the walls; these were Bluebeard's former wives, whom he killed one after another. She almost died on the spot from fear and dropped the key from her hand. Finally she came to her senses, picked up the key, locked the door and went to her room to rest and recover. But she was so frightened that she could not completely come to her senses.

She noticed that the key to the closet was stained with blood; She wiped it once, twice, three times, but the blood did not go away. No matter how she washed it, no matter how much she rubbed it, even with sand and crushed bricks, the blood stain remained! This key was magical, and there was no way to clean it; the blood came off on one side and came out on the other.

That same evening Bluebeard returned from his journey. He told his wife that he had received letters on the road, from which he learned that the matter for which he had to leave had been decided in his favor. His wife, as usual, tried in every possible way to show him that she was very happy about his speedy return. The next morning he asked her for the keys. She handed them to him, but her hand trembled so much that he easily guessed everything that had happened in his absence.

Why, he asked, is the key to the closet not with the others?

“I must have forgotten it upstairs on my table,” she answered.

Please bring it, do you hear! - said Bluebeard.

After several excuses and delays, she was finally supposed to bring the fatal key.

Why is this blood? - he asked.

“I don’t know why,” answered the poor woman, and she turned pale as a sheet.

You don't know! - picked up Bluebeard. - Well, I know! You wanted to go into the closet. Okay, you will go in there and take your place next to the women you saw there.

She threw herself at her husband’s feet, wept bitterly and began to ask him for forgiveness for her disobedience, expressing the most sincere repentance and grief. It seems that a stone would have been moved by the prayers of such a beauty, but Bluebeard had a heart harder than any stone.

“You must die,” he said, “and now.”

If I really have to die,” she said through tears, “then give me a minute of time to pray to God.”

“I give you exactly five minutes,” said Bluebeard, “and not a second more!”

He went downstairs, and she called her sister and said to her:

My sister Anna (that was her name), please go up to the very top of the tower, see if my brothers are coming? They promised to visit me today. If you see them, give them a sign to hurry up. Sister Anna climbed to the top of the tower, and the poor unfortunate thing shouted to her from time to time:

Sister Anna, don't you see anything?

And sister Anna answered her:

Meanwhile, Bluebeard, grabbing a huge knife, shouted with all his might:

Come here, come, or I'll come to you!

Just a minute,” his wife answered and added in a whisper:

And sister Anna answered:

I see the sun is getting clearer and the grass is turning green.

Go, go quickly,” yelled Bluebeard, “or else I’ll come to you!”

I'm coming, I'm coming! - the wife answered and again asked her sister:

Anna, sister Anna, don't you see anything?

“I see,” answered Anna, “a large cloud of dust is approaching us.”

Are these my brothers?

Oh no, sister, this is a flock of sheep.

Will you finally come! - Bluebeard yelled.

Just a little second,” his wife answered and asked again:

Anna, sister Anna, don't you see anything?

I see two horsemen galloping here, but they are still very far away. Thank God,” she added after a while. - These are our brothers. I give them a sign to hurry up as soon as possible.

But then Bluebeard made such a fuss that the very walls of the house began to tremble. His poor wife came down and threw herself at his feet, all torn to pieces and in tears.

“This will serve no purpose,” said Bluebeard, “your hour of death has come.”

With one hand he grabbed her by the hair, with the other he raised his terrible knife... He swung at her to cut off her head... The poor thing turned her faded eyes to him:

Give me one more moment, just one moment, to gather my courage...

No no! - he answered. - Entrust your soul to God!

And he already raised his hand... But at that moment there was such a terrible knock at the door that Bluebeard stopped, looked back... The door opened at once, and two young men burst into the room. Drawing their swords, they rushed straight at Bluebeard.

He recognized his wife's brothers - one served in the dragoons, the other in the horse huntsmen - and immediately sharpened his skis; but the brothers caught up with him before he could run behind the porch. They pierced him through with their swords and left him dead on the floor.

Bluebeard's poor wife was barely alive herself, no worse than her husband: she did not even have enough strength to rise and embrace her deliverers.

It turned out that Bluebeard had no heirs, and all his property went to his widow. She used one part of his wealth to marry her sister Anna to a young nobleman who had long been in love with her; with the other part she bought captain's ranks for her brothers, and with the rest she herself married a very honest and good man. With him, she forgot all the grief that she endured as Bluebeard's wife.

