# Miss Firman — Hand and Ring character guide

> Miss Firman in Hand and Ring by Anna Katharine Green.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** VII Miss Firman

**First appearance:** 0007-vii-miss-firman

## Snapshot

A spinster whose fierce defense of Craik Mansell's character is interrupted by her ailing mother's sleep-talk — a murmur that links Mr. Orcutt's name to the murdered woman.

## Who they are

Miss Firman appears as a witness of conscience, insisting that Craik inherited his mother's forehead, eyes, and principles, and that no one will convince her otherwise. Her testimony is cut short when she is called from the room, leaving Mr. Gryce alone — and then a voice from behind a nearby door murmurs, 'Was it Clemmens or was it Orcutt?' Miss Firman dismisses it as her mother's wandering mind, but the detective does not, and her household becomes the unlikely crack through which the true shape of the case begins to show.

## In the story

### [VII: Miss Firman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hand_and_ring_se/chapters/vii-miss-firman)

Testifies at the inquest, revealing Mrs. Clemmens's fears and the letter addressed to her.

### [IX: Close Calculations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hand_and_ring_se/chapters/ix-close-calculations)

Her earlier statements are corroborated by Mr. Hildreth's testimony, establishing her as a key witness in the case.

### [XLIII: Mrs. Firman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hand_and_ring_se/chapters/xliii-mrs-firman)

Receives Mr. Gryce and reluctantly agrees to retrieve the envelope from her mother's pillow, revealing its contents.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hand_and_ring_se/characters/miss_firman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hand_and_ring_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hand_and_ring_se/characters