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At the end of ten years everything was paid off. Madame Loisel looked old now.
十年之末，他倆居然還清了全部債務。駱塞爾太太像是老了。
She had become like all the other strong, hard, coarse women of poor households.
她已經變成了貧苦人家的強健粗硬而且耐苦的婦人了。
Sometimes, she thought of that evening long ago, of the ball at which she had been so beautiful and so much admired.
有時她回想從前的那個晚會，那個跳舞會，在那里，她當時是那樣美貌，那樣快活。
What would have happened if she had never lost those jewels? Who knows?
倘若當時沒有失掉那件首飾，她現在會走到什么樣的境界？誰知道？誰知道？
One Sunday, as she was out for a walk, she caught sight of Madame Forestier still young and beautiful.
某一個星期日，她正出門上街，這時候忽然看見了伏來士潔太太，她始終是年輕的，始終是美貌的。
She went up to her. 'Good morning, Jeanne.'
她向伏來士潔太太走去：“早安，約翰妮。”
Madame Forestier no longer recognized her.
伏來士潔太太竟一點兒也不認識她了。
'But... Madame ...' she stammered. 'I don't know you ... you must be making a mistake.'
她支支吾吾地說：“不過……這位太太！……我不知道……大概應當是您弄錯了。”
'No ... I am Mathilde Loisel.'
“沒有錯。我是瑪蒂爾德·駱塞爾呀。”
Her friend uttered a cry. 'Oh!... my poor Mathilde, how you have changed!...'
她朋友狂叫了一聲：“噢！……可憐的瑪蒂爾蒂·駱塞爾，你真變了樣子！……”
'Yes, I've had some hard times since I saw you last... all on your account?.'
“對呀，我過了許多很艱苦的日子，自從我上一次見過你以后；并且種種苦楚都是為了你！……”
'On my account!... How was that?'
為了我……這是怎樣一回事？”
'You remember the diamond necklace you lent me for the ball at the Ministry?'
“從前，你不是借了一串金剛鉆項鏈給我到部里參加晚會，現在，你可還記得？”
'Yes. Well?'
“記得，怎樣呢？”
'Well, I lost it, so I bought you another one just like it.
“怎樣，我丟了那串東西，我給你買了另外一串完全相同的項鏈。
And for the last ten years we have been paying for it. You realize it wasn't easy for us; we had no money...'
到現在，我們花了十年工夫才付清這筆錢。像我們什么也沒有的人，你明白這件事是不容易的，我們沒有錢……”
Madame Forestier had halted. 'You say you bought a diamond necklace to replace mine?'
伏來士潔太太停住了腳步：“你可是說從前買了一串金剛鉆項鏈來賠償我的那一串？”
'Yes. You hadn't noticed it? They were very much alike.' She smiled in happiness.
“對呀，你從前簡直沒有看出來，是嗎？那兩串東西原是完全相同的。”
Madame Forestier, deeply moved, took her two hands.
伏來士潔太太很受感動，抓住了她兩只手。
'Oh, my poor Mathilde! But mine was imitation. It was worth at the very most five hundred francs!...'
“唉，可憐的瑪蒂爾蒂，不過我那一串本是假的，頂多值得五百法郎！……”
