'Yes, I have had some hard times since I last saw you, and manymiseries. It was Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, still charming. With hair half combed, withskirts awry, and reddened hands, she talked loudly as she washed the floorwith great swishes of waterOne Sunday, as she was walking in the Champs Élysées to refresh herself after the week's work, suddenly she saw a woman walking with a child. She had become strong, hard androughlike all women of impoverished households. At the end of ten years, they had paid off everything, everything, usurer's rates, and with the accumulations of compound interest. Her husband worked every evening, doing accounts for a tradesman, and often, late into the night, he sat copying a manuscript at five sous a page. 'I'm going back, over the whole route we walked, see if I can find it. 'Are you sure you still had it on when you left the ball?' We must consider how to replace the jewel. I touched it in the hall at the Ministry.' I no longer have Madame Forestier's necklace She no longer had the necklace round her neck! In front of the mirror, she took off the clothes around her shoulders, taking a final look at herself in all her glory. At last, they found on the quay one of those old night cabs that one sees in Paris only after dark, as if they were ashamed to show their shabbiness during the day. They left at about four o'clock in the morning, They walked down toward the Seine in despair, shivering with cold. All the cabinet officials wanted to waltz with her. All themen stared at her, asked her name, tried to be introduced. She was prettier than all the other women, elegant, gracious, smiling and full of joy. Every one wants to go it is very exclusive, and they're not giving many invitations to clerks. You never go out, and it will be such a lovely occasion! I had awful trouble getting it. Look!' But, my dear, I thought you would be pleased. Give yourinvitation to a friend whose wife has better clothes than I do 'And what do you expect me to wear if I go?'Only I have no dress and so I can't go to this party. The husband hesitate telling his wife that he would buy a dress and told her to go to her friend Madame Forestier to lend her jewels One evening her husband came home with an air of triumph, holding a large nvelope in his hand. She dressed plainly because she had never been able to afford anything better, but she was as unhappy as if she had once been wealthy. She had no dowry and so she let herself be married to a minor official at the Ministry of Education. She was one of those pretty and charming girls born into a family of clerks.

The jewels maupassant