2. Khì chhōe pêng-iú chioh chu-pó
Yi kō͘ siū-khì ê gán-sîn khòaⁿ i, bô nāi-hoân tōa-siaⁿ kóng:
"Lí boeh kiò góa chhēng siáⁿ khì ah."
I bô siūⁿ tio̍h che, thun-thun thò͘-thò͘ kóng:
"Lí chhēng khì khòaⁿ-hì hit-su saⁿ, góa kám-kak chin hó-khòaⁿ..."
I kín ha̍p-chhùi, kiaⁿ chi̍t-tiô, khòaⁿ tio̍h in bó͘ teh khàu. Nn̄g tōa-lia̍p ba̍k-sái ùi yi ê ba̍k-kîⁿ lâu kàu chhùi-kak. I i-i ū-ū kóng:
"Lí án-chóaⁿ lah? Án-chóaⁿ lah?"
Kek chiok tōa ê khùi-la̍t, yi chiah ah-lo̍h ka-tī ê khó͘-náu, kā nn̄g-pêng tâm chhùi-phé chhit-ta, yi kō͘ pêng-chēng ê siaⁿ-tiāu kóng:
"Bô siáⁿ lah. Chú-iàu sī góa bô súi-saⁿ, bē-tàng khì chham-ka chit-ê àm-hōe. Kā chit-tiuⁿ khah-phìⁿ sàng hō͘ lín tông-sū, khòaⁿ siáng in thài-thài pí góa khah ū ha̍h-chhēng ê saⁿ."
I chiâⁿ ut-chut. I koh kóng:
"Lí khòaⁿ, Mathilde, chò chi̍t-su ha̍h-chhēng ê saⁿ, tī pa̍t-ê tiûⁿ-ha̍p mā ē-tàng chhēng, khah phok-sò͘ ê, tio̍h ài gōa-chē?"
Yi siūⁿ chi̍t-khùn, tiàm hia sǹg lâi sǹg khì, koh khó-lī tio̍h yi thê-khí ê sò͘-bo̍k, bē hō͘ chit-ê khiām tiuh-tiuh ê chit-oân sûi kā kī-choa̍t.
"Siōng chió," yi tiû-tû chi̍t-ē chiah hôe-tap:
"Góa m̄-chai chèng-khak ê sò͘-jī, m̄-koh chāi góa khòaⁿ, nā ū 400 franc tō ē-sái tit ah."
I ê bīn sió-khóa hoán-pe̍h, in-ūi i tú-hó ū khiām hiah-ê chîⁿ, siūⁿ boeh bé chi̍t-ki la̍h-chhèng, thang tī joa̍h-thiⁿ ê kúi-ê lé-pài-ji̍t hām chi̍t-kóa pêng-iú khì Nanterre pêng-goân phah pek-lêng-chiáu (lark).
M̄-koh i kóng:
"Án-ne hó. Góa hō͘ lí 400 franc. M̄-koh lí tio̍h kā saⁿ chò súi-súi."
Àm-hōe ê ji̍t-chí óa ah, m̄-koh Loisel Tt hián-tit ut-būn, put-an, iu-chhiû. Yi ê saⁿ chò hó ah. Chi̍t-àm, yin ang kā mn̄g:
"Sī án-chóaⁿ lah? Lí khòaⁿ, chòe kīn saⁿ-kang lí chiâⁿ kî-koài."
Yi ìn kóng:
"Góa hoân-ló ê sī, bô chu-pó, bô pó-chio̍h thang kòa. Án-ne chin iàn-khì. Góa chin siūⁿ mài khì chham-ka chit-ê àm-hōe."
I kóng:
"Lí ē-sái chhah chhiⁿ-hoe ah. Chit-ê kùi-cheh án-ne chin sî-kiâⁿ. Khai 10 franc tō ē-tàng bé nn̄g/saⁿ lúi súi tang-tang ê mûi-kùi."
M̄-koh yi thiaⁿ bē ji̍p-khì.
