# Mrs. Cafferty — Mary, Mary character guide

> Mrs. Cafferty in Mary, Mary by James Stephens.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0003-ii

## Snapshot

A neighbor with six children and a husband out of work, whose lodger's hunger becomes a problem the Makebelieves quietly help solve.

## Who they are

Mrs. Cafferty is a decent woman whose generosity is hemmed in by six mouths and an unemployed husband, so her lodger never quite gets enough to eat. Mrs. Makebelieve, divining the lean pot next door, contrives to feed the young man herself, and the arrangement draws Mary into his company. Mrs. Cafferty's cramped household is the practical hinge that brings the young man and Mary together, and her friendship with the Makebelieves keeps the two families knotted through the middle of the book.

## Relationships

### [Mary Makebelieve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/characters/mary_makebelieve)

_social_

Mary Makebelieve and Mrs. Cafferty are neighbors, with Mrs. Cafferty acting as a gossipy but concerned observer.

### [Mrs. Makebelieve](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/characters/mrs_makebelieve)

_social_

Mrs. Cafferty and Mrs. Makebelieve are neighbors who share small talk and mutual wariness.

### [Mr. Cafferty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/characters/mr_cafferty)

_family_

Mr. and Mrs. Cafferty are a married couple, bickering but united in their nosy interest in the neighborhood.

### [The Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/characters/the_man)

_social_

Mrs. Cafferty and The Man are barely acquainted, with her avoiding him due to his unsettling reputation.

## In the story

### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xix)

The neighbor who brings her six children to visit; she is loud, good-humored, and insists Mrs. Makebelieve stay in bed.

### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xxi)

Mrs. Cafferty seeks Mary's company to discuss her husband's morning rudeness, and engages in a wide-ranging conversation about women's lives.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xxii)

Takes Mary shopping, shares her experiences as a mother, and compliments Mary extensively.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xxv)

Visits Mrs. Makebelieve, visibly worried and short-tempered with her children; explains her financial struggles and her plan to take in a lodger.

### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xxvi)

Visits Mrs. Makebelieve to discuss her lodger's large appetite and shares her views on managing men.

### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xxix)

Mentioned as the young man's landlady, a good woman with six children and a husband out of work.

### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/chapters/xxxi)

Mrs. Cafferty is wild with indignation at the young man's injuries and marches him into Mrs. Makebelieve's room to tell his story.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/characters/mrs_cafferty
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mary_mary_se/characters