The Necklace｜项链

原著作者｜居伊·德·莫泊桑 In the gray dawn of Paris the streets are still asleep By an ordinary window a woman sits watching carriages pass slowly Well dressed women move below their skirts swaying softly in the morning light She turns away to a quiet narrow room with old furniture kept in order She was not born poor only ordinary and to her this feels unjust At dusk the fire is lit and her husband comes home smiling with contentment The table is simple hot soup bread placed neatly on a plate He talks lightly about his day while she eats in silence After dinner he carefully takes an envelope from his pocket and sets it down It is an invitation to a ball at the Ministry of Education He looks at her with hope believing it a gift from fate She glances at the card falls silent and then begins to cry Tears stain the tablecloth as she says she has no fine dress and no jewels She does not want to be ignored to stand in corners to look poor Her husband pauses sighs and places his saved money into her hand Days later in a dressmakers shop she stands before a mirror watching the dress take shape The fabric fits her body her back straightens yet something is missing She thinks of a wealthy friend and steps into a bright spacious living room A jewelry box opens necklaces resting quietly in the light Her hand stops pointing to the most dazzling one Her friend smiles and casually hands it to her On the night of the ball lights blaze as she stands atop the stairs the necklace on her neck Music rises people turn and their eyes gather on her She descends lightly her skirt spinning in the glow Men stop speaking greet her and ask her to dance That night she is seen remembered admired At dawn the ball ends and she returns to a cold dim room She reaches to remove the necklace and her fingers find nothing In the mirror her neck is bare and pale They search clothes floors and the streets along the carriage route Morning comes and the necklace is still gone They decide to buy another just the same and debt begins Life grows heavy she washes lifts water and bargains for every coin Her voice hardens her hands crack her face in the mirror ages Ten years pass and the final debt is paid She walks the street slowly feeling a strange relief In the crowd she sees her friend still elegant and calm She steps forward and tells of the ball the necklace and those ten years Her friend stares then softly says the necklace was fake The street goes on people pass and no one stops前往小宇宙评论区与主播互动