The Enchanted Profile (Henry)

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O. Henry

The Enchanted Profile

Summary of the Short Story
from the Collection «Roads of Destiny»

Microsummary: A wealthy woman took a hotel typist under her wing, lavishing her with expensive clothes and a luxurious lifestyle, only to revert to her miserly ways, causing the typist to return to her old job.

A woman named Ida Bates worked as a stenographer and typewriter at an old hotel in New York. One day, a wealthy woman named Maggie Brown, who was said to be the third richest woman in the world, took a liking to Ida and asked her to quit her job and live with her as a daughter.

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Ida Bates — narrator; hotel typist; beautiful, kind, and good-natured.

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Maggie Brown — wealthy woman; stingy, lonely, and captivated by Ida's beauty.

Maggie explained her fascination with Ida, saying, "You have a face,' she says, 'exactly like a dear friend of mine — the best friend I ever had."

You have a face,' she says, 'exactly like a dear friend of mine — the best friend I ever had.

Ida agreed and they moved into a luxurious hotel, where Maggie spent a fortune on clothes and a lavish banquet for Ida. However, after the extravagant banquet, Maggie suddenly became very frugal and moved them into a cheap rooming house. She told Ida, "I’ve spent an awful lot of money, child,' says she. 'We’ll have to economize for a while."

I’ve spent an awful lot of money, child,' says she. 'We’ll have to economize for a while.

Ida, who had grown fond of Maggie, was disappointed by her sudden change in behavior and decided to leave her. She returned to her job at the hotel, where she met a newspaper artist named Lathrop.

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Lathrop — newspaper artist; tall, with nice eyes and an easy way of talking.

They fell in love and got married. At their wedding, a friend of Ida's noticed that her profile resembled the lady's head on the silver dollar. This may have been the reason why Maggie Brown was so drawn to Ida in the first place, as she was a wealthy woman who valued money above all else.