The Furnished Room (Henry): Difference between revisions
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| Microsummary = A young man searched for a missing singer, renting a room in a house. Unbeknownst to him, she had committed suicide in the same room a week prior. Overwhelmed by despair, he ended his life there too. | | Microsummary = A young man searched for a missing singer, renting a room in a house. Unbeknownst to him, she had committed suicide in the same room a week prior. Overwhelmed by despair, he ended his life there too. | ||
| Wikidata = | | Wikidata = | ||
| Wikisource = The Four Million/The Furnished Room | |||
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Revision as of 09:05, 10 May 2023
from the Collection «The Four Million»
In a district of the lower West Side, a young man searched for a place to stay among the many furnished rooms available. He was weary from his journey and had been asking around for a young girl named Eloise Vashner, a singer with reddish-gold hair and a mole near her left eyebrow. However, his inquiries had been fruitless, and he had yet to find any trace of her.
The young man eventually found a room to rent in a house managed by a housekeeper who seemed unwholesome and untrustworthy. He paid for a week in advance and moved into the room, which was filled with the remnants of previous tenants. The room had a strange, musty smell, and the young man felt a sense of unease as he settled in.
As he sat in the room, he suddenly smelled the strong, sweet scent of mignonette, which reminded him of Eloise. He called out to her, but there was no response. Desperate to find any trace of her, he searched the room thoroughly, but found nothing that could be connected to her. He then questioned the housekeeper about the previous tenants, but she could not recall anyone matching Eloise's description.
Feeling defeated, the young man returned to his room, which now seemed lifeless and devoid of the mignonette scent. He decided to end his life, sealing the room and turning on the gas. Meanwhile, the housekeeper, Mrs. Purdy, met with her friend Mrs. McCool for a drink. They discussed the young man who had rented the room and how Mrs. Purdy had not told him about the previous tenant, a young woman who had committed suicide in the same room just a week prior. The woman had been beautiful, except for a mole near her left eyebrow.