Original Short Stories — Volume 11

Name: Original Short Stories — Volume 11
Author: Guy de Maupassant

by Guy de Maupassant

Pages: about 95
Category: Literature & Fiction
Language: English
Reading time: 1.7 h at 250 wpm

Start readingThe whole book, as cards or one word at a time. 58 min at 450 wpm in Read mode.

From the opening

THE UMBRELLA BELHOMME'S BEAST DISCOVERY THE ACCURSED BREAD THE DOWRY THE DIARY OF A MAD MAN THE MASK THE PENGUINS ROCK A FAMILY SUICIDES AN ARTIFICE DREAMS SIMON'S PAPA
Mme. Oreille was a very economical woman; she knew the value of a centime, and possessed a whole storehouse of strict principles with regard to the multiplication of money, so that her cook found the greatest difficulty in making what the servants call their market-penny, and her husband was hardly allowed any pocket money at all. They were, however, very comfortably off, and had no children; but it really pained Mme. Oreille to see any money spent; it was like tearing at her heartstrings when she had to take any of those nice crown-pieces out of her pocket; and whenever she had to spend anything, no matter how necessary it might be, she slept badly the next night.
“You really might be more liberal, as we have no children, and never spend our income.”
“You don't know what may happen,” she used to reply. “It is better to have too much than too little.”
She was a little woman of about forty, very active, rather hasty, wrinkled, very neat and tidy, and with a very short temper.
Her husband frequently complained of all the privations she made him endure; some of them were particularly painful to him, as they touched his vanity.
He was one of the head clerks in the War Office, and only stayed on there in obedience to his wife's wish, to increase their income which they did not nearly spend.
For two years he had always come to the office with the same old patched umbrella, to the great amusement of his fellow clerks. At last he got tired of their jokes, and insisted upon his wife buying him a new one. She bought one for eight francs and a half, one of those cheap articles which large houses sell as an advertisement.

A short sample. Read the whole book

Original Short Stories — Volume 11

From the opening

More to read