The text of the short story used to create this guide was taken from: Henry, O. The Four Million. McClure, Phillips & Co., 1906.

The narrator begins the story in second-person, describing the encounter of entering Mrs. Parker’s rooming house as if it is happening directly to the reader. “First Mrs. Parker would show you the double parlours” (47), the story begins, and next “you” are taken to see additional rooms, each less expensive than the next. The narrator describes the feelings of guilt and shame that Mrs. Parker evokes from these hypothetical roomers for not being a doctor or dentist, the only respectable professions according to her. The cheapest room in the boarding house is described to be the titular Skylight Room, on the fourth floor. Despite being described as so small as to be similar to a coffin, the view out the skylight window gives a glimpse of “a square of blue infinity” (48).

After describing this hypothetical encounter with Mrs. Parker in second-person, the narrator then switches to third person, saying that “One day Miss Leeson came hunting for a room.” Miss Leeson herself experiences the same steps as were previously described, including a stop in Mr. Skidder’s room to admire the lambrequins. Mr. Skidder, a playwright, is so entranced by Miss Leeson that he immediately begins writing a version of her as the heroine in his play. Miss Leeson pays the two dollars (worth over $60 in today’s money) to spend a night in the Skylight Room.

Miss Leeson goes out to work each day and brings back papers to copy with her typewriter at night. However, on the days in which she does not bring home papers, she is free to spend an hour or two in the evening sitting on the steps of the rooming house, where she is surrounded by male roomers who are infatuated with her, including Mr. Skidder, fat Mr. Hoover, and young Mr. Evans. The men all but ignore the other female roomers, shrewish schoolteacher Miss Longnecker and fun-loving Miss Dorn.

On one summer evening, Miss Leeson looks out the window and sees a star outside that she has named “Billy Jackson.” She explains to the others that she can see the star every night through the skylight. Miss Longnecker ridicules her for naming a star that already has a name, explaining that the star is properly called “Gamma, of the constellation Cassiopeia” (53). However, the men step in and say that Billy Jackson is a better name, and that “Miss Leeson has just as much right to name stars as any of those old astrologers had” (53). Miss Leeson stays above the argument, simply admiring Billy Jackson.

After a time, Miss Leeson becomes unable to find work, receiving rejections during the day and bringing home no papers to copy at night. One day, she comes home after having eaten no dinner and fat Mr. Hoover asks her to marry him. She evades him, and when he tries to grab her hand she slaps him. She collapses on her bed, exhausted, and says goodbye to Billy Jackson, the star that had brought her joy.

The next morning, Clara the maid finds Miss Leeson’s door locked at 10AM, and the group forces it open. When they are unable to rouse Miss Leeson, they call an ambulance. A handsome young doctor arrives and rescues Miss Leeson, carrying her downstairs and rebuking Mrs. Parker as he leaves. In the paper the next morning, a bulletin states that Miss Leeson will recover, according to the doctor, whose name is William Jackson.