Nevertheless he said: "Very well. I’ll give you four hundred francs. But try and get a really nice dress with the money."

The day of the party drew near, and Madame Loisel seemed sad, uneasy and anxious. Her dress was ready, however. One evening her husband said to her:

"What’s the matter with you? You ‘ye been very odd for the last three days."

"I’m utterly miserable at not having any jewels, not a single stone, to wear," she replied. "I shall look absolutely no one. I would almost rather not go to the party."

"Wear flowers," he said. "They‘re very smart at this time of year. For ten francs you could get two or three gorgeous roses."

She was not convinced.

"No...there‘s nothing so humiliating as looking poor in the middle of a lot of rich women."

"How stupid you are!" exclaimed the husband. "Go and see Madame Forestier and ask her to lend you some jewels. You know her quite well enough for that."

She uttered a cry of delight.

"That‘s true. I never thought of it."

Next day she went to see her friend and told her trouble.

Madame Forestier went to her dressing-table, took up a large box, brought it to Madame Loisel, opened it, and said:

"Choose, my dear."

First she saw some bracelets, then a pearl necklace, then a Venetian cross in gold and gems, of exquisite workmanship. She tried the effect of the jewels before the mirror, hesitating, unable to make up her mind to leave them, to give them up. She kept on asking:

"Haven‘t you anything else?"

"Yes. Look for yourself I don‘t know what you would like best."