Maupassant/Tolstoy short story

[AlexBell]

I'm preparing Twenty-three Tales by Leo Tolstoy for the MR library. Two of the short stories are Tolstoy's adaptation of stories by French authors. One of them, 'The Coffee-House of Surat', is very likely based on a story of the same name by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. The other story, 'Too Dear', is said to be based on a short story by Guy de Maupassant, but I can't work out which of his 300 or so short stories it might be. Can anyone help?

Tolstoy's satirical short story is set in Monaco, and deals with a young man who is sentenced to death. Because the principality of Monaco does not have a guillotine the authorities ask the French to put him to death, but are not willing to pay the price the French ask. And they find that the cost of keeping him in prison for life is too much. So they set him free on a pension. Does that seem familiar?

[MikeB1972]

Le Condamné à mort

So "sentenced/condemned to death", not sure if it was translated to english.

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Le Condamné à mort

So "sentenced/condemned to death", not sure if it was translated to english.

Thanks, Mike, that's most helpful. Did de Maupassant's story end the same way as Tolstoy's story?

[MikeB1972]

Yes, banished out of the principality on a pension.

French original is here
http://athena.unige.ch/athena/selva/.../condamne.html

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by MikeB1972

Yes, banished out of the principality on a pension.

French original is here
http://athena.unige.ch/athena/selva/.../condamne.html

Thanks again. I really appreciate your help.

Maupassant's version seems to have been published in 1883, while Tolstoy's version was published in 1906. Perhaps copyright practice was different then. There are differences in emphasis, but Tolstoy's version is clearly very similar to Maupassant's version.