Guy de Maupassant
Translated by Roger Goodman
[1] M.Lantin, having met this young lady at a party given by his immediate superior, was literally enmeshed by love.
[2] She was the daughter of a provincial tax collector who had been dead several years.With her mother, she had come to Paris.Her mother became friendly with several middle-class families of the neighborhood in hopes of marrying off the young lady.Mother and daughter were poor, honorable, quiet and gentle.The girl seemed to be the typical dream woman into whose hands any young man would yearn to entrust his entire life.Her modest beauty had an angelic quality, and the imperceptible smile which constantly graced her lips, seemed a reflection of her heart.
[3] Everyone sang her praises; everyone who knew her repeated incessantly: “It will be a lucky fellow who wins her.You couldn’t find a better catch!”
[4] M.Lantin, now chief clerk of the Minister of the Interior, at a salary of 3500 francs, asked and received her hand in marriage.
[5] He was unbelievably happy.She managed the house with such skill that their life was one of luxury.There was no delicacy, no whim of her husband’s which she did not secure and satisfy; and her personal charm was such that, six years after their first meeting, he loved her even more than he did initially.
[6] He begrudged her only two traits — her love of the theater and her passion for artificial jewels.
[7] Her friends (she knew the wives of several minor functionaries) were always getting her seats for the fashionable plays, sometimes even for first nights; and she dragged her poor husband, willy-nilly, to these entertainments which completely wore him out, tired as he was after a hard day’s work.He begged her to agree to go to the theater with some lady friend of hers who would accompany her home.She took a long time to decide, claiming this a most inconvenient arrangement.At last, however, she agreed, and he was profoundly grateful to her.
[8] Now, this taste for the theater naturally stirred in her the need to primp.Her toilette remained simple, to be sure — always modest but in good taste; and her gentle grace, her irresistible, humble, smiling grace seemed to acquire a new savor from the simplicity of her dress, but she became accustomed to wearing two huge rhinestone earrings, which looked like diamonds; and she had strings of artificial pearls around her neck, and wore bracelets of similar gems.
[9] Her husband, who somewhat scorned this love of garish display, said, “Dearest, when you haven’t the means to wear real jewelry, you should show yourself adorned only with your own grace and beauty; these are the true pearls.”
[10] But she, smiling quietly, would insist, “Can I help it? I love it so.This is my vice.I know, my dear, how absolutely right you are; but I can’t really remake myself, can I? I think I would just idolize real jewelry.”
[11] And she would roll the pearls in her fingers.“See how perfect,” she’d say.“You’d swear they were real.”
[12] Sometimes, during the evening, while they sat before the fire, she would bring out her jewel chest, put it on the tea table, and commence to examine the contents with passionate attention, as though there were some subtle and profound secret delight in this pursuit.She persisted in draping strings of pearls around her husband’s neck; then she would laugh merrily, crying, “How silly you look, my darling!” And she would throw herself into his arms and kiss him wildly.
[13] One wintry evening, when she had been at the opera, she came home shivering with cold.The next day she was coughing wretchedly.A week later she died.
[14] Lantin nearly followed her into the tomb.His despair was such that, in a month’s time, his hair turned completely white.He wept incessantly, his very soul seared by unbearable suffering, haunted by the memory, the smile, the voice — by the overwhelming beauty of his deceased wife.
[15] Even the passage of time failed to stem his grief.Frequently, at his office, while his colleagues were chatting idly, his cheeks would tremble and his eyes would fill with tears; he would grimace horribly and commence to sob.
[16] He kept his wife’s room intact, and sealed himself in every day to meditate.All her furniture and even her dresses remained just where they had been on the fatal day.
[17] Living became difficult for him.His income which, under his wife’s management, amply supplied the needs of both, now became insufficient for him alone.Dazed, he wondered how she had been able to purchase the superb wines and delicacies which he could no longer afford.
[18] He fell into debt and began to scurry around for money as does anyone suddenly plunged into poverty.One fine morning, finding himself penniless a full week before payday, he thought about selling something.Suddenly the idea swept over him of taking a look at his wife’s treasure trove, because, if the truth be told, he had always harbored some resentment towards this store of brilliants.The mere sight of them slightly tarnished the memory of his beloved.
