There is a duel and there is an inheritance in this variation on the Cinderella plot. Guy de Maupassant's longest novel was written in six short months while he wrote the short stories that were his bread and butter work up untill then. He still has few rivals in the field of the short story. A fascinating story, with five women prominent in the novel who aid him in getting ahead. 12 full page reproductions of Bernard LaMotte oil paintings perfectly reflect the time and place of the novel.
