# Arthur — If I Had a Father character guide

> Arthur in If I Had a Father by George MacDonald.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Constance Arthur, dear Arthur

**First appearance:** 0000-act-i

## Snapshot

A young man of good name and hidden trouble, whose secret weighs on him even as his friend Warren and his father work to draw it into the light.

## Who they are

Arthur is the friend Warren would serve blindfold and the son Sir Walter has returned to save, yet he carries a secret that even his father feared was a bad one. He is bound up with Constance and with the old man searching for his daughter, and the three must be brought together before the truth can surface. His concealed guilt and the loyalty he inspires make him the hinge on which the story's middle turns.

## Relationships

### [Gervaise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/gervaise)

_romantic_

Arthur is Gervaise's lover, and their relationship is intense, passionate, and complicated by external pressures.

### [Mattie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/mattie)

_friendship_

Arthur and Mattie share a friendly, easygoing rapport, often bonding over their mutual concern for Gervaise.

### [Mrs. Clifford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/mrs_clifford)

_rivalry_

Arthur and Mrs. Clifford are in conflict, as she disapproves of his relationship with Gervaise and tries to undermine him.

### [Constance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/constance)

_professional_

Arthur and Constance have a professional acquaintance, with Constance often acting as a go-between for her mother and Arthur.

### [Mattie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/mattie)

_friendship_

Arthur and Mattie share a friendly, easygoing rapport, often bonding over their mutual concern for Gervaise.

### [Mrs. Clifford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/mrs_clifford)

_rivalry_

Arthur and Mrs. Clifford are in conflict, as she disapproves of his relationship with Gervaise and tries to undermine him.

### [Mattie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/mattie)

_friendship_

Arthur and Mattie share a friendly, easygoing rapport, often bonding over their mutual concern for Gervaise.

### [Mrs. Clifford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/mrs_clifford)

_rivalry_

Arthur and Mrs. Clifford are in conflict, as she disapproves of his relationship with Gervaise and tries to undermine him.

### [Gervaise](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/gervaise)

_romantic_

Arthur is Gervaise's lover, and their relationship is intense, passionate, and complicated by external pressures.

### [Constance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/constance)

_professional_

Arthur and Constance have a professional acquaintance, with Constance often acting as a go-between for her mother and Arthur.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/arthur
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters