Download THE NECKLACE GUY DE MAUPASSANT and more Lecture notes Voice in PDF only on Docsity!
While reading, look at the underlined words and, in the margin, decide
each word’s meaning from the context clues in the sentence.
!
THE NECKLACE
GUY DE MAUPASSANT
She!was!one!of!those!pretty!and!charming!girls!born,!as!though! fate!had!blundered!over!her,!into!a!family!of!artisans.!She!had!no! marriage!portion,!no!expectations,!no!means!of!getting!known,! understood,!loved,!and!wedded!by!a!man!of!wealth!and!distinction;!and! she!let!herself!be!married!off!to!a!little!clerk!in!the!Ministry!of!Education.! Her!tastes!were!simple!because!she!had!never!been!able!to!afford!any! other,!but!she!was!as!unhappy!as!though!she!had!married!beneath!her;! for!women!have!no!caste!or!class,!their!beauty,!grace,!and!charm!serving! them!for!birth!or!family,!their!natural!delicacy,!their!instinctive!elegance,! their!nimbleness!of!wit,!are!their!only!mark!of!rank,!and!put!the!slum!girl! on!a!level!with!the!highest!lady!in!the!land.!! !!!!!She!suffered!endlessly,!feeling!herself!born!for!every!delicacy!and! luxury.!She!suffered!from!the!poorness!of!her!house,!from!its!mean! walls,!worn!chairs,!and!ugly!curtains.!All!these!things,!of!which!other! women!of!her!class!would!not!even!have!been!aware,!tormented!and! insulted!her.!The!sight!of!the!little!Breton!girl!who!came!to!do!the!work! in!her!little!house!aroused!heartObroken!regrets!and!hopeless!dreams!in! her!mind.!She!imagined!silent!antechambers,!heavy!with!Oriental! tapestries,!lit!by!torches!in!lofty!bronze!sockets,!with!two!tall!footmen!in! kneeObreeches!sleeping!in!large!armOchairs,!overcome!by!the!heavy! warmth!of!the!stove.!She!imagined!vast!saloons!hung!with!antique!silks,! exquisite!pieces!of!furniture!supporting!priceless!ornaments,!and!small,! charming,!perfumed!rooms,!created!just!for!little!parties!of!intimate! friends,!men!who!were!famous!and!sought!after,!whose!homage!roused! every!other!woman's!envious!longings.!! !!!!!When!she!sat!down!for!dinner!at!the!round!table!covered!with!a! threeOdaysOold!cloth,!opposite!her!husband,!who!took!the!cover!off!the! soupOtureen,!exclaiming!delightedly:!"Aha!!Scotch!broth!!What!could!be! better?"!she!imagined!delicate!meals,!gleaming!silver,!tapestries! peopling!the!walls!with!folk!of!a!past!age!and!strange!birds!in!faery! forests;!she!imagined!delicate!food!served!in!marvelous!dishes,! Page!1!
