Short summary of chapter: The necklace
class 10
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Matilda, the pretty young lady, was born in a family of clerks. She was married to a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. She felt that she was born for luxuries but she was suffering from poverty. This made her constantly unhappy and complaining. She wanted to have elegant dinners in shining silver, and to wear frocks and nice jewellery.
One day her husband Loisel got an invitation to a dance party from the Minister of Public Instruction for both of them. Monsieur Loisel was elated to receive it, but Matilda, his wife, was irritated and threw down the invitation card. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her husband kept inquiring. Finally, she said that she did not have a proper dress or jewellery. She did not want to be singled out amidst the elite gathering.
Finally, after a lot of thinking, her husband gave her the money to buy a new dress for her. This money had been kept by him for buying a gun. The dress got ready, but Matilda was still not happy, because she did not have the jewels to go with it. She did not take to the idea of wearing natural flowers. Finally, her husband in desperation suggested that che should go to Mme Forestier, her friend and borrow some of her jewellery.
Matilda went to Mme Forestier and borrowed a diamond necklace. Madame Loisel danced at the ball (party) with enthusiasm and happiness. She turned out to be the prettiest of all — elegant, gracious, smiling and full of joy. All the men noticed her, asked her name and wanted to be presented. She went home at 4 a.m. fully satisfied. Her husband was tired and remembered that he had to go to office in the morning.
She removed the wraps from her shoulders before the glass, for a final view of herself jn her glory. Suddenly, she was shocked to see that the necklace was not there around her neck.
Monsieur Loisel and Mme Loisel looked in the folds of the dress and in the pockets. They could not find the necklace. He reported the matter to the police and put an advertisement in the newspapers without any result. They somehow deferred the plan of returning the necklace by a week – by writing to Mme Forestier that the clasp of the necklace had broken. They would get it repaired and return it. At the end of the week, it was not found. They decided to buy a new one.
In a shop of the Palaise-Royal, they found an exact looking necklace valued at forty thousand francs. They could get it for thirty-six thousand francs.
Loisel had only eighteen thousand francs, so he borrowed the rest from usurers and a whole race of lenders. They paid thirty six thousand francs to the shop to buy the necklace. It was soon given to Mme Forestier. The saving spree began. The Loisels sent away the maid, they lived in a rented room in an attic. Mme Loisel did all the household work. Monsieur Loisel also worked overtime to save money. It was a horrible life of necessity they were leading for the next ten years. Mrs. Loisel looked old.
One day Mme Loisel happened to meet Mme Forestier while she was taking a walk. She (Matilda) told her how they had replaced her necklace. They led a miserable life because they had to repay the loan they had taken to buy her diamond necklace which was lost by them. Mme Forestier revealed that her necklace was false and was worth only five hundred francs.