
ORIGINAL SHORT STORIESVOLUME 12 (of 13)
By Guy De Maupassant
Translated by ALBERT M. C. McMASTER, B.A. A. E. HENDERSON, B.A. MME. QUESADA and Others
THE CHILD
A COUNTRY EXCURSION
ROSE
ROSALIE PRUDENT
REGRET
A SISTER'S CONFESSION
COCO
Lemonnier, a modest cloth merchant, has spent his life in quiet devotion to a beloved wife, their marriage marked by simple honesty and endless affection. After years of childless longing, a gentle neighbor enters his world, and their love blossoms into a tender partnership that seems to fulfill his every hope. Their happiness is suddenly shaken when, after years of waiting, his wife announces a forthcoming child, and Lemonnier is swept up in a rush of joy that colors every moment.
The birth brings both blessing and tragedy: the mother dies in childbirth, leaving Lemonnier clutching a fragile infant who becomes the living echo of his lost love. Overwhelmed by grief, he dotes on the boy with a fierce, almost consuming tenderness, indulging his whims as a way to stave off the emptiness. The household’s long‑serving nurse watches with growing unease, questioning the relentless pampering while the father clings to his only source of hope.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (118K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Widger
Release date
2004-10-03
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1850–1893
Best known as one of the great masters of the short story, he captured ordinary lives with sharp realism, dark humor, and an eye for how quickly hope can turn into disappointment. His fiction ranges from social satire to psychological unease, which helps explain why stories like "Boule de Suif" and "The Horla" still feel vivid today.
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