murmured!gallantries,!listened!to!with!an!inscrutable!smile!as!one!trifled! with!the!rosy!flesh!of!trout!or!wings!of!asparagus!chicken.!! !!!!!She!had!no!clothes,!no!jewels,!nothing.!And!these!were!the!only! things!she!loved;!she!felt!that!she!was!made!for!them.!She!had!longed!so! eagerly!to!charm,!to!be!desired,!to!be!wildly!attractive!and!sought!after.!! !!!!!She!had!a!rich!friend,!an!old!school!friend!whom!she!refused!to!visit,! because!she!suffered!so!keenly!when!she!returned!home.!She!would! weep!whole!days,!with!grief,!regret,!despair,!and!misery.!! One!evening!her!husband!came!home!with!an!exultant!air,!holding!a! large!envelope!in!his!hand.!! !!!!!"Here's!something!for!you,"!he!said.!! !!!!!Swiftly!she!tore!the!paper!and!drew!out!a!printed!card!on!which!were! these!words:!! !!!!!"The!Minister!of!Education!and!Madame!Ramponneau!request!the! pleasure!of!the!company!of!Monsieur!and!Madame!Loisel!at!the!Ministry! on!the!evening!of!Monday,!January!the!18th."!! !!!!!Instead!of!being!delighted,!as!her!husband!hoped,!she!flung!the! invitation!petulantly!across!the!table,!murmuring:!! !!!!!"What!do!you!want!me!to!do!with!this?"!! !!!!!"Why,!darling,!I!thought!you'd!be!pleased.!You!never!go!out,!and!this! is!a!great!occasion.!I!had!tremendous!trouble!to!get!it.!Every!one!wants! one;!it's!very!select,!and!very!few!go!to!the!clerks.!You'll!see!all!the!really! big!people!there."!! !!!!!She!looked!at!him!out!of!furious!eyes,!and!said!impatiently:!"And! what!do!you!suppose!I!am!to!wear!at!such!an!affair?"!! **********************************************************! !!!!!He!had!not!thought!about!it;!he!stammered:!! !!!!!"Why,!the!dress!you!go!to!the!theatre!in.!It!looks!very!nice,!to!me!.!.!."!! !!!!!He!stopped,!stupefied!and!utterly!at!a!loss!when!he!saw!that!his!wife! was!beginning!to!cry.!Two!large!tears!ran!slowly!down!from!the!corners! of!her!eyes!towards!the!corners!of!her!mouth.!! !!!!!"What's!the!matter!with!you?!What's!the!matter!with!you?"!he! faltered.!! !!!!!But!with!a!violent!effort!she!overcame!her!grief!and!replied!in!a!calm! voice,!wiping!her!wet!cheeks:!! !!!!!"Nothing.!Only!I!haven't!a!dress!and!so!I!can't!go!to!this!party.!Give! your!invitation!to!some!friend!of!yours!whose!wife!will!be!turned!out! better!than!I!shall."!! !!!!!He!was!heartObroken.!!
!!!!!"Yes.!Look!for!yourself.!I!don't!know!what!you!would!like!best."!! !!!!!Suddenly!she!discovered,!in!a!black!satin!case,!a!superb!diamond! necklace;!her!heart!began!to!beat!covetously.!Her!hands!trembled!as!she! lifted!it.!She!fastened!it!round!her!neck,!upon!her!high!dress,!and! remained!in!ecstasy!at!sight!of!herself.!! !!!!!Then,!with!hesitation,!she!asked!in!anguish:!! !!!!!"Could!you!lend!me!this,!just!this!alone?"!! !!!!!"Yes,!of!course."!! !!!!!She!flung!herself!on!her!friend's!breast,!embraced!her!frenziedly,!and! went!away!with!her!treasure.!The!day!of!the!party!arrived.!Madame! Loisel!was!a!success.!She!was!the!prettiest!woman!present,!elegant,! graceful,!smiling,!and!quite!above!herself!with!happiness.!All!the!men! stared!at!her,!inquired!her!name,!and!asked!to!be!introduced!to!her.!All! the!UnderOSecretaries!of!State!were!eager!to!waltz!with!her.!The! Minister!noticed!her.!! !!!!!She!danced!madly,!ecstatically,!drunk!with!pleasure,!with!no!thought! for!anything,!in!the!triumph!of!her!beauty,!in!the!pride!of!her!success,!in! a!cloud!of!happiness!made!up!of!this!universal!homage!and!admiration,! of!the!desires!she!had!aroused,!of!the!completeness!of!a!victory!so!dear! to!her!feminine!heart.!! !!!!!She!left!about!four!o'clock!in!the!morning.!Since!midnight!her! husband!had!been!dozing!in!a!deserted!little!room,!in!company!with! three!other!men!whose!wives!were!having!a!good!time.!He!threw!over! her!shoulders!the!garments!he!had!brought!for!them!to!go!home!in,! modest!everyday!clothes,!whose!poverty!clashed!with!the!beauty!of!the! ballOdress.!She!was!conscious!of!this!and!was!anxious!to!hurry!away,!so! that!she!should!not!be!noticed!by!the!other!women!putting!on!their! costly!furs.!! !!!!!Loisel!restrained!her.!! !!!!!"Wait!a!little.!You'll!catch!cold!in!the!open.!I'm!going!to!fetch!a!cab."!! !!!!!But!she!did!not!listen!to!him!and!rapidly!descended!the!staircase.! When!they!were!out!in!the!street!they!could!not!find!a!cab;!they!began! to!look!for!one,!shouting!at!the!drivers!whom!they!saw!passing!in!the! distance.!! !!!!!They!walked!down!towards!the!Seine,!desperate!and!shivering.!At!last! they!found!on!the!quay!one!of!those!old!night!prowling!carriages!which! are!only!to!be!seen!in!Paris!after!dark,!as!though!they!were!ashamed!of! their!shabbiness!in!the!daylight.!! !!!!!It!brought!them!to!their!door!in!the!Rue!des!Martyrs,!and!sadly!they! walked!up!to!their!own!apartment.!It!was!the!end,!for!her.!As!for!him,!he! was!thinking!that!he!must!be!at!the!office!at!ten.!!