(Illustration by D. Reipolsky, ed. fine arts, 1985)

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Once upon a time there lived a man. He was very rich: he had beautiful houses, many servants, gold and silver dishes, gilded carriages and magnificent horses. But, unfortunately, this man's beard was blue. This beard made him so ugly and scary that all the girls and women, seeing him, got scared and hid in their homes. This man was given the nickname Bluebeard.

One of his neighbors had two daughters, wonderful beauties. Bluebeard wanted to marry one of them and told his mother to marry him no matter which one. But none of the sisters agreed to marry a man with a blue beard. They were also frightened by the fact that he already had several wives, but they all disappeared somewhere, and no one in the world knew what became of them.

So that the girls could get to know him better, Bluebeard brought them, along with his mother, girlfriends and several young neighbors, to his country castle and stayed there with them for a whole week.

The guests had a great time: they walked, went hunting, feasted all night long, forgetting about sleep.

Bluebeard had fun with everyone, joked, danced and was so kind that the younger girl stopped being afraid of his beard and agreed to marry him.

The wedding took place immediately upon returning to the city, and the younger sister moved to Bluebeard's castle.

A month after the wedding, Bluebeard told his wife that he had to leave for a long time on a very important matter.

He tenderly said goodbye to his wife and persuaded her not to be bored without him, but to have fun as she pleased.

“Here,” he said, “to

Once upon a time there lived a man six feet tall with a waist-length blue beard. They called him Bluebeard. He was rich as the sea, but he never gave alms to the poor and never set foot in church. They said that Bluebeard was married seven times, but no one knew where his seven wives went.

Eventually, bad rumors about Bluebeard reached the King of France. And the king sent many soldiers and ordered them to seize this man. The chief judge in a red robe went with them to interrogate him. For seven years they searched for him through the forests and mountains, but Bluebeard was hiding from them somewhere.

The soldiers and the chief judge returned to the king, and then Bluebeard appeared again. He became even more ferocious, even more terrible than before. It got to the point that not a single person dared to come closer than seven miles to his castle.

One morning Bluebeard was riding through a field on his mighty black horse, and his dogs were running after him - three great Danes, huge and strong, like bulls. At this time, a young and beautiful girl walked by alone.

Then the villain, without saying a word, grabbed her by the belt, picked her up and, putting her on a horse, took her to his castle.

I want you to be my darling. You will never leave my castle again.

And the girl inevitably had to become Bluebeard’s wife. Since then, she lived as a prisoner in the castle, suffering mortal pain, crying her eyes out. Every morning, at dawn, Bluebeard mounted his horse and rode off with his three huge dogs. He returned home only for dinner. And his wife did not leave the window for days on end. She looked into the distance, at her native fields, and was sad.

Sometimes a shepherdess would sit next to her, meek as an angel and so beautiful that her beauty gladdened the heart.

Madam,” she said, “I know what you are thinking. You don't trust the servants and maids in the castle - and you're right. But I am not like them, I will not betray you. Madam, tell me about your grief.

The lady remained silent. But then one day she spoke:

Shepherdess, beautiful shepherdess, if you betray me, God and the Blessed Virgin will punish you. Listen. I'll tell you about my grief. Day and night I think about my poor father, about my poor mother. I think about my two brothers, who have been serving the King of France in a foreign land for seven years now. Beautiful shepherdess, if you betray me, God and the Blessed Virgin will punish you.

Madam, I won't give you away. Listen. I have a talking jay bird that does whatever I tell it to do. If you want, she will fly to your two brothers, who serve the King of France, and tell them everything.

Thank you, shepherdess. Let's wait for an opportunity.

From that day on, Bluebeard's young wife and the pretty shepherdess became very good friends. But they no longer spoke, fearing that the corrupt servants would betray them.

One day Bluebeard said to his wife:

Tomorrow morning, at dawn, I am leaving on a long journey. Here are seven keys for you. Six large ones open doors and cabinets in the castle. You can use these keys as much as you want. And the seventh, the smallest key, opens the door to that closet over there. I forbid you to enter there. If you disobey, I will find out about it, and then you will be in trouble.

The next morning, just before dawn, Bluebeard rode off on his black horse, and his three great Danes, huge and strong as bulls, ran after him.

For three whole months, Bluebeard's wife did not violate her husband's orders. She only opened the rooms and cabinets of the castle with six large keys, but a hundred times a day she thought: “I would like to know what’s in the closet.”

