The Necklace
Mathilde and Her Discontent
Once upon a time, in wonderful France, there lived a gorgeous woman named Mathilde. She worried about how she looked and that she didn't have beautiful things.
Being married to a humble clerk, Victor, who worked at the Ministry of Education and earned a decent salary, she worried constantly.
— That young lady is wonderfully dressed! What beautiful ribbons and jewels! And me, not even a bow!
— Why do you worry about all these silly things? You are amazingly beautiful! — It's not enough!
Mathilde wasn't convinced. She felt she deserved all the riches that other women wore.
Dinner and Unfulfilled Desires
In the evening, she was having dinner with Victor.
— Ah, warm soup and fresh bread! Isn't it wonderful? — Oh, just old soup and plain bread. I wish we could eat many kinds of dishes every day, with silver cutlery!
Thus, Mathilde wanted more and more each day, instead of appreciating what she already had.
The Ball Invitation
One day, her husband came home very excited.
— Mathilde, I have something for you!
She opened the envelope and saw the invitation inside.
— This is it! — An invitation to a ball that will be held in a few weeks at the ministry! Isn't it fantastic? — Fantastic! Victor, tell me what I'm going to wear to the ball! — Uh, well, maybe the dress you wear to the theater. I mean, you look wonderful to me. Uh, what is it? — No! I have nothing! Nothing to wear to such a ball! — My dear, don't cry! How much would a new dress cost?
Mathilde wiped her tears and thought carefully.
— About 400 francs.
Victor's color drained from his cheeks. He had saved that amount to buy fishing equipment, to go out with his colleagues from work.
— Very well, my dear. I will give you the money so you can go and get a beautiful dress.
A New Problem: The Jewelry
But, as the ball approached, Mathilde began to grow restless.
— What is it? Aren't you happy with the dress? — It's beautiful, but I don't have any jewelry to go with it! — Well, I don't have money to buy you jewelry. How about wearing some flowers? That style is fashionable now! — Flowers? Oh! Then everyone will know what poverty we live in! No, I need jewelry or I'm not going! — Why don't you ask your friend Gin? Surely she will be generous!
The Visit to Gin
Mathilde was pleased with this idea. She went to visit Gin, who was a good friend. But, as Gin now had a big house and a good life, Mathilde felt even more distant.
— Mathilde! How are you?
They chatted for a while, then Mathilde thought about asking Gin for the favor.
— Jewelry? Of course! I have plenty! Choose whatever you want!
She gave Gin a box full of trinkets and necklaces. Their sparkle reflected on Mathilde's face. She tried on several, but didn't like anything.
— Do you have anything else? — How about these two boxes?
Mathilde looked, but found nothing in the first box. But, when she opened the second box, inside were the most beautiful diamonds Mathilde had ever seen.
She carefully placed them around her neck and was so delighted with how she looked.
— Is, is, is it okay if, if I take this one? — Oh, of course!
Mathilde cheered up, thanked Gin, and hurried home.
Success at the Ball
On the night of the ball, Mathilde was a great success. She laughed and talked with great joy, so much so that even the minister greeted her that evening.
The Loss of the Necklace
When the ball ended, she went to find her husband, who was resting in a room. He covered her with her modest coat.
— Oh, this coat is ruining my dress! I can manage without it!
Poor Victor followed his wife down the street. It seemed to be an unlucky night, for there was no taxi available. They walked for a long time until they finally found one.
It took them to their apartment and they entered the room. When they got inside, Mathilde went to the mirror to admire herself one more time.
— Oh, oh, no! — What happened? — The necklace isn't here! I, I lost it! — What? It can't be! You had it before we left! — Of course! I remember feeling it when I was talking to the minister! — Uh, and the taxi? Did you remember the number? — No, no, I didn't!
Victor was devastated. It was already 4 in the morning.
— All right, I'll go back the way we came and start searching the streets.
So he left, leaving Mathilde alone, not knowing what to do.
The Replacement Plan
After a few hours, Victor returned sadly, for he had found nothing. He told his wife to write to Gin.
— Tell her the necklace is being repaired because you broke the clasp. That way we'll have time to find it.
And so, while Mathilde did that, Victor went to the police and to the taxi drivers. But he found out nothing.
— We can only replace the necklace.
They went everywhere, searching at all the jewelers. Eventually, they found a similar necklace.
— This is it! Sir, how much does it cost? — This one, madam, costs 40,000 francs.
Years of Sacrifice
Grieved, they agreed to buy it. They begged the jeweler to keep it until they gathered the money. Victor went to all his friends and family to ask for money. Finally, he collected the money and they bought the necklace. Then, his wife took it back to Gin, who took it without even looking at it.
Then, the couple's life changed. They gave up their servants and moved into an apartment with cheaper rent. Mathilde cleaned and worked in houses around the city. She started to get wrinkles and her hands became rougher. Victor worked longer hours during the day and even on the night shift.
After 10 years of drudgery, they finally managed to pay off their debt. But both were very changed.
— How awful my hands look! And my wonderful hair has, has white strands! — Think of them as silver threads, for the hard work we've done.
The Reunion
She smiled warmly, but was still sad, thinking about what they had suffered because of some diamonds. One day, while walking down the street, she saw a wonderful lady, accompanied by a little boy.
— It's Gin! And she's still as beautiful as a flower! Should I go talk to her? Gin! Hello! You look wonderful after all these years, my dear! — Who is this woman? I haven't seen her before. Madam, I'm sorry, but no, I don't think I know you. — My dear friend, it's me, Mathilde! I think I've changed a lot. — Mathilde? My dear, what happened to you?
Mathilde told Gin everything. She thought that now, after paying off her debt, she could tell the truth.
— You mean, you mean you lost my necklace and then bought another one for 40,000 francs? — Yes, I'm very sorry I lost it.
The Shocking Truth
— Oh, Mathilde! Why didn't you tell the truth from the start? That necklace wasn't worth even 200 francs! — How can that be? It was amazingly beautiful! — But it was a fake! It was just a necklace made of colored glass!
The Lesson Learned
And so, poor Mathilde learned her lesson. If she had been content with what she had and hadn't constantly complained about her financial situation, perhaps she wouldn't have gone through so many adventures.
— How foolish I was! I had a wonderful home and a loving husband! Why didn't I realize it sooner? — My dear Mathilde, I've come home. What are we having for lunch? Oh, I bought you flowers! I hope you like them! — They're wonderful! For lunch, I was thinking we could have warm soup and fresh bread. Is that good? — Yes, that's wonderful!
The moral of the story: Be content with what you have and do not fall prey to envy and material desires, for these can lead to suffering and irreparable losses.
