# Mary Hill — Short Fiction character guide

> Mary Hill in Short Fiction by P. G. Wodehouse.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Mary, Poor little Mary, Polly, poor Polly

**First appearance:** 0000-when-papa-swore-in-hindustani

## Snapshot

A sensitive, highly strung girl whose invented rival, Amy, stands between her and the man who loves her.

## Who they are

Mary Hill is the most spiritual, highly strung girl that ever drew breath, according to Wilton, and she has refused him because of Amy, a woman who does not exist. Wilton invented Amy to escape being his small town's cheerful strong man, and the fiction has hardened into a barrier neither of them can cross. Her scruple, real to her and absurd to everyone else, turns a country-town courtship into a study of how a lie can become a conscience.

## Relationships

### [Joe Rendal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/joe_rendal)

_romantic_

Joe and Mary share a deeply affectionate and possibly romantic bond, with frequent interactions suggesting courtship or partnership.

### [Joe Rendal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/joe_rendal)

_romantic_

Joe and Mary share a deeply affectionate and possibly romantic bond, with frequent interactions suggesting courtship or partnership.

### [Joe Rendal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/joe_rendal)

_romantic_

Joe and Mary share a deeply affectionate and possibly romantic bond, with frequent interactions suggesting courtship or partnership.

## In the story

### [Absent Treatment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/absent-treatment)

Mary Anthony Cardew, Bobbie's wife, a hospital nurse with a strong will who tries to reform Bobbie.

### [Three from Dunsterville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/three-from-dunsterville)

A young woman from Dunsterville who moves to New York for work; initially frightened and overwhelmed by the city, she accepts a secretarial job from Joe Rendal and later admits the city has changed her.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/mary_hill
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters