The Purse

Summary

"The Purse" by Honoré de Balzac is a short story published in 1832. Young painter Hippolyte Schinner falls for his neighbor Adélaïde Leseigneur, but her mysterious poverty troubles him. When his purse disappears after a visit to her apartment and Adélaïde denies seeing it, Hippolyte suspects theft. Torn between love and suspicion, he must decide whether to trust his heart or the damning gossip that surrounds the two impoverished women living below his studio. (This is an automatically generated summary.)