This couldn't go on for long.

Ah, come what may! - she said one fine day. - I’ll see what’s there! Bluebeard won't know anything.

No sooner said than done. She called the pretty shepherdess, took out the key and unlocked the closed door.

Holy Virgin! Eight iron hooks! Seven of them have seven dead women hanging on them!

Bluebeard's wife tried to lock the door. But at the same time the key fell to the floor. The pretty shepherdess picked him up. And - woe! - the small key was stained with blood.

Having locked the door, the pretty shepherdess and her mistress erased the bloody stain from the key until sunset. They rubbed it with vinegar, horsetail and salt, and washed it off with hot water. Nothing helped. The more the poor thing scrubbed the stain, the redder it became and the more noticeable it appeared on the iron.

Rub it, women. Rub as much as you want. The stain on me will never be erased. And in seven days Bluebeard will return.

Then the pretty shepherdess said to her mistress:

Lady, it's time to send my talking jay. Ha! Ha!

At her call, a jay flew into the window.

Ha! Ha! Ha! Pretty cowgirl, what do you want from me?

Jay, fly to foreign lands.

Once upon a time there lived a man who had a lot of all sorts of good things: he had beautiful houses in the city and outside the city, gold and silver dishes, embroidered chairs and gilded carriages, but, unfortunately, this man had a blue beard, and this beard gave him such an ugly and menacing appearance that all the girls and women used to say, as soon as they saw him, God bless him with his feet.

One of his neighbors, a lady of noble origin, had two daughters, perfect beauties. He wooed one of them, without specifying which one, and leaving it to the mother herself to choose his bride. But neither one nor the other agreed to be his wife: they could not decide to marry a man who had a blue beard, and only quarreled among themselves, sending him to each other. They were embarrassed by the fact that he already had several wives and no one in the world knew what happened to them.

Bluebeard, wanting to give them the opportunity to get to know him better, took them with their mother, three or four of their closest friends and several young people from the neighborhood to one of his country houses, where he spent a whole week with them. The guests walked, went hunting and fishing; the dancing and feasting did not stop; there was no trace of sleep at night; everyone had fun, came up with funny pranks and jokes; in a word, everyone was so good and cheerful that the youngest of the daughters soon came to the conviction that the owner’s beard was not at all so blue and that he was a very amiable and pleasant gentleman. As soon as everyone returned to the city, the wedding was immediately celebrated.

After a month had passed, Bluebeard told his wife that he was obliged to be absent for at least six weeks on very important business. He asked her not to be bored in his absence, but, on the contrary, to try in every possible way to unwind, invite her friends, take them out of town if she wanted, eat and drink sweetly, in a word, live for her own pleasure.

“Here,” he added, “the keys to the two main storerooms; here are the keys to gold and silver dishes, which are not placed on the table every day; here from chests with money; here from boxes with precious stones; here, finally, is the key with which you can unlock all the rooms. But this small key unlocks the closet, which is located below, at the very end of the main gallery. You can unlock everything, enter everywhere; but I forbid you to enter that closet. My prohibition on this matter is so strict and formidable that if you happen - what God forbid - to unlock it, then there is no such misfortune that you should not expect from my anger.

Bluebeard's wife promised to strictly carry out his orders and instructions; and he, having kissed her, got into the carriage and set off. The young woman’s neighbors and friends did not wait for an invitation, but all came on their own, so great was their impatience to see with their own eyes the untold riches that were rumored to be in her house. They were afraid to come until her husband left: his blue beard frightened them very much. They immediately went to inspect all the chambers, and there was no end to their surprise: everything seemed magnificent and beautiful to them! They got to the storerooms, and there was something they didn’t see there! Lush beds, sofas, rich curtains, tables, tables, mirrors - so huge that you could see yourself in them from head to toe, and with such wonderful, extraordinary frames! Some frames were also mirrored, others were made of gilded carved silver. Neighbors and friends incessantly praised and extolled the happiness of the mistress of the house, but she was not at all amused by the spectacle of all these riches: she was tormented by the desire to unlock the closet below, at the end of the gallery.

