Classic Book Reader
Cover of The Purse

The Purse

by Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850)

  • Free to read
  • 50 min read
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"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.

Read free now No app, no sign-up. Your place is saved automatically. Or download for your e-reader ↓
  • French fiction · Translations into English

Read the opening

THE PURSE

By Honore De Balzac

Translated by Clara Bell

To Sofka

“Have you observed, mademoiselle, that the painters and
sculptors of the Middle Ages, when they placed two figures in
adoration, one on each side of a fair Saint, never failed to
give them a family likeness? When you here see your name among
those that are dear to me, and under whose auspices I place my
works, remember that touching harmony, and you will see in
this not so much an act of homage as an expression of the
brotherly affection of your devoted servant,

Keep reading The Purse →

Download for your e-reader

Files are provided by Project Gutenberg. On a Kindle, the simplest route is to send the EPUB with Amazon’s Send to Kindle. Downloaded copies don’t sync with your place on Classic Book Reader.

About this edition

This free edition of The Purse by Honoré de Balzac comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1196, released 2005-07-11. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Short Stories, French Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

More by Honoré de Balzac