# Bently — Short Fiction character guide

> Bently in Short Fiction by Clark Ashton Smith.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0000-the-malay-krise

## Snapshot

A young, ardent visitor whose curiosity is ignited by a forbidden manuscript that his host warns carries a curse on body and soul.

## Who they are

Bently is a guest at the abbey of the learned Hilaire, a young man full of desires and curiosities, exactly the temperament his host warns is most vulnerable to the occult peril lurking in a few sheets of old French parchment. When Hilaire's face darkens and he forbids all questions about the manuscript, crossing himself and speaking of hidden heresies and necromancies, Bently's wildest curiosity is awakened rather than quelled. His inability to think of anything else for the rest of the evening sets him on the path toward the forbidden knowledge the story will unfold.

## Relationships

### [Raja](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_9_se/characters/raja)

_professional_

Bently serves as a subordinate or assistant to Raja, handling administrative or logistical tasks.

### [Chumbu Singh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_9_se/characters/chumbu_singh)

_professional_

Bently relays messages between the British administration and Chumbu Singh's military camp.

### [Raja](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_9_se/characters/raja)

_professional_

Bently serves as a subordinate or assistant to Raja, handling administrative or logistical tasks.

### [Raja](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_9_se/characters/raja)

_professional_

Bently serves as a subordinate or assistant to Raja, handling administrative or logistical tasks.

## In the story

### [The Raja and the Tiger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_9_se/chapters/the-raja-and-the-tiger)

The British Resident at Shaitanabad, who survives the Raja's treachery during a tiger hunt.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_9_se/characters/bently
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_9_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_9_se/characters