[19] It was a difficult business, searching through the case of jewels, because, even up to the very last days of her life, his wife had shopped stubbornly, bringing home some new bauble practically every night.He finally chose the magnificent necklace she seemed to have preferred, which, he figured, was worth six or seven francs, because, for artificial gems, it was really a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
[20] With the jewels in his pocket he walked towards the Ministry, looking for a reliable jeweler.
[21] Spotting a store, he entered — somewhat chagrined to be making this public display of his poverty and ashamed at attempting to sell so worthless an object.
[22] He approached the merchant.“Excuse me.I wonder what value you would place on this piece.”
[23] The man took the necklace, examined it, turned it over, weighed it, called to his partner, talked to him in low tones, placed the necklace on the counter, and scrutinized it carefully from a distance as though judging the effect.
[24] M.Lantin, overwhelmed by this process, opened his mouth to protest: “Oh! I know that piece isn’t worth anything,” but just at that moment the storekeeper said:
[25] “Monsieur, this piece is worth between twelve and fifteen thousand francs, but I cannot buy it until I learn exactly how you came into possession of it.”
[26] Lantin stared, wide-eyed, silent — uncomprehending.He finally stammered,“What? You’re absolutely sure?”
[27] The gentleman seemed offended by his attitude, and said wryly, “You may go elsewhere if you think you can do better.To me that is worth fifteen thousand at the very most.If you find no better offer, you may come back here.”
[28] M.Lantin, stupefied, took the necklace and left, feeling a curious urge to be alone and undisturbed.
[29] But, before he had gone far, he was seized with an impulse to laugh, and he thought, “Imbecile! What a fool! What if I had taken him at his word! What a jeweler — not to know the difference between real gems and fakes!”
[30] And he entered another jewelry store on the Rue de la Paix.As soon as he saw the jewel, the dealer cried, “Of course! I know this necklace well, I sold it!”
[31] Deeply disturbed, M.Lantin asked, “How much is it worth?”
[32] “Sir — I sold it for twenty-five thousand francs.I’m ready to take it back for eighteen thousand, if you will tell me — the law, you know — how you happened to receive it.”
[33] This time Lantin sat paralyzed with astonishment.He stuttered, “But — but —examine it very closely, sir.I have always thought it was — artificial.”
[34] The jeweler asked, “Would you please tell me your name, sir?”
[35] “Of course.I’m Lantin.I work at the Ministry of the Interior, and I live at 16 Rue des Martyrs.”
[36] The merchant opened his ledger, looked through it, and said, “This necklace was sent to Mme.Lantin, 16 Rue des Martyrs, on the twentieth of July, 1876.”
[37] And the two men stared at each other, the clerk dumbfounded; the jeweler scenting a robber.
[38] The merchant said, “Would you mind letting me have this for a day? Naturally, I’ll give you a receipt.”
[39] M.Lantin blurted out, “Of course!” And he left, folding the paper into his pocket.
[40] Then he crossed the street, went back, saw that he had gone out of his way, returned past the Tuileries, saw again he had made a mistake, crossed the Seine, went back to the Champs-E′lysées without a single clear notion in his head.He forced himself to think.His wife could not possibly have purchased such valuable jewelry.Absolutely not! Well then? A present? A present! From whom? For what?
[41] He was brought up short, and he stood stock still — there in the middle of the street.A horrible thought flashed across his mind.She? But all those other jewels were also gifts! He felt the earth shiver; a tree just before him seemed to crush him.He threw out his arms and fell, senseless, to the ground.
[42] He regained consciousness in a nearby pharmacy to which passers-by had carried him.He asked that he be taken home, and he locked himself in.
[43] He wept bitterly until nightfall — stuffing a handkerchief into the mouth to stifle his cries.Then he staggered to bed, wrung out with fatigue and chagrin, and he slept heavily.
[44] A ray of sunshine woke him, and he got up slowly to his office.After such a blow, it would be hard to carry on with his work.He felt that he could be excused, and he wrote his superior a note.Then he thought that he ought to go back to the jeweler, and he crimsoned with shame.He could not possibly leave the necklace with that man.He dressed hurriedly and went out.
