You know that pearl necklace you showed...

You know that pearl necklace you showed me the other day and you said that Mortimer thought it cost you a lot of money—well, he’s going to Cartier’s to buy it for you tomorrow. But, my dear, don’t be such a fool as to accept it with alacrity. Remember that Mortimer has grievously insulted you, he’s made the most shocking accusation that a man can make against his wife, he’s trampled on your love and now he’s destroyed your trust in him. Surely I need not tell you what to do. Refuse to speak to him, but never let him get a word in edgeways. Cry enough to make him feel what a brute he is, but not enough to make your eyes red. Say the same thing over and over again, and when you’ve reduced him to desperation, then consent, as a sign of your forgiving nature, to accept the pearl necklace, for which the wretch has paid ten thousand pounds…and don’t thank him. Let him thank you for accepting such a paltry gift.

William Somerset Maugham, The Constant Wife, Samuel French Ltd, 1948, p. 38. Full Text

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