So strong was her curiosity that, not realizing how impolite it was to leave guests, she suddenly rushed down the secret staircase, almost breaking her neck. Having run to the door of the closet, she, however, stopped for a moment. Her husband's prohibition came to her mind. “Well,” she thought, “I will be in trouble for my disobedience!” But the temptation was too strong - she could not cope with it. She took the key and, trembling like a leaf, unlocked the closet. At first she couldn’t make out anything: the closet was dark, the windows were closed. But after a while she saw that the entire floor was covered in dried blood and in this blood were reflected the bodies of several dead women tied along the walls; these were Bluebeard's former wives, whom he killed one after another. She almost died on the spot from fear and dropped the key from her hand. Finally she came to her senses, picked up the key, locked the door and went to her room to rest and recover. But she was so frightened that she could not completely come to her senses.

She noticed that the key to the closet was stained with blood; She wiped it once, twice, three times, but the blood did not go away. No matter how she washed it, no matter how much she rubbed it, even with sand and crushed bricks, the blood stain remained! This key was magical, and there was no way to clean it; the blood came off on one side and came out on the other.

That same evening Bluebeard returned from his journey. He told his wife that he had received letters on the road, from which he learned that the matter for which he had to leave had been decided in his favor. His wife, as usual, tried in every possible way to show him that she was very happy about his speedy return. The next morning he asked her for the keys. She handed them to him, but her hand trembled so much that he easily guessed everything that had happened in his absence.

“Why,” he asked, “is the key to the closet not with the others?”

“I must have forgotten it upstairs on my table,” she answered.

- Please bring it, do you hear! - said Bluebeard.

After several excuses and delays, she was finally supposed to bring the fatal key.

- Why is there blood? he asked.

“I don’t know why,” answered the poor woman, and she herself turned pale as a sheet.

- You don’t know! - picked up Bluebeard. - Well, I know! You wanted to go into the closet. Okay, you will go in there and take your place next to the women you saw there.

She threw herself at her husband’s feet, wept bitterly and began to ask him for forgiveness for her disobedience, expressing the most sincere repentance and grief. It seems that a stone would have been moved by the prayers of such a beauty, but Bluebeard had a heart harder than any stone.

“You must die,” he said, “and now.”

“If I really have to die,” she said through tears, “then give me a minute of time to pray to God.”

“I give you exactly five minutes,” said Bluebeard, “and not a second more!”

He went downstairs, and she called her sister and said to her:

- My sister Anna (that was her name), please go up to the very top of the tower, see if my brothers are coming? They promised to visit me today. If you see them, give them a sign to hurry up. Sister Anna climbed to the top of the tower, and the poor unfortunate thing shouted to her from time to time:

- Sister Anna, don’t you see anything?

And sister Anna answered her:

Meanwhile, Bluebeard, grabbing a huge knife, shouted with all his might:

- Come here, come, or I’ll come to you!

“Just a minute,” his wife answered and added in a whisper:

And sister Anna answered:

“I see the sun is getting clearer and the grass is turning green.”

“Go, go quickly,” yelled Bluebeard, “or else I’ll come to you!”

- I'm coming, I'm coming! - the wife answered and again asked her sister:

- Anna, sister Anna, don’t you see anything?

“I see,” answered Anna, “a large cloud of dust is approaching us.”

- Are these my brothers?

- Oh, no, sister, this is a flock of sheep.

- Will you finally come? - Bluebeard yelled.

“Just a little second,” his wife answered and asked again:

- Anna, sister Anna, don’t you see anything?

“I see two horsemen galloping here, but they are still very far away.” “Thank God,” she added after a while. - These are our brothers. I give them a sign to hurry up as soon as possible.

But then Bluebeard made such a fuss that the very walls of the house began to tremble. His poor wife came down and threw herself at his feet, all torn to pieces and in tears.

“This will serve no purpose,” said Bluebeard, “your hour of death has come.”

With one hand he grabbed her by the hair, with the other he raised his terrible knife... He swung at her to cut off her head... The poor thing turned her faded eyes to him:

- Give me one more moment, just one moment, to gather my courage...

- No no! - he answered. - Entrust your soul to God!

And he already raised his hand... But at that moment there was such a terrible knock at the door that Bluebeard stopped, looked back... The door opened at once, and two young men burst into the room. Drawing their swords, they rushed straight at Bluebeard.

He recognized his wife's brothers - one served in the dragoons, the other in the horse huntsmen - and immediately sharpened his skis; but the brothers caught up with him before he could run behind the porch. They pierced him through with their swords and left him dead on the floor.