[45] As he walked along, Lantin said to himself, “How easy it is to be happy when you’re rich! With money you can even shake off your sorrows; you can go or stay as you please! You can travel and amuse yourself.If only I were really rich!”
[46] Then he became aware of the fact that he was hungry, not having eaten since the previous evening.But his pockets were empty, and he reminded himself of the necklace.Eighteen thousand francs! Eighteen thousand francs! What a fortune!
[47] He reached the Rue de la Paix, and he began pacing up and down opposite the shop.Eighteen thousand francs! More than twenty times he started to enter, but shame always halted him.
[48] He was still hungry — famished — and without a sou.He finally made up his mind, raced across the street so as not to give himself time to think, and burst into the store.
[49] As soon as he saw him, the merchant greeted him royally, offered him a chair with smiling courtesy.The partners then came in and sat down near Lantin, happiness beaming from their eyes and their lips.
[50] The jeweler declared, “I am satisfied, Monsieur, and if you feel as you did yesterday, I am ready to pay you the sum agreed upon.”
[51] “Certainly,” stammered Lantin.
[52] The merchant took eighteen large notes from a drawer, counted them, gave them to Lantin, who signed a receipt and, with trembling hand, stuffed the money into his pocket.
[53] Then, just as he was going out, he turned back towards the grinning shopkeeper, and, lowering his eyes, murmured, “I — I have some other gems — which came to me in the same way.Would you be willing to buy those from me?”
[54] The jeweler nodded, “Of course, Monsieur.”
[55] One of the partners barely stifled a laugh, while the other was forced to leave the room to hide his mirth.
[56] Lantin, impassive and stern, said, “I’ll bring them to you.”
[57] When he returned to the store, an hour later, he had still not eaten.They set about examining the jewels piece by piece, assessing each one.Then they all went back to Lantin’s house.
[58] Now Lantin entered into the spirit of the business, arguing, insisting that they show him the bills of sale, and getting more and more excited as the values rose.
[59] The magnificent earrings were worth twenty thousand francs; the bracelets, thirtyfive thousand.The brooches, pins, and medallions, sixteen thousand.The whole collection was valued at one hundred ninety-six thousand francs.
[60] The merchant boomed out in a jolly voice, “That’s what happens when you put your money into jewelry.”
[61] Lantin said solemnly, “That’s one way to invest your money!” then he left, after having agreed with the purchaser to have a second expert appraisal the following day.
[62] When he was out in the street, he looked up at the Vendome Column.He felt like leaping up to the top.He felt light enough to play leapfrog with the statue of the Emperor perched up there in the clouds.
[63] He went into an elegant restaurant to eat, and he drank wine at twenty francs a bottle.
[64] Then he took a cab and rode around the Bois de Boulogne.He looked at the gleaming carriages, suppressing a desire to cry out, “I’m rich, too! I have two hundred thousand francs!”
[65] He thought of office.He drove up, entered his Chief’s office solemnly, and announced, “Sir — I’m tendering my resignation! I’ve just inherited three hundred thousand francs!” He went around shaking hands with his colleagues, and telling them all about his plans for the future.Then he went out to dinner at the Café Anglais.
[66] Finding himself seated alongside a distinguished-looking gentleman, he couldn’t resist whispering to him, a little archly, that he had just inherited four hundred thousand francs.
[67] For the first time in his life he enjoyed the theater and he spent the night carousing.
[68] Six months later he remarried.His second wife was a most worthy woman, but rather difficult.She made his life unbearable.
[1883]
Notes
1.Guy de Maupassant: He, a popular 19th-century French writer, was considered one of the fathers of the modern short story.Maupassant’s stories are characterized by their economy of style and clever plotting which influenced many writers after him.He authored some 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse.The story Boule de Suif (Ball of Fat, 1880) is often accounted his masterpiece.
2.The Rue de la Paix: It is a fashionable shopping street in the center of Paris.