"Bē iōng-tit; tī chi̍t-tui hó-gia̍h cha-bó͘ tiong-kan hián-chhut sàn-chhiah, bô pí he koh-khah hiān-sì ah-lah."
Yin ang hoah-siaⁿ kóng:
"Ū-kàu gōng! Soah bē-hiáu khì chhōe lín pêng-iú Forester Tt, kā chioh kúi-ê-á chu-pó. Lí kap yi ū kau-chêng, chò ē-kàu lah."
Yi hoaⁿ-hí kah kiò chhut-lâi:
"Bô m̄-tio̍h, góa soah bô siūⁿ tio̍h."
Keh-kang, yi khì yin pêng-iú tau, kóng khí ka-tī ê khùn-jiáu.
Forester Tt kiâⁿ óa tàu-kiàⁿ ê saⁿ-kūi, the̍h chi̍t-ê tōa a̍p-á chah kòe lâi, koh phah-khui, kā Loisel Tt kóng:
"Chhāi lí kéng, chhin-ài-ê."
Yi seng khòaⁿ kúi-ê chhiú-khoân, koh khòaⁿ chi̍t-ê chin-chu phoa̍h-liān, koh khòaⁿ chi̍t-ê an pó-chio̍h ê Venice kim si̍p-jī-kè, chò-kang chin iù. Yi tī kiàⁿ chêng chhì chiah-ê chng-thāⁿ-mi̍h, tiû-tû bē-tiāⁿ, m̄-chai kéng tó chi̍t-kiāⁿ hó. Yi tiu-tiu mn̄g:
"Lí kám iáu ū pa̍t-hāng?"
"Ū neh, ū. Tī chia. Góa m̄-chai tó chi̍t-hāng khah ha̍h lí ê ì."
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2. 去揣朋友借珠寶
她 kō͘ 受氣 ê 眼神看伊, 無耐煩大聲講:
"你欲叫我穿啥去 ah."
伊無想著 che, 吞吞吐吐講:
"你穿去看戲彼軀衫, 我感覺真好看..."
伊緊合喙, 驚一趒, 看著 in 某 teh 哭. 兩大粒目屎 ùi 她 ê 目墘流到喙角. 伊 i-i ū-ū 講:
"你按怎 lah? 按怎 lah?"
激足大 ê 氣力, 她才壓落 ka-tī ê 苦惱, kā 兩爿澹喙䫌拭焦, 她 kō͘ 平靜 ê 聲調講:
"無啥 lah. 主要是我無媠衫, 袂當去參加這个暗會. Kā 這張卡片送予恁同事, 看 siáng in 太太比我較有合穿 ê 衫."
伊誠鬱卒. 伊 koh 講:
"你看, Mathilde, 做一軀合穿 ê 衫, tī 別个場合 mā 會當穿, 較樸素 ê, 著愛偌濟?"
她想一睏, 踮 hia 算來算去, koh 考慮著她提起 ê 數目, 袂予這个儉 tiuh-tiuh ê 職員隨 kā 拒絕.
"上少," 她躊躇一下才回答:
"我毋知正確 ê 數字, m̄-koh 在我看, 若有 400 franc tō 會使得 ah."
伊 ê 面小可反白, 因為伊拄好有儉 hiah-ê 錢, 想欲買一支獵銃, 通 tī 熱天 ê 幾个禮拜日和一寡朋友去 Nanterre 平原拍百靈鳥 (lark).
M̄-koh 伊講:
"Án-ne 好. 我予你 400 franc. M̄-koh 你著 kā 衫做媠媠."
暗會 ê 日子倚 ah, m̄-koh Loisel Tt 顯得鬱悶, 不安, 憂愁. 她 ê 衫做好 ah. 一暗, yin 翁 kā 問:
"是按怎 lah? 你看, 最近三工你誠奇怪."
她應講:
"我煩惱 ê 是, 無珠寶, 無寶石通掛. Án-ne 真厭氣. 我真想莫去參加這个暗會."
