1、THE NECKLACE Mathilde Loisel was one of those poor girls prettycharming and romanticwhoin spite of their romantic dreamsare married to a mediocrityHer husband was a clerk in the Ministry of EducationOne evening her husband came home with an air of triumphI have something nice for youhe saidgiving he
2、r a large envelopeShe tore open the envelopewhich contained the following printed cardThe Minister of Education and Madame Georges Ramponneau have the honour to request the company of Monsieur and Madame Loisel at the office of the Ministry on Monday eveningJanuary 18th118She did not seem delightedO
3、n the contraryshe flung the invitation card on the tableand said spitefullyWhats that to meWhymy dearI thought youd be pleasedYou like a dancedont youYou hardly ever go outand this is really a good chance for youI had no end of trouble to get itEvery one wants ityou knowAll the officials will be the
4、rebut only a few clerks are invited裬She looked at him ruefully and exclaimedWhat do you expect me to wear at a party like thatIt never occurred to him that she had no pretty dresses nor jewelsHe replied hesitatingly鱦Whythe dress you wear when you go to the theatre looks very nice to meShe burst into
5、 tearsWhy did she marry such a dullstupid fellowOnly because she was born into a poor familyOhcruel trick of destinyWhats the matterhe asked anxiouslyNothingshe answered with an effortIts only that I havent a suitable dressand so I cant go to the ballGive this card to a friend of yours whose wife ha
6、s a better wardrobe than IIt was a heart-breaking confessionComeMathildemy dearestthe distressed husband saidhow much do you think it would cost to have a proper dresssomething rather simple which would be useful for other occasions after- wardsShe thought for a momentbusy with her calculationsHow m
7、uch could she ask without shocking the thrifty husband and provoking a flat refusalIm not sure but I think I could manage with four hundred francs400The husband turned a little paleShe had named the exact sum he had saved to buy a gun to enjoy shooting on the plain of Nanterre next summer with a few
8、 friendsBut he replied All rightYou shall have four hundred francsMind you get a really nice dress400* * *The day of the ball drew nearAlthough Madame Loisel had got her coveted dress she seemed far from pleasedWhat is the matterher husband askedYou look out of sorts these daysIts quite annoying to
9、think that I havent a single piece of jewellery to wearI might as well stay at home as cut a miserable figure at the partyshe answered鱦How about wearing natural flowersthenher husband suggestedThey are now quite in fashionFor ten francs you can get two or three splendid roses10廨Where did you get suc
10、h a silly ideashe repliedCant you see how miserable Id look among rich womenWell thenher husband saidWhy dont you go and ask your friendMadame Forestierto lend you some jewelsShe is a good friend of yoursand has a lot of jewelleryhasnt she鱦𣿡Yesof courseshe exclaimed in delightWhy di
11、dnt I think of itThe next day she called on Madame Forestier and explained her troubleMadame Forestier went to her wardrobetook out a large jewel caseand placed it open in front of her friend鱦Take what you wantmy dearshe saidMadame Loisel first saw some braceletsthen a pearl necklacethen a
12、Venetian gold cross set with jewelsan exquisite piece of magnificent workmanshipShe tried them onone after anotherbefore the mirroruncertain which to chooseHave you any moreshe askedOhyeslook for yourselfI dont know what you would like bestSuddenly Madame Loisel discovered a black satin casein which
13、 lay a superb diamond neck-laceHer heart beat fastWith trembling hands she took it outfastened it round her neckand stood gazing at herself in the mirrorlost in admirationShe asked fearfullyWould you lend me thisI dont think I need anything elseWhyyescertainlyMadame Loisel threw her arms round her f
14、riends neck kissed herand hurried outlest her friend should change her mind* * *The night of the ball came at lastMadame Loisel was a brilliant successShe looked more beautiful than any other woman presentTriumphantlyfull of grace and joyshe danced admirablyaware of the rapt eyes of the companyAll t
15、he men inquired her namewanted to be introducedasked her for waltzesShe attracted the attention of even the minister him- self貽裬She felt as if she were in a beautiful dreamintoxicated with happinessOhhow long she had been yearning for such a moment It was about four in the morning before she could t
16、ear herself away from the ballHer husband had been dozing since midnight in a little deserted drawing room with three other gentlemen whose wives were enjoying the dance糿4衣He threw round her shoulders her cloak for everyday wearwhich looked strangely incongruous with her elegant ball dressand anxiou
17、s to escape the eyes of the other women in rich fursshe hurried down the staircaseNo cab was to be seen in the streetandshivering with coldthey trudged on towards the SeineAt laston the quaythey found an oldrickety cab rarely seen in Paris in the daytimeOn reaching their dwellingthey climbed the sta
18、irs to their flat in gloomy silenceShe took off her garment before the mirrorShe wanted to enjoy one more glance at herself decked in all her glorySuddenly she cried out in horrorWhat is the matterher husband askedHe was already half undressedhe had to be at the office by ten the next day10She turne
19、d to himlike one madThe diamond necklace is goneWhatHowImpossibleThey searched the folds of her skirt and cloak her pocketseverywherebut the necklace was nowhere to be seenYou had it on when you left the ball𣿡YesI remember fingering it in the vestibuleIf you had dropped it in the streetwe sh
