Short Fiction · Character

Mr. Ledbetter

A rotund, bespectacled schoolmaster whose summer holiday boast about the decay of courage is tested when adventure arrives at his boardinghouse door.

major

Also known as Mr. Ledbetter⁠—the Mr. Ledbetter

First appearance: Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation

As a major figure in Short Fiction, Mr. Ledbetter is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The taxidermist who narrates his triumphs to the author.

In the storyThe Triumphs of a TaxidermistOpen this moment free

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Mr. Ledbetter is a clergyman-schoolmaster on a much-needed vacation at Hithergate-on-Sea, where he falls into whisky-fuelled talk about the vanished days of bravery and the burglar as the last true adventurer. He deplores the security that has made his own life stagnant, then walks out into the moonlight doubting whether he would truly welcome the risks he claims to envy. His self-comparison between his safe pedagogy and the imagined life of daring sets up the comic and unsettling turn his holiday is about to take.

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Character Web

9 connections

A slice of how Mr. Ledbetter sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Diverse strange tales
Protagonist
Strange cures and obsessions
Fantastical experiments and doors
Prehistoric survival story

+4 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the protagonist realizes the green door and its enchanted gar…

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In the story

Mr. Ledbetter appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Triumphs of a Taxidermist
The taxidermist who narrates his triumphs to the author.
The Red Room
The narrator, a confident young man of twenty-eight who volunteers to test the haunted room.
The Plattner Story
The narrator who interviews Plattner and writes down his account.
Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation
A round-faced, mild-mannered curate who, after a drunken discussion about adventure, attempts a burglary to prove his courage, only to be captured and forced into aiding a real criminal.
III
The little man beside the narrator, commenting on the crowd and pointing out figures.
VIII
The saint who boasts of his holy sufferings and is humbled by the Recording Angel's reading.
The Land Ironclads
A war correspondent observing the battle.
The Beautiful Suit
The little man who cherishes his beautiful suit and ultimately wears it on a transformative night.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Mr. Ledbetter unlock in the free preview.

See Mr. Ledbetter in Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation

See Mr. Ledbetter in The Triumphs of a Taxidermist