But one Sunday, going for a walk in the Champs Élysées to refresh herself after her hard week's work, she accidentally came upon a familiar-looking woman with a child. It was Mme. Forestier, still young, still lovely, still charming. Mme. Loisel became agitated. Should she speak to her? Of course. Now that she had paid, she would tell her all about it. Why not? She went up to her. "How do you do, Jeanne?" The other, astonished at the easy manner toward her assumed by a plain housewife whom she did not recognize, said: "But, Madame, you have made a mistake; I do not know you. "Why, I am Mathilde Loisel!" Her friend gave a start. "Oh, my poor Mathilde," she cried, "how you have changed!" "Yes; I have seen hard days since last I saw you; hard enough--and all because of you." "Of me? And why?" "You remember the diamond necklace you loaned me to wear at the Ministry ball?" "Yes, I do. What of it?" "Well, I lost it!" "But you brought it back--explain yourself." "I bought one just like it, and it took us ten years to pay for it. It was not easy for us who had nothing, but it is all over now, and I am glad." Mme. Forestier stared. "And you bought a necklace of diamonds to replace mine?" "Yes; and you never knew the difference, they were so alike." And she smiled with joyful pride at the success of it all. Mme. Forestier, deeply moved, took both her hands. "Oh, my poor Mathilde! My necklace was paste. It was worth only about five hundred francs!" --Henri Rene Albert Guy de Maupassant. "Little Masterpieces of Fiction." Volume V. (Doubleday, Page & Co.) =Andong= Andong was the only son of Isio, an _ex-gobernadorcillo_ (president) of Tuao, Cagayan. At an early age Andong went to Manila to study; but, unfortunately, his father died and the boy could not finish his career, but returned to his native town to take care of his helpless mother. Shortly after his arrival at Tuao, his mother died, and Andong became a poor orphan. During his orphanage he lived miserably, but worked hard in order to release himself from poverty. He cultivated, year after year, his small piece of land, which he inherited from his father. After ten years he had earned a considerable sum, and bought twenty-five carabaos and one hundred hectares of land. He made a trip to Ilocos Norte, and succeeded in getting several Ilocano families to live and to work on his plantation.