💎 The Necklace
She was one of those pretty, charming young women who seem to have been born by mistake into a poor family. She had no rich dresses, no jewelry, nothing. And she loved nothing more than beautiful things. She suffered constantly, feeling that she was meant for a life of luxury.
Her husband was a clerk in the Ministry of Education. They lived in a small, simple apartment. She dreamed of large rooms with expensive furniture, of beautiful dresses and jewelry, of elegant dinners and parties.
One evening, her husband came home with an envelope. Inside was an invitation to a party at the Minister's house. She was not happy. "What do you want me to do with this?" she asked.
"I thought you would be happy," he said. "You never go out. This is a wonderful chance."
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "What do you expect me to wear? I have no beautiful dress for such an occasion."
Her husband was sad. He had saved 400 francs for a gun, but he gave it to her for a dress. She bought a beautiful dress.
But she was still unhappy. "I have no jewelry to wear," she said. "I will look poor among rich women."
"Go see your friend Madame Forestier," her husband said. "She has many jewels. Borrow something from her."
The next day, she went to her rich friend's house. Madame Forestier showed her many beautiful jewels. She looked at bracelets, necklaces, and precious stones. Then she saw a beautiful diamond necklace. Her heart beat with desire.
"Can you lend me this?" she asked.
"Of course," her friend said.
She danced at the party all night. She was the most beautiful woman there. All the men looked at her. She was happy and proud.
They left at four in the morning. In the taxi, she suddenly cried out. The necklace was gone! They searched everywhere. It was not in her coat or in the taxi. It was lost.
Her husband went out to search the streets. He found nothing. He went to the police. He put an ad in the newspaper. Nothing. The necklace was gone.
They went to the jeweler whose name was inside the necklace. "I did not sell this necklace," the jeweler said. "I only made the box."
They found a necklace that looked exactly the same. It cost 36,000 francs. Her husband had 18,000 francs from his father. He borrowed the rest. They bought the necklace and returned it to Madame Forestier.
Then began ten years of terrible poverty. They moved to a small apartment. She did all the housework herself. She carried water, washed dishes, and scrubbed floors. Her husband worked at night, writing letters for money. They lived in misery.
One day, she saw Madame Forestier in the park. She looked old and tired. She decided to tell her the truth.
"You may not remember me," she said. "I am Mathilde. Ten years ago, I borrowed a diamond necklace from you and lost it. We bought you a new one. We have been paying for it for ten years."
Madame Forestier was shocked. She took her friend's hands. "Oh, my poor Mathilde! My necklace was not real. It was fake. It was worth only 500 francs!"
Moral of the story: Pride and vanity can lead to unnecessary suffering. Honesty is always better than pretending to be something you are not.