A Thief in the Night · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in A Thief in the Night by E. W. Hornung.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
A. J. Raffles
major
Also known as Mr. Raffles, the Raffles, old Raffles, the hearty Raffles, the great Raffles, sped Raffles
Raffles moves easily between Lord's cricket ground and locked Mayfair bedrooms, and he is the one who talks Bunny into every scheme. His pleasure lies less in the loot than in the performance: he savors dining among criminologists who suspect him, and he plans his moves with the deliberation of a man who has thought everything through in advance. That cool nerve and appetite for risk drive the early adventures and set the uneasy terms of his friendship with Bunny.
Bunny
major
Also known as good Bunny, poor Bunny
Bunny is a man of small means and large debts, kept afloat by Raffles's generosity and drawn into his orbit by a loyalty he cannot quite justify. He lends his respectable banking account to launder Raffles's takings and his flat to store the loot, wincing at each request yet consenting almost every time. His divided heart — hero-worship for a villain, dread of discovery — gives the early chapters their anxious, intimate voice.
Narrator
major
Also known as I, me, myself, mine
This narrator looks back on the earliest days of his friendship with Raffles, promising a frank portrait that hides nothing, including the wrong that cost him the woman he loved. He admits he has softened the record before, blinded by the gallant glamour of a villain who meant more to him than any hero. His shame and residual loyalty frame the whole telling, making every adventure a confession as much as a caper.
Barney Maguire
supporting
Also known as Maguire, the terrible Barney, Barney
Barney Maguire greets strangers with a fist and a threat, then claps them on the back once he remembers a face. His den is a locked stronghold of boxing trophies and wary hospitality, and he is quick to assume any intruder is a crook worth flattening. As a rival with brute force and a suspicious eye, he raises the stakes whenever Raffles's schemes stray into his territory.
Mr. Medlicott
supporting
Also known as young Medlicott, Medlicott
Young Medlicott looks like a man of eighty in the body of a beardless boy, hauling himself up the stairs by the banisters between gasping pauses. Even mid-attack he studies the visitor carefully, refusing to surrender the candle until he has sized him up, and his first words thank the intruder for bare humanity. His frailty and watchfulness make him an unexpectedly formidable witness in a house that is not as safe as it looks.
Lord Thornaby
supporting
Also known as Thornaby
Lord Thornaby presides over a dinner of criminologists and guests, a host whose European reputation rests on theory rather than practice. He has never married, never spoken in the Lords, and never allowed his photograph to be published, yet he is said to have the best brain in the Upper House. His invitation to Raffles — as suspected criminal rather than cricketer — turns a polite dinner into a quiet trap, and sets the early arc's central test of nerve.
Phillipi Nipper Nasmyth
supporting
Also known as Nasmyth, Nipper Nasmyth, The Nipper, old Nasmyth, old Nipper, old Nipper Nasmyth
Nipper Nasmyth belongs to Raffles's wider sporting and social circle, the kind of old comrade whose troubles arrive already steeped in awkwardness. His entanglements at the Phillipi field give the partnership a job that is less a lark than a debt of friendship, testing Bunny's nerve and Raffles's ingenuity. He matters because his predicament forces the pair to operate where sentiment and self-interest collide.
The Colonel
minor
Also known as the colonel
A mysterious figure who hires Raffles for a job.
Nab
minor
Also known as old Nab
A servant or associate of Raffles, possibly a butler.
Parrington
minor
A character involved in the cricket or social circle.
Harry
minor
A minor acquaintance or servant mentioned in passing.
Swigger Morrison
minor
Also known as old Swigger Morrison
A cricketer and friend of Raffles.
Young Medlicott
minor
A younger relative of Mr. Medlicott, possibly a separate character.
Kingsmill
minor
Also known as Kingsmill, Q.C.
A barrister or legal figure encountered by the duo.
Guillemard
minor
Also known as the bloated Guillemard, old Guillemard, Mrs. Guillemard, the great Guillemard
A wealthy man and his wife, targets of a burglary.
Hector Carruthers
minor
Also known as old Carruthers, old Hector Carruthers
An older gentleman in the social circle.
Crawshay
minor
Also known as old Crawshay
A character possibly involved in the criminal underworld.
Ernest
minor
Also known as The futile Ernest
A minor character, possibly a friend or relative.
Leggett
minor
Also known as the unfortunate Leggett
A character who meets an unfortunate fate.
Lord Lochmaben
minor
Also known as Lochmaben, this Lochmaben
A nobleman and potential target of theft.
Fawcett
minor
A minor character, possibly a servant or associate.
Sullivan
minor
A minor character, possibly a criminal or acquaintance.
Lady Lochmaben
minor
Wife of Lord Lochmaben, present at social events.
Lady Melrose
minor
A society lady, possibly a hostess.