The Necklace; The Pearls

"The Necklace" is one of Maupassant's most celebrated stories: a young and impecunious woman borrows a diamond necklace from a rich friend, to wear to a grand ball. When she loses the precious necklace, her life changes entirely – but there is a final, sharp twist in the tail. In Dinesen's "The Pearls", an heiress inherits a string of pearls, which becomes for her a sign of safety and continuity in her tumultuous life.