Once upon a time,in the beautiful country of France,there lived a gorgeous woman by the name of Mathilde.

She
always cared about her looks and worried about not having pretty things.Being married to a humble clerk,Victor,who
worked in the Ministry of Education, earned a decent salary,she bore her worries with effort.

Mathilde:That lady is dressed superbly.Such lovely ribbons and jewelry.And me? Not even a bow.

Victor:Why do you worry such silly things? You are SUPERBLY pretty.Isnt that enough?

Mathilde wasn't convinced.She believed that she was all deserving of the riches other women wore.At night,Victor
and she sat together to dine.

Victor:Ahh! Warm soup and freshly baked bread.Isn't this lovely?

Mathilde:Ugh! Just old soup and normal bread.I wish we could have eaten a larger course in fancier silverware.

And so Mathilde lived her days always wanting more instead of appreciating what she already had.One day her
husband came home in bright spirits.

Victor: Mathilde! Here's something for you.

She tore open the envelope and saw the invitation inside.

Mathilde:This is..

Victor:An invitation to a ball to be held in a weeks time at the Minister's Hall. Isn't that splendid??

Mathilde: Splendid??? Victor!Tell me what do I wear to that ball?

Victor:Oh... Maybe the dress you wear to the threater? I mean you look lovely..t-to me...OH! what's wrong...

Mathilde:I-i don't have any.. anything worth wearing to such a ball!

Victor: Sweetheart!Don't cry.How much would a new dress cost?

Mathilde dried her tears and pondered carefully.

Mathilde:About....four hundred Francs..

Victor turned pale at this.He was saving exactly that much to buy himself a fishing set to go out with his work
colleagues.

Victor:Very well my love. I will give you the money to get yourself a very pretty dress.

But as the ball came closer, Mathilde started to get anxious.

Victor:What's wrong? Aren't you satisfied with the dress?

Mathilde:It's beautiful!! But...I have no jewelry and to go with it!

Victor:Well I have no money to buy Jewelry.What about wearing some flowers? That's in style right now currently.

Mathilde: Flowers?! Ugh! Then everyone will know the poverty we live in.No I need jewelry or I won't go.

Victor:Then why don't you ask your friend, Jeanne?? I'm sure she'll be generous.

Mathilde was delighted at this idea.She went to visit Jeanne,who had been a good friend to her.But as Jeanne now
had a rich house and good life, Mathilde had distanced herself.

Jeanne: Mathilde! How have you been?

They spoke for quite sometime until Mathilde finally asked Jeanne for the favour.

JEANNE: Jewelry??well of course. I have many.Choose whichever you like.

She handed Jeanne a box full of many trinkets and necklaces.The sparkle they held was reflected on Mathilde's
face.She tried on many but liked none.

Mathilde:Do you have anything else?

Jeanne:How about these two boxes?

Mathilde looked but found nothing in the first box.But when she opened the second one,in it lay the most beautiful
set of diamonds Mathilde had ever seen.She carefully lifted them onto her neck and was delighted at her reflection.

Mathilde: Would... would it be fine...If I could have just.... just this???

Jeanne:Oh of course!

Mathilde was elated,thanked Jeanne and hurried on home.On the night of the ball, Mathilde was a complete
success.She laughed and chatted with much joy,so much so that even the Minister himself greeted her during the
evening.Once the ball had ended,she went to find her husband who had retired into a room to rest.He picked up her
modest wraps to cover her shoulders with.

Mathilde:Uh..m these wraps completely ruin the look of my dress.I think I'll do without them.

Poor victor followed his wife into the streets.That night seemed to be an unlucky one as no cab seemed
available.They walked for a long time until they finally hailed one.When they reached inside, Mathilde went to
admire herself one last time.

Mathilde:AHHHH!!! OH NOO!!

Victor:what happened???

Mathilde:The...the necklace!! It's not here! I've... I've lost it!!!!

Victor:Whattt?? That's impossible!! Did you wear it before leaving?

Mathilde:OF COURSE I DID!!! I also remember feeling it while talking to the Minister.

Victor:What about....the cab??? Did you get it's number?

Mathilde:I... I did not...

Victor was crestfallen.It was already 4 o'clock in the morning.

Victor:Fine. I'll go back the way we came and search the streets in case we dropped it.

And so he left,leaving Mathilde alone as she sat there, completely blank.After some hours, Victor returned sadly,as
he had found nothing.He told his wife to write Jeanne.

Victor:Tell her you have given the necklace to be fixed as you've broken the clasp.It will give us time to find the
necklace.

And so while Mathilde did this, Victor went and a complaint to the police and cab drivers.But no word came to
them.

Victor:We have nothing left to do but replace the necklace.

They went around everywhere looking at all the jewelers.At last,they found a similar necklace as the one they'd
lost.

Mathilde: That's it!! Sir! How much is it??

Jeweler:This madam? It will cost forty thousand francs.

Painstakingly,they agreed to buy it.They begged the jeweler to hold it for them until they go the money.Victor went
around begging and asking from all his friends and family.He soon collected the amount and they bought the
necklace.She returned it back to Jeanne who took it back without even looking at it.

Thereafter,the couples lives changed.They sent away their helpers and went to live in a flat which had lower rent.
Mathilde scrubbed and washed and worked for many houses in the city.

After ten whole years of slogging,they had finally paid off their debt.But how changed they both were.

Mathilde:How terrible my hands look now.And my beautiful hair.It has streaks of grey in it.

Victor:Think of them as streaks of silver,dear for the hard work we've done.

She smiled at him warmly,but still felt sad at what a single string of diamonds had done to them.One day,as she was
out walking,she saw a little boy bounding along with a lovely lady.

Mathilde:It's Jeanne!! And she still looks as lovely as a rose.Should I ...go and speak to her? Jeanne? hello! You do
look lovely after all these years my dear.

Jeanne:Who is this woman? I have never seen her...Madam,I'm sorry but...I don't think I've ever??

Mathilde:My dear friend.Its me! Mathilde.I suppose I have changed alot.

Jeanne: MATHILDE?!?!?But my dear!! What happened to you??

Mathilde now told Jeanne everything.

Jeanne:you...you say you lost my necklace,and then then bought a replacement worth forty thousand francs??

Mathilde:Yes! I'm sorry to have lost it in the first place.

Jeanne:OH MATHILDE! Why didn't you tell me the truth sooner? that necklace wasn't even worth two hundred
Francs.

Mathilde:How is that possible?It was exquisitely beautiful!

Jeanne:But...it was fake. It was a necklace made out of plain cut colored glass.

And thus poor Mathilde had learnt her lesson.if she had only been content with what she had,had counted her
blessings,then maybe she wouldn't have gone through so much trouble.

Mathilde:How foolish I have been.I had such a decent house with a loving husband. Why didn't I see that earlier?

Victor:My dear Mathilde? I'm home. What's for lunch? Oh and I bought these flowers for you. I hope you like
them?..

Mathilde: They're lovely!! for lunch... I thought we'd have warm soup and some fresh bread. Is that fine?

Victor:That! Would be lovely.