Mrs. H. T. Miller is a 61-year-old widow living alone in a two-room apartment with a kitchenette near the East River.
Her husband, Mr. H. T. Miller, left her a reasonable amount of insurance.
She has a narrow range of interests and few friends.
She rarely goes beyond the corner grocery store.
Other residents in the building barely notice her. She dresses plainly, with iron-gray hair, no cosmetics, and unremarkable features.
Her routine is predictable: keeping her apartment clean, occasionally smoking, making her own meals, and caring for her canary.
The Encounter with Miriam
One snowy night, Mrs. Miller goes to a neighborhood theatre after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper.
The snow is falling gently, and Mrs. Miller hurries to the theatre, stopping at a drugstore for peppermints.
While waiting in a long line at the box office, she notices a little girl with striking, silver-white hair. The girl is thin, delicate, and dressed elegantly in a plum-velvet coat.
The little girl asks Mrs. Miller to buy a ticket for her because they won’t let her in otherwise, handing her two dimes and a nickel.
Mrs. Miller agrees, feeling oddly excited.
Inside the theatre, an usherette directs them to a lounge where they wait for twenty minutes until the current showing ends.
Conversation in the Lounge
Mrs. Miller jokingly refers to herself as a criminal for helping the girl get into the movie, questioning whether it’s against the law.
She asks if the girl’s mother knows where she is.
The girl remains silent, unbuttons her coat, revealing a prim, dark blue dress, and plays with a gold chain around her neck.
Mrs. Miller notices the girl's hazel eyes which seem to consume her small face.
Mrs. Miller offers a peppermint and asks the girl her name.
The girl responds, "Miriam."
Mrs. Miller is surprised because that is also her name, and it is not a common name.
Miriam states her last name is "Just Miriam."
Mrs. Miller is slightly discomfited by Miriam's advanced vocabulary.
Miriam admits she has never been to the movies before.
As other women enter the lounge and the sound of the newsreel begins, Mrs. Miller decides to leave to find a seat, saying it was nice to meet Miriam.
Miriam nods slightly.
The Persistent Snow and Isolation
It snows all week, creating a quiet, almost secretive atmosphere in the city.
The falling snow blurs the distinction between earth and sky, frosting windows and muffling sounds.
Mrs. Miller loses track of the days and finds herself going to the grocery store on Sunday, only to find it closed.
One evening, she has scrambled eggs and tomato soup for supper.
Miriam's Late-Night Visit
Later that evening, around eleven, Mrs. Miller is in bed reading when the doorbell rings persistently.
She is surprised, as she usually is asleep by ten.
Hesitantly, she goes to the door, struggling with the latch as the bell continues to ring.
She opens the door to find Miriam.
Miriam is wearing the same plum velvet coat and a matching beret, with her white hair braided and adorned with white ribbons.
Miriam expresses that she kept her finger on the button because she knew Mrs. Miller was home.
Miriam asks to be let inside, stating it is cold and she is wearing a silk dress.
Miriam enters the apartment, drops her coat and beret on a chair, and admires the apartment, particularly the blue rug.
Miriam touches a paper rose in a vase, calling it sad because it's an imitation.
Miriam sits on the sofa and Mrs. Miller asks what she wants.
Unsettling Conversation
Miriam remarks that Mrs. Miller doesn’t seem happy about her visit.
Mrs. Miller is speechless for a moment, then makes a vague gesture.
Miriam giggles and leans back on the pillows.
Mrs. Miller wonders how Miriam knew where she lived, as she is unlisted in the phone book.
Mrs. Miller chastises Miriam for being out so late, questioning her mother’s sanity for allowing it, also criticizing Miriam’s clothes.
Miriam goes to a covered bird cage and asks to wake the canary to hear him sing.
Mrs. Miller forbids her from waking the bird, named Tommy.
Miriam asks for something to eat, even just milk and a jam sandwich.
Mrs. Miller offers to make sandwiches if Miriam promises to leave afterward, as it is past midnight.
Miriam considers the offer and then agrees.
Growing Unease
Mrs. Miller goes to the kitchen to make sandwiches, questioning Miriam’s age (ten or eleven) and her reasons for visiting.
She is unnerved when she hears the canary singing, even though she did not give permission.
Mrs. Miller calls for Miriam, telling her not to disturb Tommy, but receives no answer.
She discovers she has mistakenly lit the cork-tip end of her cigarette, and tries not to lose her temper.
She brings the tray with food into the living room.
She is surprised to see the bird cage still covered, yet Tommy is singing.
Mrs. Miller goes to the bedroom and finds Miriam standing by the bureau with an open jewel case.
Miriam stares at Mrs. Miller, smiles, and says there’s nothing good in the case, but she likes a cameo brooch that she is holding.
Mrs. Miller asks her to put it back, feeling weak and overwhelmed; the light seems to flicker. She says the brooch was a gift from her husband.