伊講:
"你會使插鮮花 ah. 這个季節 án-ne 真時行. 開 10 franc tō 會當買兩三蕊媠 tang-tang ê 玫瑰."
M̄-koh 她聽袂入去.
"袂用得; tī 一堆好額查某中間顯出散赤, 無比 he koh 較現世 ah-lah."
Yin 翁喝聲講:
"有夠戇! 煞袂曉去揣恁朋友 Forester Tt, kā 借幾个仔珠寶. 你 kap 她有交情, 做會到 lah."
她歡喜 kah 叫出來:
"無毋著, 我煞無想著."
隔工, 她去 yin 朋友兜, 講起 ka-tī ê 困擾.
Forester Tt 行倚鬥鏡 ê 衫櫃, 提一个大盒仔扎過來, koh 拍開, kā Loisel Tt 講:
"在你揀, 親愛 ê."
她先看幾个手環, koh 看一个真珠袚鍊, koh 看一个安寶石 ê Venice 金十字架, 做工真幼. 她 tī 鏡前試 chiah-ê 妝 thāⁿ 物, 躊躇袂定, 毋知揀佗一件好. 她 tiu-tiu 問:
"你敢猶有別項?"
"有 neh, 有. Tī chia. 我毋知佗一項較合你 ê 意."
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2.
She looked at him with an irritated eye and she declared with impatience:—
“What do you want me to put on my back to go there?”
He had not thought of that; he hesitated:—
“But the dress in which you go to the theater. That looks very well to me—”
He shut up, astonished and distracted at seeing that his wife was weeping. Two big tears were descending slowly from the corners of the eyes to the corners of the mouth. He stuttered:—
"What’s the matter? What’s the matter?”
But by a violent effort she had conquered her trouble, and she replied in a calm voice as she wiped her damp cheeks:—
“Nothing. Only I have no clothes, and in consequence I cannot go to this party. Give your card to some colleague whose wife has a better outfit than I.”
He was disconsolate. He began again:—
“See here, Mathilde, how much would this cost, a proper dress, which would do on other occasions; something very simple?”
She reflected a few seconds, going over her calculations, and thinking also of the sum which she might ask without meeting an immediate refusal and a frightened exclamation from the frugal clerk.
“At last," she answered hesitatingly:—
“I don’t know exactly, but it seems to me that with four hundred francs I might do it.”
He grew a little pale, for he was reserving just that sum to buy a gun and treat himself to a little shooting, the next summer, on the plain of Nanterre, with some friends who used to shoot larks there on Sundays.
But he said:—
“All right. I will give you four hundred francs. But take care to have a pretty dress.”
The day of the party drew near, and Mme. Loisel seemed sad, restless, anxious. Yet her dress was ready. One evening her husband said to her:—
“What’s the matter? Come, now, you have been quite queer these last three days.”
And she answered:—
“It annoys me not to have a jewel, not a single stone, to put on. I shall look like distress. I would almost rather not go to this party.”
He answered:—
“You will wear some natural flowers. They are very stylish this time of the year. For ten francs you will have two or three magnificent roses.”
But she was not convinced.
“No; there’s nothing more humiliating than to look poor among a lot of rich women.”
But her husband cried:—
“What a goose you are! Go find your friend, Mme. Forester, and ask her to lend you some jewelry. You know her well enough to do that.”
She gave a cry of joy:—
“That’s true. I had not thought of it.”
The next day she went to her friend’s and told her about her distress.
Mme. Forester went to her mirrored wardrobe, took out a large casket, brought it, opened it, and said to Mme. Loisel:—
“Choose, my dear.”
She saw at first bracelets, then a necklace of pearls, then a Venetian cross of gold set with precious stones of an admirable workmanship. She tried on the ornaments before the glass, hesitated, and could not decide to take them off and to give them up. She kept on asking:—
“You haven’t anything else?”
“Yes, yes. Look. I do not know what will happen to please you.”
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