3.Champs-E′lysées: 香榭麗舍大街
4.Vendome Column: 旺多姆廣場
5.The Bois de Boulogne: 布洛涅公園
6.The Café Anglais: It was a famous French restaurant opened in 1802.
After You Read
Knowledge Focus
1.Discuss the following questions with your partner.
1) What kind of woman was Lantin’s first wife?
2) How did she manage their life? Did they live a very thrifty life?
3) What vice did the lady have?
4) Who did she usually go to the theater with? Why didn’t her husband go with her?
5) What do you think made her husband love her so much?
6) Why do you think the woman’s name was never mentioned?
7) What life did Lantin live after his beloved wife died?
8) What helped Lantin make a decision on selling all the jewels of his wife’s? What’s the real purpose of selling them?
9) What message did the author intend to convey through the story?
10) Does the story impress you? What impresses you most?
2.Learn literary devices together with your partner.
Foreshadowing is the use of hints or clues to suggest what will happen later in literature.
In The Jewels of M.Lantin, Maupassant used foreshadowing to indicate what would happen later to Lantin.Please find such statements.
3.Discuss the following topic with your partner.
In this story, M.Lantin has two marriages.He experiences two different kinds of life.Which one is better? Discuss it with your group members and support your opinion with reasons.
Language Focus
1.Explain the following expressions to your classmates and try to make up sentences with them, and discuss with your partner whether they are used appropriately.
2.Study the following verbs and use a proper one to replace the underlined part in each sentence.
1) I am annoyed to give him his freedom.
2) She has become involved in a tangle of drugs and petty crime.
3) She made Tom promise not to tell anyone.
4) Two senior officials have been given the duty of organizing the auction.
5) Fighting in Vietnam was an experience that would cause repeated anxiety on him for the rest of his life.
6) He dialed 999 and said his name and address with unusual pauses.
7) How can this party stop debate on such a crucial issue?
8) We felt the existing danger and decided to leave.
9) He criticized the government’s record in dealing with crime.
10) He examined the men’s faces closely, trying to work out who was lying.
3.Identify the errors and correct them.
4.Read the following sentences and summarize the grammatical function of the italicized parts.
1) Mother and daughter were poor, honorable, quiet and gentle.
2) All her furniture remains just where it was on the fatal day.
3) He fell into debt and began to scurry around for money as does anyone suddenly plunged into poverty.
4) The piece of jewelry has arrived undamaged.
5) The police are investigating fraud allegations against him.
6) The board of directors is responsible for the decision of expanding the business.
7) Both he and his wife enjoy tennis.
8) Jason had two strategies, neither of which seems to have worked very well.
9) Lisa, together with 12 girls, lives in a cottage built in the 18th century.
10) There are a few things we need to discuss.
5.Fill in each blank with the correct form of the given word.
1) One third of the population here ________ (be) farmers.
2) Electronics ________ (be) a piece of cake to him.
3) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ________ (be) written by the famous American writer Mark Twain.
4) There ________ (be) already 137 species of butterflies known in the world today.
5) Fifteen minutes ________ (be) all that I can spare for him.
6) The boss, rather than his employees, ________ (be) to blame.
7) The secretary and manager ________ (be) present at the meeting.
8) Either I or they ________ (be) responsible for it.
9) Not only he but also his family members ________ (be) interested in football match.
10) Many a student ________ (be) going to take part in the TEM-4 next month.
Comprehensive Work
1.Group work: Dramatization.
Try to rewrite the story into a play.Choose some important and significant scenes and connect them naturally without changing the theme and the author’s intention.
Role play it in groups.
2.Pair work: Irony.
Irony involves a difference or contrast between appearance and reality — that is a discrepancy between what appears to be true and what really is true.
Work with the partner to answer the following questions:
A.What are the most obvious ironies in the work?
B.What are their implications?
3.Group work.
Imagine how Lantin’s wife got the money to buy the precious jewelry.Recreate the scene to expose the woman’s secret life.
4.Writing.
Compare The Jewels of M.Lantin by Maupassant with The Gift of Magi by O.Henry to explore how Maupassant had influenced O.Henry in terms of plotting techniques.Write an essay of 200 words to express your opinion.
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