# Mrs. Bowater — Memoirs of a Midget character guide > Mrs. Bowater in Memoirs of a Midget by Walter de la Mare. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Bowater, the excellent Mrs. Bowater **First appearance:** 0005-i ## Snapshot A bluff, warm-hearted widow whose little house on the hill becomes the narrator's first true refuge, and whose dead husband's star-charts open the heavens. ## Who they are Practical, gloomy-proud, and quietly generous, she takes the tiny stranger in when the world offers only stares, and her grudging admission that her husband's astronomy book is accurate becomes the doorway to the narrator's lifelong passion for the stars. She is mother enough to Fanny to be baffled by her, and steady enough to anchor the book's early domestic world. Her kindness matters because it proves the narrator can be at home somewhere. ## Relationships ### [Mr. Bowater](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/characters/mr_bowater) _family_ Mr. and Mrs. Bowater are a married couple, their interactions suggesting a domestic partnership with possible tension. ### [Mr. Bowater](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/characters/mr_bowater) _family_ Mr. and Mrs. Bowater are a married couple, their interactions suggesting a domestic partnership with possible tension. ### [Mr. Bowater](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/characters/mr_bowater) _family_ Mr. and Mrs. Bowater are a married couple, their interactions suggesting a domestic partnership with possible tension. ## In the story ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/ii) The narrator's mother, who is shy of her and seldom takes her abroad; she answers the narrator's questions about her origins. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/iii) Teaches the narrator about God's creation and oversees her education. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/v) A respectable servant of Mr. Ambrose Pellew who agrees to board the narrator for thirty shillings a week. ### [Beechwood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/beechwood) Mrs. Bowater is the matriarch of Beechwood, managing the household and social affairs. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/viii) The landlady at Beechwood; a tall, angular woman in black with a placid severity; welcomes the narrator and helps unpack her furniture. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/ix) Helps concoct replies to the narrator's godmother, attends St. Peter's, brings back sermon fragments, and reduces her lodging charges to twenty shillings a week. ### [The Night Watch and the Return of Fanny](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/x) Mrs. Bowater shares details about Fanny's childhood and her husband's wandering eye, and the narrator notices a resemblance between her sentiments and those of her godmother. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xi) Cares for the narrator during her illness, brings breakfast, and later receives lavender water as a gift. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xii) Mentioned as being out during Dr. Phelps's visit, indicating her absence from the scene. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xiii) The narrator feels suspicion and hostility toward her; she tidies up and bids good night with a blessing. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xiv) Scatters crumbs for birds; hosts tea; the narrator withholds the secret of Fanny's mother's death out of loyalty to her. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xv) Prepares ginger wine, opens the front door at midnight, and joins in the New Year's celebration. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xvi) Confronts the narrator about her moping and reveals she knows of Fanny's secret departure. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xvii) Takes tea with the narrator and Pollie, plays cards, and offers her opinion on Mr. Crimble. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xviii) Mrs. Bowater appears at the narrator's door, warning her to be cautious about men. She is also the recipient of Fanny's decoy letter. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xix) Mentioned as the landlady; the narrator gossips with her over supper. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xx) Reads Fanny's letter, shares a quiet evening with the narrator, and offers wisdom about pretense and the world. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxi) Delivers Mr. Crimble's flowers to the narrator with a grimace, and arranges to meet the narrator under the beech tree. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxii) The narrator thinks of Mrs. Bowater's biscuits and her inability to explain the house's vacancy; she is warmly remembered at the chapter's end. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxiii) Interrogates the narrator about the Stranger with unusual rigidity; delivers news that Fanny will not return for the holidays; scrutinizes Sir Walter's gift with suspicion. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxv) Shares the tragic story of Wanderslore's ghost, is evasive about Mrs. Monnerie and Lord B., and shows affection for the narrator despite her gruffness. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxvi) Accompanies the narrator to the tryst for propriety, shares reflections on life and marriage, and later confronts the narrator about Mr. Anon. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxvii) Observes the narrator's distress after the quarrel, offers gentle teasing and advice; arranges the holiday to Lyme Regis with the narrator. ### [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxviii) Initially anxious about the narrator's absence, she becomes friendly with Mr. Anon but later gives the narrator a look that provokes hatred and disillusionment. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxix) Receives a letter and newspaper, informs the narrator of Mr. Crimble's death and Mrs. Monnerie's invitation, then collapses from exhaustion. ### [The Inquest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxx) Lies ill in bed after a collapse; she knows about the narrator's involvement and speaks cryptically about Mr. Crimble. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxi) Returns home with the narrator, is short-tempered due to travel difficulties, and leaves to call for Henry. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxii) Deeply missed by Miss M.; their last conversation at Wanderslore is recalled, discussing Fanny and Mr. Anon. ### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxv) Welcomes the narrator back, notices a change in her voice, shares news of Fanny's letter and Mr. Bowater's leg. ### [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxvi) Convoys the narrator through the garden and then leaves them alone, taking a stroll through the grounds. ### [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xxxvii) Visits the narrator to announce she is sailing to South America to care for her dying husband, Mr. Bowater. ### [Monks’ House](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/monks-house) The narrator's mother, who is ill and confined to her room. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/characters/mrs_bowater - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/characters