Matilda told Madame Forestier that she had taken the necklace from her years ago and had been living with the guilt since then. She asked for Madame Forestier's forgiveness and offered to pay back the cost of the necklace.
Who is Madame Forestier? Madame Forestier is a character in the short story "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant. She is a wealthy acquaintance of the story's protagonist Mathilde Loisel. When Mathilde expresses her envy for the finer things in life, Madame Forestier offers to lend her a necklace for a ball. This generous gesture ultimately leads to the downfall of Mathilde and her husband. Madame Forestier is a representation of the upper class and their excesses, and serves as a foil to Mathilde's own struggles. Her character is used to emphasize the point that material possessions are not the key to happiness.