20、ould have heard the soundYou must have lost it in the cabProbablydid you notice the number𣿡NoI didntThey gazed at each other in consternationIll go back all over the road and try to find it飬跨He hurried outShe flung herself down in a chairand remained there blanklythe very picture of despairA
21、bout seven oclock he re- turnedempty-handedThen he reported to the police and made inquiries among the cab companiesbut all in vainMadame Forestiers di- amond necklace seemed to have vanished into thin air7Write to your friendthe husband saidthat you have injured the clasp of her necklace and that y
22、ou are having it mendedWe must have time to think over the matter* * *A week had passed without bringing them any spark of hopeLoiselwho now looked five years oldersaid5Well have to replace the necklaceThe next day they took the empty case to the jewellers whose name they found inside the lidHe cons
23、ulted his books鱦壬We did not sell the necklaceWe only supplied the caseThey went from jeweller to jewellersearching for a necklace like the one they had lostAt lastin a shop at the Palais Royal they found a diamond necklace exactly like Madame ForestiersThe price was forty thousand francsThe jeweller
24、 agreed to sell it for thirty-six鱦436 000They begged him not to sell it for three days and they got him to promise that he would buy it back for thirty-four thousand francsin case they should find the lost necklace by the end of February3234 000He rushed for a loan to everybody asking a tho
25、usand francs from one manfive hundred from anotherfive louis herethree louis thereHe blindly signed promissory notesagreed to unreasonable termseven called on professional money- lenders100050053At last he obtained the thirty-six thousand francsbut at the risk of his whole futureHow could he hope to
26、 return so much moneyAnd whenCrushing despair gnawed at his heart36000* * *Madame Forestier received the necklace with an air of displeasureYou should have returned it soonerI might need it at any momentMadame Loisel feared lest her friend should examine the necklace and notice the differenceHowever
27、Madame Forestier carelessly put the case away without looking at the contents* * *Then came to the couple daysweeks and years of drudgeryThey heroically resolved to pay the appalling debt by working hardThey quitted the flat and moved into a garretThey bought nothing except daily necessarieswhich th
28、ey tried to do without often enoughShe learned to bargain with tradesmenready to quarrel for every sonHer daydreaming was replaced by a constant endeavour to pay her wayEach month some of the promissory notes had to be renewedonly to gain timeThe husband worked after office hourskeeping acc
29、ounts for a tradesmanand late at night copying manuscripts at five sons a page5A new year camefollowed by another andanotherand still they grubbed onuntil ten years had flowed onTheir efforts were not in vainAt the end of that time they had managed to pay off everythingincluding interest at high rat
30、e1010Madame Loisel now looked older than her ageHer hair disheveledher skirt turned to one side her hands rough and hardenedthe former sentimentalromantic woman had turned into a stout- hearted matron who had tasted the bitters of lifeNow and thenhoweverwhen her husband was away at the offi
31、ceshe would sit by the window and think of the glory of that danceWhat sort of woman would she be nowif she had not lost the necklaceWho knows One Sunday she went for a stroll in the Champs-Elyses to divert her mind from the labours of the weekwhen she caught sight of a lady with a childIt was Madam
32、e restier Madame Forestier looked as youngas beautiful and as charming as ten years beforeMadame Loisel felt her heart beat hardShould she speak to herYesof courseThe debt had all been paid she might tell her all about itWhy notShe went up to Madame Forestier10壬HelloJeanneHer friend looked mystified
33、addressed by a poorlydressed strangerShe had not recognized Madame LoiselİIm afraid youve made a mistakeSorrybut I dont know youshe saidJeanneIts meMathilde LoiselMadame Forestier uttered a cry of surpriseOhmy poor MathildWhats happened to youYoure quite a strangerYes Ive had a very hard time since
34、thenand all through youThrough meHow can that beYou remember the diamond necklace I borrowed from you to attend the dance at the Educa-10tion Office𣿡YesWellWellI lost itWhat makes you say soYou returned it to meWhat I returned to you was another oneexactly like itAnd for the last ten years m
35、y husband and I have been working hard to pay for itYou knowit is hard for us poor people to pay thirtysix thousand francsBut dont worryIts all over nowWeve paid it in full1036000Madame Forestier stopped shortYou say that you lost my necklace and bought a diamond necklace like mine to replace itYesY
36、ouve never noticed itthenThey were exactly alikeMadame Forestier deeply movedseized bothher handsOh my poor MathildeWhat have you doneWhy mine was only imitation not genuine* * *Then you dont think our ten years labour wastedthe husband asked10𣿡WastedOhno When you were at the officeI often s
37、at by the window and wondered what sortof person I should be if I had not lost the necklaceNow I know my answer I know your answer my dearthe husbandsaid𰸣Yesit was the lost necklace that inspired us with courageendurance and perseveranceBut for that incidentId have remained a selfishgraceles
38、s thankless personWastedOhnoAt that moment there came a knock at the doorMadame Loisel opened itand found Madame Forestier standing there her face radiant with smilesMadame ForestierMy dear MathildeIm going on a tour tomorrowMadame Forestier hastily saidBefore I startI want to make you a present of this necklacePlease accept itBefore Mathilde could say anythingMadame Forestier was gone
