Short Fiction · Character

Captain Barton

A retired captain of reckless charm and ruined finances, he marries a timid heiress for her money and finds himself stalked by something he cannot see.

major

Also known as Barton, poor Barton, Mr. Barton, The Watcher Mr. Barton

First appearance: The Familiar

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

The narrator of the story, who suffers from recurring nightmares of a sinister portrait.

In the storyAn Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier StreetOpen this moment free

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Barton rules his household through bluster, drinking, and threats, keeping his terrified wife shut in her room while he feuds with her old Irish servant, Molly Doyle. He is a man of appetite rather than conscience, and the cleric who glides through his passages is the one presence he treats with uneasy courtesy. His cruelty and self-pity set the stage for a haunting that will answer his treatment of others.

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The fuller portrait of Captain Barton sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Captain Barton in The Familiar

Character Web

45 connections

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

Relationship types

Professional
Friendship
Other

Character groups

Supernatural encounters
Vampire and haunted house
Ghost story narrators
Protagonist

+40 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the psychological peak of the narrator's horror and the r…

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Relationships

General Montague
professional · positive
Captain Barton and General Montague are military colleagues, with Barton likely… How this plays out →
Doctor Robertson
friendship · positive
General Montague
professional · positive
Captain Barton and General Montague are military colleagues, with Barton likely… How this plays out →
Doctor Robertson
friendship · positive
Doctor Robertson
friendship · positive
General Montague
professional · positive
Captain Barton and General Montague are military colleagues, with Barton likely… How this plays out →

General Montague
Captain Barton and General Montague are military colleagues, with Barton likely subordinate to Montague.
Doctor Robertson
Captain Barton and Doctor Robertson are close friends, with Robertson providing medical and emotional support.
General Montague
Captain Barton and General Montague are military colleagues, with Barton likely subordinate to Montague.
Doctor Robertson
Captain Barton and Doctor Robertson are close friends, with Robertson providing medical and emotional support.
Doctor Robertson
Captain Barton and Doctor Robertson are close friends, with Robertson providing medical and emotional support.
General Montague
Captain Barton and General Montague are military colleagues, with Barton likely subordinate to Montague.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Captain Barton in The Familiar

In the story

Captain Barton appears across 13 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street
The narrator of the story, who suffers from recurring nightmares of a sinister portrait.
I: The Judge’s House
The elderly man who tells the ghost story; he is the tenant in the haunted house and witnesses the apparitions.
The Familiar
Central figure in the supernatural events, experiencing haunting and dread.
Prologue
Subject of the case study, though not directly appearing in the prologue.
I: Footsteps
Protagonist; a reserved, skeptical naval officer recently engaged to Miss Montague. He experiences mysterious footsteps on his walk home.
II: The Watcher
Receives warning letters from 'The Watcher' and is haunted by unseen footsteps.
III: An Advertisement
Experiences a violent reaction to a stranger on the street, later consults a physician with strange questions, and appears to be the author of a cryptic advertisement.
IV: He Talks with a Clergyman
Consults a clergyman about his supernatural persecution, experiences a murder attempt, and encounters the mysterious figure again.
V: Mr. Barton States His Case
Visits Doctor ⸻ in a state of terror, describing his demonic haunting and pleading for spiritual aid.
VI: Seen Again
The haunted protagonist, increasingly depressed and agitated by the recurring apparition; his health and spirits are visibly failing.
VII: Flight
Protagonist who attempts to flee his supernatural pursuer but encounters it again in Calais, leading to utter despair and passive submission to his friends' care.
VIII: Softened
Experiences a softening of his despair after a vision of a girl singing by a lake, which he interprets as a sign of forgiveness. He now speaks of his impending death and a final encounter with his tormentor with a strange tranquility.
IX: Requiescat
Dies in his bed after a night of terror, haunted by a supernatural presence and his past sins.

Chapter companion notes

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See Captain Barton in The Familiar

See Captain Barton in An Account of Some Strange Disturbances in Aungier Street