!!!!!She!took!off!the!garments!in!which!she!had!wrapped!her!shoulders,!so! as!to!see!herself!in!all!her!glory!before!the!mirror.!But!suddenly!she! uttered!a!cry.!The!necklace!was!no!longer!round!her!neck!!! !!!!!"What's!the!matter!with!you?"!asked!her!husband,!already!half! undressed.!! !!!!!She!turned!towards!him!in!the!utmost!distress.!! !!!!!"I!.!.!.!I!.!.!.!I've!no!longer!got!Madame!Forestier's!necklace.!.!.."!! !!!!!He!started!with!astonishment.!! !!!!!"What!!.!.!.!Impossible!"!! !!!!!They!searched!in!the!folds!of!her!dress,!in!the!folds!of!the!coat,!in!the! pockets,!everywhere.!They!could!not!find!it.!! !!!!!"Are!you!sure!that!you!still!had!it!on!when!you!came!away!from!the! ball?"!he!asked.!! !!!!!"Yes,!I!touched!it!in!the!hall!at!the!Ministry."!! !!!!!"But!if!you!had!lost!it!in!the!street,!we!should!have!heard!it!fall."!! !!!!!"Yes.!Probably!we!should.!Did!you!take!the!number!of!the!cab?"!! !!!!!"No.!You!didn't!notice!it,!did!you?"!! !!!!!"No."!! !!!!!They!stared!at!one!another,!dumbfounded.!At!last!Loisel!put!on!his! clothes!again.!! !!!!!"I'll!go!over!all!the!ground!we!walked,"!he!said,!"and!see!if!I!can't!find! it."!! !!!!!And!he!went!out.!She!remained!in!her!evening!clothes,!lacking! strength!to!get!into!bed,!huddled!on!a!chair,!without!volition!or!power!of! thought.!! !!!!!Her!husband!returned!about!seven.!He!had!found!nothing.!! !!!!!He!went!to!the!police!station,!to!the!newspapers,!to!offer!a!reward,!to! the!cab!companies,!everywhere!that!a!ray!of!hope!impelled!him.!! !!!!!She!waited!all!day!long,!in!the!same!state!of!bewilderment!at!this! fearful!catastrophe.!! !!!!!Loisel!came!home!at!night,!his!face!lined!and!pale;!he!had!discovered! nothing.!! **********************************************************! !!!!!"You!must!write!to!your!friend,"!he!said,!"and!tell!her!that!you've! broken!the!clasp!of!her!necklace!and!are!getting!it!mended.!That!will!give! us!time!to!look!about!us."!! !!!!!She!wrote!at!his!dictation.! By!the!end!of!a!week!they!had!lost!all!hope.!! !!!!!Loisel,!who!had!aged!five!years,!declared:!! !!!!!"We!must!see!about!replacing!the!diamonds."!! !!!!!Next!day!they!took!the!box!which!had!held!the!necklace!and!went!to! the!jewelers!whose!name!was!inside.!He!consulted!his!books.!!
