# Mother Jane — Lost Man’s Lane character guide > Mother Jane in Lost Man’s Lane by Anna Katharine Green. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Old Mother Jane, the real Mother Jane **First appearance:** 0025-xxi-mother-jane ## Snapshot The old woman of the lane whose name surfaces whenever the disappearances are tallied, a figure of local dread and convenient suspicion. ## Who they are Mother Jane is the lane's resident specter, the sort of woman villagers blame when men vanish and no explanation satisfies. Miss Butterworth weighs her as a possible culprit before turning her suspicions toward the Knollys household itself, and the old woman's ambiguous presence keeps the reader guessing which fears are superstition and which are justified. She matters as the story's first suspect and its measure of how easily a community converts a lonely old woman into a monster. ## Relationships ### [Mr. Gryce](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/mr_gryce) _professional_ Mother Jane is a witness or informant who provides cryptic information to Mr. Gryce during his investigation. ### [Lucetta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/lucetta) _social_ Lucetta and Mother Jane have a wary acquaintance, with Mother Jane possibly knowing secrets about Lucetta's past. ### [Mr. Trohm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/mr_trohm) _psychological_ Mother Jane and Mr. Trohm share a dark, possibly co-dependent relationship rooted in shared secrets or manipulation. ### [William Knollys](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/william_knollys) _social_ Mother Jane and William Knollys have a distant, wary acquaintance, with Mother Jane possibly knowing his secrets. ### [Young Mr. Chittenden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/young_mr_chittenden) _social_ Mother Jane and Young Mr. Chittenden are casual acquaintances in the small town setting. ### [Mr. Gryce](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/mr_gryce) _professional_ Mother Jane is a witness or informant who provides cryptic information to Mr. Gryce during his investigation. ### [Lucetta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/lucetta) _social_ Lucetta and Mother Jane have a wary acquaintance, with Mother Jane possibly knowing secrets about Lucetta's past. ### [Mr. Trohm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/mr_trohm) _psychological_ Mother Jane and Mr. Trohm share a dark, possibly co-dependent relationship rooted in shared secrets or manipulation. ### [Mr. Trohm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/mr_trohm) _psychological_ Mother Jane and Mr. Trohm share a dark, possibly co-dependent relationship rooted in shared secrets or manipulation. ## In the story ### [I Am Tempted](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/ii-i-am-tempted) A harmless imbecile living in a hut near the woods; Gryce notes she is not suspected. ### [III: I Succumb](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/iii-i-succumb) Glimpsed by Miss Butterworth as she passes a hut; the old crone is eating bread and is pointed out by the driver. ### [Men, Women, and Ghosts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xi-men-women-and-ghosts) Encountered on the road; described as deaf, muttering, and haggard, but with a strong individuality that interests Miss Butterworth. ### [XVI: Loreen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xvi-loreen) Amelia briefly considers the theory that old Mother Jane might be connected to the disappearances in the lane. ### [Questions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xx-questions) Observed by Miss Butterworth as she tends to her herbs; described as a harmless imbecile with an insatiable greed and a belief that her daughter Lizzie is still alive. ### [Mother Jane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxi-mother-jane) Found in her cottage in a stubborn mood; refuses to do work for the Knollys family despite offers of money. ### [The Third Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxii-the-third-night) Seen in the kitchen late at night; joins the six bearers. ### [Room 3, Hotel Carter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxiii-room-3-hotel-carter) Suspect in the disappearances; Mr. Gryce's clue points to her, though Miss Butterworth saw her only eating supper and helping with minor work at the Knollys house. ### [The Enigma of Numbers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxiv-the-enigma-of-numbers) Her numerical mutterings are revealed to correspond to hiding places for stolen goods; she is implicated in the disappearances. ### [Trifles, but Not Trifling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxv-trifles-but-not-trifling) Exchanged places with Mr. Gryce, who impersonated her; she stayed in the woods and later returned to her cottage. ### [Investigation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxx-investigation) Mentioned as the persona Mr. Gryce impersonated to assist in the burial. ### [The Dove](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxxv-the-dove) Obsessed with the gold coin and the number fifteen; violently attacks a dove, revealing the bird's involvement in the ring's transfer. ### [An Hour of Startling Experiences](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxxvi-an-hour-of-startling-experiences) Mentioned as the source of the dove and ring; her garden has been uprooted. ### [I Astonish Mr. Gryce and He Astonishes Me](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xxxvii-i-astonish-mr-gryce-and-he-astonishes-me) Revealed to have received Mr. Chittenden's ring via a pigeon; her rage at the loss of the ring disclosed the fact. ### [Explanations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/xl-explanations) Found happy with the coin; her cottage garden is being restored. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters/mother_jane - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/characters