Mr. Barnet

Fellow-Townsmen

A key townsman involved in the unfolding events.

Fellow-Townsmen

An elder townsman whose actions influence the plot.

Chapter I

Returns home to a cold reception from his wife, reflecting on his unhappy marriage.

II

Barnet walks through the town, reflecting on his father's busy life and questioning if it was happier than his own.

III

Avoids his wife and the harbor road, takes walks northward, and discusses his marital troubles with Downe.

IV

Inspects his building works, then walks to the harbor; discovers his wife drowned after a boating accident.

V

Struggles with the temptation to let his wife die, but ultimately works to revive her and supports his friend Downe after Mrs. Downe's death.

VI

Visits Downe to suggest Lucy Savile as a governess; later his wife leaves him and he meets Lucy by the shore.

VII

Barnet spends his leisure time overseeing the construction of his new house, finding it a welcome distraction from his estranged wife and lonely existence.

Chapter VIII

Receives news of his wife's death, then learns Lucy Savile is marrying Downe; later attends their wedding, burns his papers, and disappears.

IX

Returns after 21 years, reveals his unrequited love for Lucy, and proposes to her.

First Night

The old shepherd who leaves the boy in charge of the ewes and later returns to scold him for letting the fire go out.

Second Night

The old shepherd who leaves the boy alone on the downs for the night.

XVII

Not present in this chapter.

A Tryst at an Ancient Earth Work

The elderly antiquary who arranges the nocturnal tryst to dig illegally at the earthwork.

VIII: She Travels in Pursuit

Accompanies the narrator; initially confused but later sides with Caroline upon learning of the deception.

I

The millwright father, who has become an alcoholic, causing the family's decline and the loss of the mother's legacy.

II

The father of Joshua and Cornelius, a millwright who has remarried a gipsy woman and causes Joshua public embarrassment.

Chapter IV

The brothers' father, a millwright whose drunken behavior and accidental drowning threaten the family's reputation.

I

Mentioned as the narrator who heard the story from Phyllis when she was an old lady of seventy-five.

III

Phyllis's father, who dismisses the hearsay about Humphrey Gould, forbids Phyllis from meeting the Hussar, and plans to send her to her aunt's house as punishment.

Tony Kytes, the Arch-Deceiver

Tony's father, who advises him to stick with Milly.

Old Andrey's Experience as a Musician

The narrator of the tale, a former choirboy who recalls the events.

Absentmindedness in a Parish Choir

The squire who, outraged by the choir's mistake, bans them from playing in the church and replaces them with a barrel-organ.

II

Jim's father, encounters Rosalys on the street and speaks casually about his business and Jim's upcoming departure for Burma.

I

Referred to as Jacob, Selina's father, who initially opposed the match but later forgave her.