She was a pretty and charming young girl
but her beauty seemed to have been misplaced
it was as if fate had failed to see her destiny
and she was born into an undistinguished house
she came from a middle class family of clerks
She had no dowry, nor expectations for her future
she had no way of being known by a rich man
no distinguished man was going to understand her
she could not foresee an admired man loving her
she had no hope of a wealthy man marrying her
so she let herself be married to a little clerk
he worked at the Ministry of Public Instruction
She dressed in very plain and drab clothes
because she could not afford beautiful clothes
but she was more unhappy than those around her
it was as if she really had fallen from a higher rank
because with women there is neither caste nor rank
woman live from their beauty, grace and charm
these things take the place of family and birth
Natural ingenuity and an instinct for what is elegant
the suppleness of their minds determine their hierarchy
women of the people can equal the very greatest ladies

Mathilde suffered ceaselessly from her affliction
she felt she was born to enjoy the finest delicacies
she felt she was born to enjoy all the luxuries of life
She was distressed at the poverty of her dwelling
she couldn’t cope at the bareness of the walls
the shabby chairs distressed her happiness greatly
the ugliness of the curtains gave her no peace
other woman of her rank would never have noticed
but all those things tortured her happiness daily
and those things made her angry to no end
The sight of the humble little Breton peasant
they accepted their housework honourably
and they did their work without complaining
but for Mathilde it only aroused despairing regrets
and it caused her to have bewildering dreams
She thought of silent antechambers in country homes
she imagined large rooms hung with tapestries
Oriental tapestries illumined by tall bronze candelabras
and she thought of two great footmen in knee breeches
the men in her thoughts slept in the big armchairs
the oppressive heat of the stove made them drowsy
She thought of long reception halls in a palace
her imagination hung ancient silks along the wall
her thoughts arranged dainty cabinets in the rooms
and each cabinet contained priceless curiosities
and she thought of cute little reception rooms
she could smell the perfume of the rooms in her mind
rooms made for chatting with intimate friends
famous sought after men, whom other men envy
fascinating men, whose attention all women desire

she sat down for dinner at the round table
the tablecloth had not been changed for three days
her husband uncovered the soup tureen
“Ah, soup! I don’t know anything better”
she thought of dainty meals of shining silverware
she thought of tapestries decorated by ancient people
birds flying in the midst of a fairy forest
delicious dishes served on marvellous plates
compliments you listen to with a sphinx-like smile
she thought of eating the pink meat of a trout
and she thought of eating the wings of a quail
but she had no gowns, no jewels, nothing
And she loved nothing more than beautiful things
She felt she had been made to have such things
She wanted nothing more than to be pleasing
she wanted to be envied by other women of high birth
she wanted to be considered charming by important men
she wanted to be sought after for her company

when she was young she went to school at a convent
from the convent she had a rich school friend
but she did not like to go to see her any more
because she felt so sad when she came home
one evening her husband came home with a triumphant air
he was holding a large envelope in his hand
“There,” said he, “there is something for you”
She tore the envelope open with excitement
and she pulled a printed card out of the envelope
it was an invitation to the palace of the Ministry
her husband had hoped she would be delighted
but he could not have predicted the disappointment
annoyed she threw the invitation on the table
“What do you wish me to do with that?”
“Why, my dear, I thought you would be glad”
“You never go out,” her husband added
“and this is such a fine opportunity for you”
“I went to great trouble to get the invitation”
“Everyone wants to go, it is very select”
“and they are not giving many invitations to clerks”
“all the world’s officials are going be there”
She looked at him with an irritated glance
“And what do you wish me to put on my back?”
He had not thought of what she could wear
“Why not the gown you go to the theatre in?”
“I think it looks very…,” but he had to stop
he could see that his wife was weeping painful tears
Two great tears ran slowly from the corners of her eyes
and the tears ran toward the corners of her mouth
“What’s the matter? What’s the matter?” he asked her
By a violent effort she conquered her grief
she wiped her wet cheeks and replied in a calm voice
“Nothing is the matter, but I have no gown”
“and, therefore, I cannot go to this ball”
“Give your card to one of your colleagues”
“maybe their wife is better equipped than I am”
He was in despair, “let’s see what we can do, Mathilde”
“How much would it cost, a suitable gown?
“a simple gown that you could use on other occasions”
She reflected several seconds, making her calculations
of course she didn’t want to say a sum too low
but she didn’t want her wish to be immediately refused
after all, her husband was an economical clerk
Finally she replied: “I don’t know exactly”
“I think I could manage it with four hundred francs”
her husband grew a little pale when he heard the number
he was laying aside just that amount to buy a gun
he wanted to treat himself to a little game shooting
several friends of his shot larks on Sundays
“Very well. I will give you four hundred francs”
“but please try to find a pretty gown”