Miriam refuses and says she wants the brooch and will not give it back.
Mrs. Miller realizes she is completely alone and has no one to turn to.
Psychological Manipulation
Miriam eats the sandwiches ravenously.
Mrs. Miller focuses with confusion on Miriam.
After finishing the food, Miriam says she would like something sweet, like an almond cake or cherry.
Mrs. Miller reminds Miriam of her promise to leave after eating.
Miriam acts innocent and claims she was only teasing.
Miriam puts on her coat and beret, then asks Mrs. Miller to kiss her goodnight.
When Mrs. Miller refuses, Miriam throws a vase of paper roses onto the floor, shattering the glass.
Miriam leaves, looking back with sly, innocent curiosity.
Descent into Hallucination
Mrs. Miller spends the next day in bed, feeling unwell and experiencing feverish dreams.
One recurring dream features a small girl in a bridal gown leading a silent procession down a mountain path; the people comment on her ethereal beauty.
On Tuesday morning, Mrs. Miller feels better and finds the weather has improved; she sees the river and the sky, which lifts her spirits.
After tidying up, she goes to the grocer’s and then has breakfast at Schrafft’s, chatting pleasantly with the waitress.
She decides to go shopping but is distracted by a sense of separateness from the busy passers-by.
The Old Man and Unaccountable Purchases
While waiting at a street corner, she sees an old man who gives her a cold smile of recognition, though she doesn’t know him.
He follows her, and when she confronts him, he grins but says nothing.
Feeling helpless, she walks faster.
She then buys six white roses at a florist shop.
She buys a vase to replace the one Miriam broke, even though it is expensive and vulgar.
She buys a bag of glazed cherries and six almond cakes. The weather turns cold, and snow begins to fall.
Upon returning home, she arranges the roses, cherries, and cakes, while the canary sings.
At five o’clock, the doorbell rings. Mrs. Miller knows it is Miriam.
She calls out and tells Miriam to go away, but Miriam says she has a heavy package and insists she needs to be let in.
The Return of Miriam
Mrs. Miller refuses to open the door and listens to the buzzer, eventually concluding that Miriam has left.
She opens the door to find Miriam half-reclining on a cardboard box, cradling a French doll.
Miriam says she thought Mrs. Miller was never coming and asks for help bringing in the box.
Mrs. Miller feels a strange passivity and helps Miriam bring in the box and the doll.
Miriam curls up on the sofa, disinterested in Mrs. Miller’s distress.
Miriam tells Mrs. Miller of the doll.
Miriam opens the box and produces another doll and the blue dress she wore the first night they met.
Miriam announces that she has come to live with Mrs. Miller to take care of the dolls.
She asks if Mrs. Miller liked the gifts, calling her generous. She then states that she lived with an old man previously and that they never had good things to eat.
She then requests Mrs. Miller show her were to put her things.
Desperation and Plea for Help
Mrs. Miller breaks down in tears, a dry, unnatural weeping.
She backs away and flees to a neighboring apartment.
She frantically pounds on the door, and a red-headed man answers.
She explains her situation to the man and his partner, saying she is afraid of a little girl named Miriam who is visiting her and refuses to leave.
She claims Miriam has stolen her cameo and is about to do something worse.
Mrs. Miller admits she doesn’t know who Miriam is.
The couple tries to calm her down and the man agrees to go upstairs to deal with Miriam.
Mrs. Miller rests in the apartment, while the woman comforts her.
The Unbelievable
The man returns, embarrassed, saying there is no one in the apartment and no one must have ever exited the apartment, as the couple was present the whole time.
Mrs. Miller asks if he saw a large box or a doll, but he says no.
The woman states that he is a jerk.
Confronting the Empty Apartment
Mrs. Miller returns to her apartment and finds everything in place: the roses, cakes, and cherries.
The room feels empty and lifeless, with a new strangeness to the sofa; more terrible because Miriam wasn't curled up upon it.
She looks at the spot where the box was, feeling disoriented, and looks out the window, questioning the reality of everything.
She wonders where Miriam is.
She feels the room darkening and becomes unable to light a lamp.
Closing her eyes, she experiences a surge of clarity.
Accepting the Delusion
Mrs. Miller experiences a moment of calm and reason, questioning whether Miriam was ever real and if she was simply frightened on the street.
She concludes it is of no importance as she no longer lost her identity and is able to trust and believe in herself again: Mrs. H. T. Miller.
The Final Confrontation
Listening contentedly, she hears the sound of a bureau drawer opening and closing which makes her question her peace.
The harshness of the bureau is replaced by the murmur of a silk dress and the sound moves increasingly closer.
The walls tremble and the room caves under a wave of whispers.
Mrs. Miller opens her eyes to see Miriam.
"Hello," says Miriam, finalizing the return. All hope is lost. The delusion remains. The mind of Mrs. Miller is in shambles, beyond reason. All is lost.