The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1886-02-04
THE DIAMOND. NECKLACE i [.
BY QUY%DE MAUPAssANT.

+ By GUY DE MAUPAssANT. Il
She was one of those pretty, charm
ing girls, born as though through q mis-
take of destiny, among family Of
clerks. She had no dot, no hopes; there
was no way Of her becoming known, u lrl-3
derstood, loved and married by q rich
and distinguished man; and she allowed
herself to be married to q petty clerk at
the Ministry Of Public Instruction.
{ She dressed simply, according to her
means, but was unhappy as q person Of
no defined position; for. women have no
estate nor race, their beauty, grace and
charm taking the place Of birth and
family. Their innate shrewdness, their
instinct of fashion, their subtility of
mind, are: their only hierarchy, and
make the daughters of the poor the
equals of the greatest ladies. &
the round table covered with: three
day-olds cloth, opposite her husband,
who as soon as he described the soup
tureen declared joyously: ..Ahl good
soup and boiled meat! / know nothing
better than that y She dreamed Of
fine dinners, Of glittering silver-plate, of
tapestries peopling the walls with by
gone personages and strange birds in
the midst of q fairy forest; she dreamed
OF exquisite dishes served in wonderful
plates, Of whispered compliments listen
ed to with sphinx-like smile as she eat
the pink trout or q chicken wing. ],
She had no fine toilets, no jewels, and
they were all she cared for, she thought
herself fit for such things. She wished
to please; to be envied, to be attractive,
and sought after. E j "a e .,. 5 Il;
She had a rich friend, an old school
mate at the convent, whom she would
no longer 60 and see, SO much did she
grieve on her return. And she wept
whole days from grief, despair and dis
tress. AL! !. 1; 81;
Now, one evening her husband came
home with : proud manner, and hold
ingtin his hand huge envelope, l
Here, he said, s.here is something
for you. 60
She quickly tore open the paper, and
drew from it q printed card bearing these
words: .5j@li5 5s;. 1. rs
The Minister Of Public Instruction and
Nine. Georges Ramp beg NJ. and
Nine. Loisel to do them the honor of
passing the evening at the hotel Of the
Minister on Monday, j January is.
Instead of being enchanted, as her
.husb band had hoped, she threw the
invitation on the table, with rage, and
muttered: 5.S,l Il "a. & 4: Ii;
What do you want me to do with
that '''' .s M
''Why, my dear, i thought you
would like it. You never go out, and
this is an opportunity, and such fine
one. i have had great trouble in get
ting it. Every one wants one; they
are much sought after, and are given
to but few Of the clerks. You will see
all the official world there ~.
She looked at him angrily, and de
:clared with impatie M :5:5
hat do You want me to wear if ]
should 90 therep' 4 !.
He had not thought Of that, he
sstammered.
ny, tho dress you wear to the
theater. It seems TO me . very good
one = 5:3=s Exc 50:
y He was silent, stupefed, distracted,
when he saw his wife weeping. Two
large tears rolled slowly down from
the8corners Of her eyes towards the
corner Of her mouth; he stammered:
"W hat is the n,atter2 what is the
matter s Il, s
But with a violent effort she CON
stroifed her grief, and answered calm.
~, as she wiped her cheeks:
IN othing Only Il have no dress
~ II 1ov,fl -,
fete. GiYe3the card to some colleague
whose wife is better fitted out than I. y 3
& BE was greatly distressed. He an.
sWered:
Come, Mathilde. How much
would it cast, a suitable dress, which
you could also wear at other times
something very simple p,,Ss :
She reflected d few moments, max
ing up her accounts and thinking also
of the sum she could ask for without
drawing on herself an immediate re-
sfusal and "a frightened exclamation
from the frugal clerk. AT last she an
swered with hesitat ions
II don't know exactly but It Seems
TO me that with four hundred francs
could do it.
He became somewhat pale, for b,
had put aside just that sum to buy
gun and give himself some shooting
! the following summer on the plain
of Nauterre, with some friends wht
were going to shoot slarks there, q
ifSnndays. 81
However he said: Well, / viii
Hglye you four hundred francs. But d,
isV0t1r hast; "a have a hanrianr,1a f1raae -