on!her!arm,!haggling,!insulted,!fighting!for!every!wretched!halfpenny!of! her!money.!! !!!!!Every!month!notes!had!to!be!paid!off,!others!renewed,!time!gained.!! !!!!!Her!husband!worked!in!the!evenings!at!putting!straight!a!merchant's! accounts,!and!often!at!night!he!did!copying!at!two!penceOhalfpenny!a! page.!! !!!!!And!this!life!lasted!ten!years.!! !!!!!At!the!end!of!ten!years!everything!was!paid!off,!everything,!the! usurer's!charges!and!the!accumulation!of!superimposed!interest.!! !!!!!Madame!Loisel!looked!old!now.!She!had!become!like!all!the!other! strong,!hard,!coarse!women!of!poor!households.!Her!hair!was!badly! done,!her!skirts!were!awry,!her!hands!were!red.!She!spoke!in!a!shrill! voice,!and!the!water!slopped!all!over!the!floor!when!she!scrubbed!it.!But! sometimes,!when!her!husband!was!at!the!office,!she!sat!down!by!the! window!and!thought!of!that!evening!long!ago,!of!the!ball!at!which!she! had!been!so!beautiful!and!so!much!admired.!! !!!!!What!would!have!happened!if!she!had!never!lost!those!jewels.!Who! knows?!Who!knows?!How!strange!life!is,!how!fickle!!How!little!is!needed! to!ruin!or!to!save!!! !!!!!One!Sunday,!as!she!had!gone!for!a!walk!along!the!ChampsOElysees!to! freshen!herself!after!the!labors!of!the!week,!she!caught!sight!suddenly!of! a!woman!who!was!taking!a!child!out!for!a!walk.!It!was!Madame! Forestier,!still!young,!still!beautiful,!still!attractive.!! !!!!!Madame!Loisel!was!conscious!of!some!emotion.!Should!she!speak!to! her?!Yes,!certainly.!And!now!that!she!had!paid,!she!would!tell!her!all.! Why!not?!! !!!!!She!went!up!to!her.!! !!!!!"Good!morning,!Jeanne."!! !!!!!The!other!did!not!recognize!her,!and!was!surprised!at!being!thus! familiarly!addressed!by!a!poor!woman.!! !!!!!"But!.!.!.!Madame!.!.!."!she!stammered.!"I!don't!know!.!.!.!you!must!be! making!a!mistake."!! !!!!!"No!.!.!.!I!am!Mathilde!Loisel."!! !!!!!Her!friend!uttered!a!cry.!! !!!!!"Oh!!.!.!.!my!poor!Mathilde,!how!you!have!changed!!.!.!."!! !!!!!"Yes,!I've!had!some!hard!times!since!I!saw!you!last;!and!many!sorrows! .!.!.!and!all!on!your!account."!! !!!!!"On!my!account!!.!.!.!How!was!that?"!! !!!!!"You!remember!the!diamond!necklace!you!lent!me!for!the!ball!at!the! Ministry?"!! !!!!!"Yes.!Well?"!! !!!!!"Well,!I!lost!it."!!
!!!!!"How!could!you?!Why,!you!brought!it!back?”!! !!!!!"I!brought!you!another!one!just!like!it.!And!for!the!last!ten!years!we! have!been!paying!for!it.!You!realize!it!wasn't!easy!for!us;!we!had!no! money.!.!..!Well,!it's!paid!for!at!last,!and!I'm!glad!indeed."!! !!!!!Madame!Forestier!had!halted.!! !!!!!"You!say!you!bought!a!diamond!necklace!to!replace!mine?"!! !!!!!"Yes.!You!hadn't!noticed!it?!They!were!very!much!alike."!! !!!!!And!she!smiled!in!proud!and!innocent!happiness.!! !!!!!Madame!Forestier,!deeply!moved,!took!her!two!hands.!! !!!!!"Oh,!my!poor!Mathilde!!But!mine!was!imitation.!It!was!worth!at!the! very!most!five!hundred!francs!!.!.!.!"!
