Please help me with a summary of "The Piece of String" in 15 to 20 sentences.

Gerald R. Griffin. "The Piece of String." Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition writes in his summary of this story, "Maitre Hauchecorne is an old peasant. On an autumn market-day in Goderville, Hauchecorne is about to enter the square when he sees a piece of string on the ground and, being of the saving kind, retrieves it. As he does so, he becomes aware that an enemy of his, M. Malandain, the local harness maker, is watching. Ashamed to be seen picking up a remnant of string, the protagonist furtively hides it in his clothing and then pretends to be looking for something of value on the ground. With his head bent over in his intent search, he moves on toward the market." Hauchercorne is accused by his enemy Malandain of stealing a woman's purse.  The purse is found and Hauchercorne feels vindicated, but people still don't believe he had nothing to do with the missing purse.  Hauchercorne is so ridiculed and isolated from this incident that "the protagonist falls ill in late December and is bedridden. Early in January, he dies; in his deathbed delirium, his denials of wrongdoing are focused in a single phrase uttered repeatedly: “A little bit of string—a little bit of string.”