Belle thought he was a beastly bore, and Gaston didn't understand why she was always reading. "It's not right for a woman to read," he said.

Belle's father, Maurice, was an inventor. His latest invention was an automatic woodchopper, which he was taking to a contest at the county fair. 
"You'll win first prize!" Belle declared.

Not sure what he would find inside, Maurice entered the castle grounds cautiously.