The day of the ball was slowly drawing nearer
she had found a nice frock for the event
but Madame Loisel seemed sad, uneasy, and anxious
Her husband noticed that his wife still wasn’t happy
“What is the matter?” he asked her one evening
“you haven’t been yourself these last three days”
the invitation had given her a lot to worry about
“It annoys me not to have a single piece of jewellery”
“not a single ornament, nothing to put on”
“I would look poverty-stricken if I went like this”
“I would almost rather not go at all”
“You could wear natural flowers,” said her husband
“flowers are very stylish at this time of year”
“For ten francs you can get three magnificent roses”
but she was not convinced by her husbands suggestions
“No; there’s nothing more humiliating for a woman”
“to look poor among other women who are rich”
“How stupid you are!” her husband cried
“why don’t you see your friend, Madame Forestier?”
“you could ask her to lend you some jewels”
“You’re acquainted enough with her to do that”
She uttered a cry of joy at the suggestion
“You are right! I never thought of that”

The next day she went to her friend
and she told her of all her distress
Madame Forestier went to a wardrobe with a mirror
she took a large black box out of the wardrobe
she opened the box and showed it Madame Loisel
“Choose whatever you like, my dear”
First she saw some bracelets she liked
then a pearl necklace caught her attention
a Venetian gold cross set with precious stones
She tried on the ornaments before the mirror
she wanted to wear all the jewellery
but she could not decide which one she should choose
She kept asking: “do you have any more?”
“of course I have more, keep looking”
“I don’t know what you like”
Suddenly she discovered a black satin box
in the box was a superb diamond necklace
her heart throbbed with an immoderate desire
Her hands trembled as she took the necklace
She fastened the necklace around her throat
she was lost in ecstasy at her reflection in the mirror
Then she asked, hesitating, filled with anxious doubt
“Will you lend me this one, only this?”
“Why, yes, certainly, I will lend it to you”
She threw her arms round her friend’s neck
and she kissed her friend passionately
and then she fled home with her treasure

The night of the ball had finally arrived
Madame Loisel was a great success among the officials
She was prettier than any other woman present
elegant, graceful, smiling and wild with joy
All the men looked at her and asked her name
they all wanted to be introduced to her
All the attaches of the Cabinet wished to waltz with her
She was remarked by the minister himself
She danced with rapture and with passion
she was intoxicated by pleasure of the attention
she forget everything in the triumph of her beauty
she waltzed in the glory of her success
she was in a sort of cloud of happiness
a sense of triumph which is so sweet to woman’s heart

She left the ball around four o’clock in the morning
Her husband had been sleeping since midnight
in a little deserted room with three other gentlemen
their wives were also enjoying the party
He threw over her shoulders the coat he had brought
it was the modest coat of common life
the coat contrasted starkly with the ball dress
and it made the poverty look even starker
She felt the contrast and wished to escape
she did not want the other women to notice
they were enveloping themselves in costly furs
Loisel held her back; “Wait a bit”
“You will catch cold if you go outside”
“let me go out and try to find a cab”
But she did not listen to his advise
she rapidly descended down the stairs
but on the street they could not find a carriage
Loisel shouted after the cabmen passing at a distance
They went toward le Seine in despair
by now they were shivering with cold
At last they found a carriage on the quay
it was one of those ancient night cabs
cabs too ashamed to show their shabbiness in the day
they are never seen in Paris until after dark
they were taken to the Rue des Martyrs
sadly they mounted the stairs to their flat
the moment of pretence had ended for her
As for him, he was concerned with other things now
he had to be at work at ten o’clock that morning
She removed her coat in front of the mirror
so as to see herself once more in all her glory
But suddenly she uttered a terrible cry
She no longer had the necklace around her neck!
“What is the matter with you?” demanded her husband
he had already half undressed himself
She turned distractedly toward him
“I… I… I’ve lost Madame Forestier’s necklace”
He stood up, bewildered. “What! How? Impossible!”
They looked among the folds of her skirt
they checked everywhere in her cloak
they looked inside all of her pockets
they looked everywhere, but did not find it
“You’re sure you had it on when you left the ball?”
“Yes, I felt it in the vestibule of the minister’s house”
“But if it was in the street we would have heard it fall”
“It must be in the cab,” he concluded
“Yes, probably. Did you take his number?”
“No. Did you? Didn’t you notice it?”
Mathilde had not noticed the number either
They looked thunderstruck at each other
At last Loisel put on his clothes
“I shall go back on foot,” he told her
“I shall go over the whole route”
“perhaps I can still find it somewhere”
He went out to try and find the necklace
She sat waiting on a chair in her ball dress
she didn’t have the strength to go to bed
overwhelmed, without any fire, without a thought

Her husband returned about seven o’clock
but he returned without having found the necklace
He went to police headquarters of Paris
and he went to the local newspaper offices
he offered a reward to anyone who might have found it
he went to the all cab companies of Paris
he went wherever there was a glimmer of hope
She waited all day for her husband to return
she had been in mad fear since the calamity
Loisel returned at night with a hollow, pale face
he had looked everywhere, but discovered nothing
“You must write to your friend,” said he
“tell her you have broken the clasp of her necklace”
“and tell her that you are having it mended”
“That will give us some time to think of something”