Bluebeard's poor wife was barely alive herself, no worse than her husband: she did not even have enough strength to rise and embrace her deliverers. It turned out that Bluebeard had no heirs, and all his property went to his widow. She used one part of his wealth to marry her sister Anna to a young nobleman who had long been in love with her; with the other part she bought captain's ranks for her brothers, and with the rest she herself married a very honest and good man. With him, she forgot all the grief that she endured as Bluebeard's wife.

Bluebeard - a fairy tale by Charles Perrault for schoolchildren is based on real events. A wealthy aristocrat, nicknamed Bluebeard, is feared by girls: 7 of his wives have already disappeared. And yet there is the youngest daughter of a noble lady whom he managed to charm. The groom takes the bride to the castle. When leaving on business, he leaves her the keys to all the rooms. Only one closet is forbidden to be opened under threat of death. The wife doesn't listen. And he learns a terrible secret, which the magic key cannot hide. Find out how it all ends from a fairy tale that teaches ingenuity and caution!

Reading time: 11 min.

Once upon a time there lived a man who had a lot of all sorts of good things: he had beautiful houses in the city and outside the city, gold and silver dishes, embroidered chairs and gilded carriages, but, unfortunately, this man had a blue beard, and this beard gave him such an ugly and menacing appearance that all the girls and women used to say, as soon as they saw him, God bless him with his feet.

One of his neighbors, a lady of noble origin, had two daughters, perfect beauties. He wooed one of them, without specifying which one, and leaving it to the mother herself to choose his bride. But neither one nor the other agreed to be his wife: they could not decide to marry a man who had a blue beard, and only quarreled among themselves, sending him to each other. They were embarrassed by the fact that he already had several wives and no one in the world knew what happened to them.

Bluebeard, wanting to give them the opportunity to get to know him better, took them with their mother, three or four of their closest friends and several young people from the neighborhood to one of his country houses, where he spent a whole week with them. The guests walked, went hunting and fishing; the dancing and feasting did not stop; there was no trace of sleep at night; everyone had fun, came up with funny pranks and jokes; in a word, everyone was so good and cheerful that the youngest of the daughters soon came to the conviction that the owner’s beard was not at all so blue and that he was a very amiable and pleasant gentleman. As soon as everyone returned to the city, the wedding was immediately celebrated.

After a month had passed, Bluebeard told his wife that he was obliged to be absent for at least six weeks on very important business. He asked her not to be bored in his absence, but, on the contrary, to try in every possible way to unwind, invite her friends, take them out of town if she wanted, eat and drink sweetly, in a word, live for her own pleasure.

Here,” he added, “are the keys to the two main storerooms; here are the keys to gold and silver dishes, which are not placed on the table every day; here from chests with money; here from boxes with precious stones; here, finally, is the key with which you can unlock all the rooms. But this small key unlocks the closet, which is located below, at the very end of the main gallery. You can unlock everything, enter everywhere; but I forbid you to enter that closet. My prohibition on this matter is so strict and formidable that if you happen - what God forbid - to unlock it, then there is no such misfortune that you should not expect from my anger.

Bluebeard's wife promised to strictly carry out his orders and instructions; and he, having kissed her, got into the carriage and set off. The young woman’s neighbors and friends did not wait for an invitation, but all came on their own, so great was their impatience to see with their own eyes the untold riches that were rumored to be in her house. They were afraid to come until her husband left: his blue beard frightened them very much. They immediately went to inspect all the chambers, and there was no end to their surprise: everything seemed magnificent and beautiful to them! They got to the storerooms, and there was something they didn’t see there! Lush beds, sofas, rich curtains, tables, tables, mirrors - so huge that you could see yourself in them from head to toe, and with such wonderful, extraordinary frames! Some frames were also mirrored, others were made of gilded carved silver. Neighbors and friends incessantly praised and extolled the happiness of the mistress of the house, but she was not at all amused by the spectacle of all these riches: she was tormented by the desire to unlock the closet below, at the end of the gallery.

So strong was her curiosity that, not realizing how impolite it was to leave guests, she suddenly rushed down the secret staircase, almost breaking her neck. Having run to the door of the closet, she, however, stopped for a moment. Her husband's prohibition came to her mind. “Well,” she thought, “I will be in trouble for my disobedience!” But the temptation was too strong - she could not cope with it. She took the key and, trembling like a leaf, unlocked the closet. At first she couldn’t make out anything: the closet was dark, the windows were closed. But after a while she saw that the entire floor was covered in dried blood and in this blood were reflected the bodies of several dead women tied along the walls; these were Bluebeard's former wives, whom he killed one after another. She almost died on the spot from fear and dropped the key from her hand. Finally she came to her senses, picked up the key, locked the door and went to her room to rest and recover. But she was so frightened that she could not completely come to her senses.

