Page 83 - Unit 2 - Exercise 1A

Page 83 - Unit 2 - Exercise 1A

The Necklace

Mathilde Loisel lived in Paris. Her husband was a clerk at the Ministry of Education. They weren’t poor. They had a nice flat and one servant, but Mathilde dreamed of a better life full of silk dresses and gold jewellery, parties and rich, famous people.

One evening when her husband came home, he looked very happy. ‘I’ve got something for you,’ he said. ‘It’s an invitation to a party with the Minister of Education.’ Mathilde started to cry. ‘What’s wrong?’ said her husband. ‘You want to go, don’t you?’ ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘But I haven’t got anything to wear to a party like that, have 1?’ ‘How much will you need for a new dress?’ asked her husband. ‘Four hundred francs,’ she said. It was a lot of money, but her husband agreed.

A few days later, however, Mathilde was unhappy again. ‘I haven’t got any jewellery to wear with my dress,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you ask your friend, Madame Forestier?

She’ll lend you something, won’t she?’ said her husband.

What a party! Mathilde was the most beautiful woman there. It was the happiest so night of her life.

At four o’clock in the morning, they took a taxi home. When they arrived, Mathilde stood in front of the mirror and took off her coat.

She froze in horror. ‘The necklace,’ she cried. ‘It’s gone!’

‘Perhaps you lost it in the taxi,’ said her husband. ‘I’ll go and look for it.’ He came back at seven o’clock. ‘Have you found it?’ asked his wife.

‘No, I haven’t,’ he replied. ‘What can we do?’ said Mathilde. ‘I can’t tell Madame Forestier that I’ve lost it, can 1?’ ‘We must buy another one,’ said her husband.

They went to all the jewellery shops and finally found a similar necklace. ‘But it costs thirty-six thousand francs!’ said Mathilde.

‘My father left me eighteen thousand francs when he died,’ said her husband. ‘We must borrow the rest.’ They borrowed from banks, from money-lenders, from friends and relatives, and they bought the necklace.

After that, everything changed for the Loisels.

They moved to a small room. There was no servant now. Mathilde did all the housework. Her husband worked every evening and at weekends. They didn’t buy any new clothes and ate only poor food.

After ten long, hard years they finally paid back all the money, but Mathilde wasn’t young and pretty any more.

She looked old and thin.

Her hands were red and rough.

One Sunday afternoon, she saw Madame Forestier in the park. She still looked young and beautiful. ‘Good afternoon, Jeanne,’ said Mathilde.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Madame Forestier. ‘I don’t know you, do I?’ ‘Yes, it’s me, Mathilde.’ ‘Oh, my dear, what has happened to you?’ said her friend. ‘You’ve changed so much.’ ‘Yes, life has been very difficult for the last ten years,’ said Mathilde and she told her the whole story. At the end, she said proudly: ‘I can tell you everything now, because we’ve paid back all the money’ ‘But my poor Mathilde,’ said her friend. ‘My diamonds weren’t real. The necklace was worth no more than five hundred francs!’