At the end of a week they had lost all hope
Loisel aged no less than five years that week
“We must consider how to replace that ornament”
The next day they took the box of the necklace
in the box they had found the name of a jeweller
they went to the jeweller whose name they found
He consulted his books and his accountant
“It was not I, Madame, who sold that necklace”
“I must simply have furnished the case”
Then they went from jeweller to jeweller
they searched for a necklace like the other
but they had to rely on their memories
both were now sick with chagrin and grief
They found a jewellery shop at the Palais Royal
they saw a string of diamonds just like the lost one
the price of it was forty thousand francs
they could have it for thirty-six thousand francs
they begged the jeweller not to sell it for three days
And they made a deal with the jeweller
if they found the necklace he would buy it back
but he would only have to pay thirty four thousand
they had still not given up all hope of finding it

Loisel had eighteen thousand francs to his name
this was money that his father had left him
He had to borrow the rest of the money
and he did borrow from whomever he could
he asked for a thousand francs from one lender
he asked for five hundred francs of another lender
he borrowed five louis here, three louis there
he signed contracts and took up ruinous obligations
he dealt with usurers and all kinds of lenders
he compromised all the rest of his life
he took on debts he didn’t know if he could meet
and he was frightened by the trouble yet to come
he feared the misery that was about befall him
he shuddered at the loss he was about to suffer
and so he went to get the new necklace
he laid upon the counter thirty-six thousand francs
and he watched the money disappear into a safe

Madame Loisel took the necklace to Madame Forestie
she spoke to her in a very chilly manner
“I would have liked if you had returned it sooner”
“for all you know I could have needed it”
Loisel feared she would open the box
what would she have thought if she noticed?
what would she have said if she saw it?
Would she not have taken Madame Loisel for a thief?
but she trusted that the necklace was inside

Thereafter Madame Loisel knew a different life
she learned the horrible existence of the needy
She bore her part, however, with sudden heroism
she knew that the dreadful debt must be paid
and in her heart she agreed to pay it
They dismissed their servant that they had had
they downgraded their lodgings to a cheaper one
now they rented a garret under the roof
She came to know what heavy housework meant
and she learned the odious work of the kitchen
with her dainty fingers she washed the greasy pots
She washed the soiled linen and the shirts
she hung the clothes upon the line to dry
every morning she carried the pails down to the street
and she carried up the water from the fountain
but she had to stop for breath at every landing
now she dressed like a woman of the people
she went to the fruiterer, the grocer, the butcher
she carried a basket in her arm and haggled
she defended her miserable money, sou by sou

Every month they had to meet some repayments
they had to renew some of their debts
and they had to obtain more time on other debts
Her husband took on extra work in the evenings
he also did the accounts of some tradesmen
and late at night he often copied manuscript
for every page he copied he earned five sous

This life lasted all of ten years
and they had been ten very hard years
but at they had paid everything they owed
they covered the rates of the compounding interest
Madame Loisel looked older than her years now
She had become the woman of an impoverished household
strong and hard and rough With frowsy hair
her skirt was askew and her hands were now red
she talked loud while washing the floor
But there were times when her husband was at work
some of these times she sat down, near the window
and she thought of that happy evening of long ago
she thought of that ball where she had been so beautiful
she remembered the feeling of being so admired
What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace?
Who knows? How strange and changeful life is!
How small a thing can be to make or ruin us!

one Sunday she went to take a walk in the Champs Elysees
she sometimes came this way to refresh herself
it had been a laborious week of work
she suddenly perceived a woman in the distance
she was going for a walk with a child
It was Madame Forestier! Her friend from long ago
she was still young, beautiful, and still charming
Madame Loisel felt moved by the weight of the moment
Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly
she had lived hard and paid off her debts
she would tell her all about it. Why not?
She went up to her, “Good-day, Jeanne”
Madame Forestier was quite astonished by the greeting
being addressed so familiarly caught her by surprise
and she did not know any plain housewives
“But Madame! I cannot say I know you”
“You must have me mistaken with someone else”
“No. I am Mathilde Loisel,” she replied
Her friend uttered a happy cry when she recognized her
“Oh, my poor Mathilde! How you are changed!”
“Yes, I have not had an easy life”
“life has been hard since I last saw you”
“for the last ten years I have had to endure poverty”
“and all of this has been because of you!”
“you have had to suffer because me? How so?”
“Do you remember that diamond necklace you lent me?”
“the necklace that I wore at the ministerial ball”
“Yes, what about it?” asked Madame Forestier, puzzled
“Well, I lost it,” Loisel told her old friend
“What do you mean? You brought it back”
“I brought you back another one exactly like it”
“And it has taken us ten years to pay for it”
“You can understand that it was not easy for us”
“but at last it is ended, and I am very glad”
Madame Forestier had stopped walking
“You say that you bought a necklace of diamonds to replace mine?”
“Yes. You never noticed it, then!”
“They were very similar,” Loisel confirmed
she smiled with a joy both proud and ingenuous
Madame Forestier, deeply moved, took her hands
“Oh, my poor Mathilde!” she comforted her
“but my necklace was a replica!”
“It was only worth five hundred francs at most!”