# Mrs. Clifford — If I Had a Father character guide

> Mrs. Clifford in If I Had a Father by George MacDonald.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mrs. Clifford Constance, Mrs. Clifford Rude, Mrs. Clifford Fortune

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

## Snapshot

A suspicious lady of means who storms into a poor girl's room accusing her of theft, only to be met with a servant's blistering fury.

## Who they are

Mrs. Clifford moves through the world certain of her own respectability, and her visit to Mattie's lodgings is meant to reclaim stolen linen and moral high ground alike. Instead she collides with Susan, whose loyalty to Mattie turns the room into a courtroom where class and conscience are put on trial. Her willingness to believe the worst of the poor makes her a quiet engine of the story's central injustice, and her exit leaves the question of who really stole what hanging in the air.

## Relationships

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

_family_

Mrs. Clifford is Gervaise's mother, and their relationship is strained, with Gervaise often feeling judged and controlled.

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

_social_

Mattie and Mrs. Clifford are acquaintances, with Mrs. Clifford often treating Mattie with condescension.

### [Arthur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/arthur)

_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)

_family_

Constance is Mrs. Clifford's daughter, and their relationship is formal and dutiful, lacking warmth.

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

_social_

Mattie and Mrs. Clifford are acquaintances, with Mrs. Clifford often treating Mattie with condescension.

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

_social_

Mattie and Mrs. Clifford are acquaintances, with Mrs. Clifford often treating Mattie with condescension.

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

_family_

Mrs. Clifford is Gervaise's mother, and their relationship is strained, with Gervaise often feeling judged and controlled.

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

_family_

Mrs. Clifford is Gervaise's mother, and their relationship is strained, with Gervaise often feeling judged and controlled.

### [Arthur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/arthur)

_rivalry_

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

### [Arthur](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/arthur)

_rivalry_

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

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/if_i_had_a_father_se/characters/mrs_clifford
- 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