The last three nights on the way home from work, a woman named Frances stops to look in the window of a hat shop. There is a smart red hat that she loves. Her husband is out of work, and she is waiting for him to get a job so she can buy clothes for herself. However, she thinks that maybe seeing her in such an elegant hat would break his sullen mood. However, the hat costs fifteen dollars, and Frances' salary for the week is only eighteen dollars. Frances hears two women saying that they should go in and try some hats on. She decides that there is no harm in going inside the store to try on the hat. Frances goes into the store and is embarrassed when she sees a well-dressed woman trying on hats, because she has no intention of buying one. She tries on the red hat, and it looks just as good on her as on the mannequin. The saleswoman praises how Frances looks, and Frances asks if she could return it if her husband did not like it. The saleswoman says yes, and Frances buys the hat. She hopes that her husband Eric will find it so charming that he insists she keep it. Frances goes home to her apartment. Eric is slumped down reading the paper. He has no energy, and he smells like whiskey. Frances greets him, but he will barely look at her. She shows him the hat and he smiles faintly, saying that it looks snappy. He asks if she got it from a bargain day, and Frances reveals that she got it from one of the best shops in town for fifteen bucks. Eric is angry that she is buying expensive hats when he is out of work. He says it is her money, but she says she will take it back if he insists. Eric then grabs Frances' wrist and twists it, telling her to get rid of the hat quickly or he will break every bone in her body. He crumples the hat and throws it on the floor. Frances is scared. She cannot return the hat because it is creased and has a tiny tear. She sells it to her neighbor for five dollars, but it does not look nearly as good on her as it does on Frances. Frances asks the woman if she will let her buy it back for five dollars next week if she wants it. The woman says yes. Frances returns to her apartment and tells Eric she sold the hat. He thanks her without looking at her. Frances assures Eric that she is satisfied, and she doesn't know what makes him think that she is not. Eric does not want to discuss the matter, and only says sorry. Frances sits beside Eric and thinks of the hat and how it looked on her, and she is filled with eagerness and elation and hopes she can buy it back.