She noticed that the key to the closet was stained with blood; She wiped it once, twice, three times, but the blood did not go away. No matter how she washed it, no matter how much she rubbed it, even with sand and crushed bricks, the blood stain remained! This key was magical, and there was no way to clean it; the blood came off on one side and came out on the other.

That same evening Bluebeard returned from his journey. He told his wife that he had received letters on the road, from which he learned that the matter for which he had to leave had been decided in his favor. His wife, as usual, tried in every possible way to show him that she was very happy about his speedy return. The next morning he asked her for the keys. She handed them to him, but her hand trembled so much that he easily guessed everything that had happened in his absence.

Why, he asked, is the key to the closet not with the others?

“I must have forgotten it upstairs on my table,” she answered.

Please bring it, do you hear! - said Bluebeard.

After several excuses and delays, she was finally supposed to bring the fatal key.

Why is this blood? - he asked.

“I don’t know why,” answered the poor woman, and she turned pale as a sheet.

You don't know! - picked up Bluebeard. - Well, I know! You wanted to go into the closet. Okay, you will go in there and take your place next to the women you saw there.

She threw herself at her husband’s feet, wept bitterly and began to ask him for forgiveness for her disobedience, expressing the most sincere repentance and grief. It seems that a stone would have been moved by the prayers of such a beauty, but Bluebeard had a heart harder than any stone.

“You must die,” he said, “and now.”

If I really have to die,” she said through tears, “then give me a minute of time to pray to God.”

“I give you exactly five minutes,” said Bluebeard, “and not a second more!”

He went downstairs, and she called her sister and said to her:

My sister Anna (that was her name), please go up to the very top of the tower, see if my brothers are coming? They promised to visit me today. If you see them, give them a sign to hurry up. Sister Anna climbed to the top of the tower, and the poor unfortunate thing shouted to her from time to time:

Sister Anna, don't you see anything?

And sister Anna answered her:

Meanwhile, Bluebeard, grabbing a huge knife, shouted with all his might:

Come here, come, or I'll come to you!

Just a minute,” his wife answered and added in a whisper:

And sister Anna answered:

I see the sun is getting clearer and the grass is turning green.

Go, go quickly,” yelled Bluebeard, “or else I’ll come to you!”

I'm coming, I'm coming! - the wife answered and again asked her sister:

Anna, sister Anna, don't you see anything?

“I see,” answered Anna, “a large cloud of dust is approaching us.”

Are these my brothers?

Oh no, sister, this is a flock of sheep.

Will you finally come! - Bluebeard yelled.

Just a little second,” his wife answered and asked again:

Anna, sister Anna, don't you see anything?

I see two horsemen galloping here, but they are still very far away. Thank God,” she added after a while. - These are our brothers. I give them a sign to hurry up as soon as possible.

But then Bluebeard made such a fuss that the very walls of the house began to tremble. His poor wife came down and threw herself at his feet, all torn to pieces and in tears.

“This will serve no purpose,” said Bluebeard, “your hour of death has come.”

With one hand he grabbed her by the hair, with the other he raised his terrible knife... He swung at her to cut off her head... The poor thing turned her faded eyes to him:

Give me one more moment, just one moment, to gather my courage...

No no! - he answered. - Entrust your soul to God!

And he already raised his hand... But at that moment such a terrible knock sounded at the door that Bluebeard stopped, looked back... The door opened at once, and two young men burst into the room. Drawing their swords, they rushed straight at Bluebeard.

He recognized his wife's brothers - one served in the dragoons, the other in the horse huntsmen - and immediately sharpened his skis; but the brothers caught up with him before he could run behind the porch. They pierced him through with their swords and left him dead on the floor.

Bluebeard's poor wife was barely alive herself, no worse than her husband: she did not even have enough strength to rise and embrace her deliverers. It turned out that Bluebeard had no heirs, and all his property went to his widow. She used one part of his wealth to marry her sister Anna to a young nobleman who had long been in love with her; with the other part she bought captain's ranks for her brothers, and with the rest she herself married a very honest and good man. With him, she forgot all the grief that she endured as Bluebeard's wife.