01 February 1830 - The Truth.

Yesterday, I took a walk at Champs Elysees to relax then I saw a woman leading a child. It was dear Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, still charming. It was such a nostalgic feeling. Then I had a sudden brilliant idea!

I took a while to consider, then I decided to speak to her. Now that I have paid for everything, I would tell her, everything. Especially, that I had lost her necklace. I would show her that from that weak girl I used to be, I had become strong. Strong enough to face the problems rather than run away from the truth.

I greeted her, however, she could not recognize me at all. I introduced myself once more and she had pitied me for who I had become. Then I had told her what had happened, that the necklace had been lost. I told her that I had to work hard for 10 years, to pay back the necklace, smiling with joy that was once proud and ingenuous. However, what she told me after that utterly shocked me, driving me speechless.

"Oh, my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste! It was worth at most only five hundred francs!"

29 January 1830 - It's over, after 10 years.

Every month we would manage to pay a bit back from who we've loaned from, renew others or obtain more time. My husband would work in the evenings, making up a tradesman's accounts and at night, even copied manuscript for five sous a page. He did his best, I could tell. Seeing all his hard work, I knew that I had to work hard too. He had helped me so much in my entire life, I had to help out too. The housework was hard work, but I had grown used to it.

We've done that for 10 years.

We've paid everything, everything, with the rates of usury and all the compound interest that has accumulated.

I look old, way older than I once looked. I turned strong, harsh, and rough. I now have frowsy hair, with my skirts askew and red hands. I wash the flour with great swishes of water, talking loud at the same time.

However, sometimes when my husband was at the office, I would sit near the window and think of that gay evening so long ago that I had been so beautiful and admired.

I had changed so much from how I had once been. The beautiful and arrogant me, I had completely changed into a rough old lady that does the housework.

If I had not lost the necklace, how different my life would be. Would I have become like this? These kinds of small things can change everything in life, for the better, or the worse.