# Miss Tox — Dombey and Son character guide

> Miss Tox in Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Miss Tox, Lucretia Tox, Tox

**First appearance:** 0005-ii-in-which-timely-provision-is-made-for-an-emergency-that-will-sometimes-arise-in-the-best-regulated-families

## Snapshot

A genteel, sighing intimate of the Dombey circle, chosen as Paul's godmother for her very insignificance.

## Who they are

Miss Tox hovers at Mrs. Chick's elbow, commiserating on cue and elevating her eyebrows at every expected sorrow, her devotion to Mr. Dombey a quiet, unspoken ache. Elevated to godmothership precisely because she can threaten nothing, she accepts the office with the gratitude of someone used to being useful rather than wanted. Her soft, misplaced tenderness toward the Dombey household exposes how much warmth the family's grandeur leaves unclaimed.

## In the story

### [Dombey and Son](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/i-dombey-and-son)

A friend of Mrs. Chick, who admires Mr. Dombey's dignity and has prepared a 'Welcome, little Dombey' device.

### [In Which Timely Provision Is Made for an Emergency That Will Sometimes Arise in the Best-Regulated Families](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/ii-in-which-timely-provision-is-made-for-an-emergency-that-will-sometimes-arise-in-the-best-regulated-families)

Supports Mrs. Chick in persuading Polly, emphasizing the privilege of caring for a child of the superior classes.

### [Paul's Progress and Christening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/v-paul-s-progress-and-christening)

Miss Tox is devoted to Paul, assists in his care, and is made his godmother; she receives a bracelet from Mr. Dombey.

### [A Bird's-Eye Glimpse of Miss Tox's Dwelling-Place: Also of the State of Miss Tox's Affections](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/vii-a-bird-s-eye-glimpse-of-miss-tox-s-dwelling-place-also-of-the-state-of-miss-tox-s-affections)

Miss Tox is the central figure of the chapter, living in a cramped house in Princess's Place. She becomes increasingly devoted to baby Paul Dombey, neglecting Major Bagstock and adorning her home with new decorations.

### [Paul’s Further Progress, Growth and Character](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/viii-paul-s-further-progress-growth-and-character)

Miss Tox assists Mrs. Chick in managing the nursery and is devoted to Paul's care, even being driven in single harness by him during play.

### [Containing the Sequel of the Midshipman's Disaster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/x-containing-the-sequel-of-the-midshipman-s-disaster)

Maintains reserved behavior toward Major Bagstock, but enjoys the attention and emotional display at dinner.

### [What the Waves Were Always Saying](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xvi-what-the-waves-were-always-saying)

Miss Tox appears at the end of the chapter, weeping and lamenting that Dombey and Son should be a daughter after all.

### [Mr. Dombey Goes Upon a Journey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xx-mr-dombey-goes-upon-a-journey)

Observed watering her flowers across the street; Major Bagstock denounces her as a scheming and ambitious woman.

### [XXIX: The Opening of the Eyes of Mrs. Chick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xxix-the-opening-of-the-eyes-of-mrs-chick)

Miss Tox is in a reflective, nostalgic mood, tending to her plants and thinking of her childhood. She is visibly disturbed by Mrs. Chick's news of Mr. Dombey's impending remarriage.

### [Miss Tox Improves an Old Acquaintance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/xxxviii-miss-tox-improves-an-old-acquaintance)

Feeling depressed and lonely after being cut off from Mrs. Chick and Mr. Dombey, she visits the Toodles to maintain a connection to the Dombey household.

### [Mr. Dombey and the World](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/chapters/li-mr-dombey-and-the-world)

Secretly visits Mrs. Pipchin in disguise to inquire about Mr. Dombey's state.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/characters/miss_tox
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dombey_and_son_se/characters