# Clayton — Short Fiction character guide

> Clayton in Short Fiction by H. G. Wells.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0004-the-jilting-of-jane

## Snapshot

A skeptical clubman at the Mermaid who claims he caught a ghost the night before, and tells the tale with an air of matter-of-fact conviction.

## Who they are

Clayton is a member of the Mermaid Club, a man whose incurable artifice as a storyteller makes his companions suspect he's lying even when he insists he isn't. He stayed overnight at the club alone, and now claims to have caught a ghost in a corner, talked with it for an hour, and let it go because he hadn't the heart to keep it. His friends—Sanderson, Evans, Wish—treat the story as a joke, but Clayton's quiet insistence and his refusal to be laughed out of it give the tale its unsettling edge.

## Relationships

### [Sanderson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/characters/sanderson)

_friendship_

Clayton and Sanderson are friends or allies, possibly explorers or scientists working together.

### [Wish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/characters/wish)

_friendship_

Clayton and Wish are companions or fellow travelers, sharing a journey or adventure.

### [Wish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/characters/wish)

_friendship_

Clayton and Wish are companions or fellow travelers, sharing a journey or adventure.

### [Sanderson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/characters/sanderson)

_friendship_

Clayton and Sanderson are friends or allies, possibly explorers or scientists working together.

### [Sanderson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/characters/sanderson)

_friendship_

Clayton and Sanderson are friends or allies, possibly explorers or scientists working together.

## In the story

### [The Land Ironclads](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/chapters/the-land-ironclads)

A lieutenant in the cavalry, representing the old guard.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/chapters/v)

The war correspondent who surrenders after a failed escape attempt and reflects on the battle.

### [The Story of the Inexperienced Ghost](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/chapters/the-story-of-the-inexperienced-ghost)

The narrator and protagonist of the story, who encounters and converses with the ghost.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/characters/clayton
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_25_se/characters