Near the end of Maupassant's story, Maître Hauchecome stands accused a second time. At first, in the real climax, he is questioned by the mayor because Monsieur Malandain, a rival, has attested that he was witness to Hauchecome's bending down and picking up the lost pocketbook of Maître Houlbreque. Hauchecome protests this accusation, but stands accused in the minds of the other Normans until the pocketbook is returned.
Moreover, because Maître Hauchecome has protested so much, and declared his innocence repeatedly, even after the money has been returned, the peasants begin again to doubt him; this time they laugh at him and call him "rascal" after he tells his story. One day, when Hauchecome is seated at a tavern, he again explains. But a man scolds,
"Come, come, old sharper, that's an old trick; I know all about your piece of string!"
The peasant stood choking. He understood. They accused him...
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of having had the pocketbook returned by a confederate, by an accomplice.
This second time, Hauchecome is accused in the hearts of men, not just in their minds. This condemnation is more than Maître Hauchecome can bear, for it tears at the fiber of his being since he has always desired respect. In a short time, his mind weakens and he dies, protesting his innocence in his last words, "A piece of string."
How does De Maupassant create a false climax in "The Piece of String"?
The climax of the story that you are referring to occurs when the purse and the 500 francs are returned, therefore, Hauchecome believes, as does the reader, that he will be vindicated, now that the truth is known. He did not steal the purse, he was not involved in the theft in any way. But what happens, instead of Hauchecome being viewed as innocent, he is viewed as more treacherous, accused of having an accomplice for the crime.
Hauchecome can find no peace from the wrongful accusation. It does not matter that the real thief returned the purse with the money. The people of the village have labeled him, permanently, as a villain.
All the hope he felt when the purse was returned leads to nothing. It is anti-climatic, as Hauchecome is still tormented by both his internal and external conflicts. Intenally he is haunted with anxiety over the false accusation, muttering on his death bed "it was only a piece of string."
Externally, the people in the village, as well as his arch enemy, Malandain, believe him to be a guilty, manipulative man. He permanently loses his status as an honest man, although known as a shrewd businessman, now the town permanently labels him a thief.