# Randolph Stone — That Affair Next Door character guide

> Randolph Stone in That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Green.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Stone, Mr. Stone

**First appearance:** 0015-xv-a-reluctant-witness

## Snapshot

A polished friend of the Van Burnams whose reluctant testimony places Howard on the stoop at four in the morning.

## Who they are

Randolph Stone moves easily among the Van Burnams as a well-known man of unquestionable integrity, yet he gives his evidence under visible compulsion and casts a look of regret at his friend Howard. His account of recognizing Howard at four on the morning of the eighteenth supplies one of the inquiry's most damaging facts, and his reluctance makes his own position feel less settled than it appears. He is the witness everyone trusts and no one, including the reader, quite knows how to read.

## Relationships

### [Amelia Butterworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters/amelia_butterworth)

_social_

Amelia encounters Randolph Stone as a peripheral figure in the Van Burnam circle, often exchanging observations.

### [Mrs. Howard Van Burnam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters/mrs_howard_van_burnam)

_romantic_

Mrs. Howard Van Burnam and Randolph Stone are suspected of having a romantic relationship, which becomes a motive for murder.

### [Amelia Butterworth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters/amelia_butterworth)

_social_

Amelia encounters Randolph Stone as a peripheral figure in the Van Burnam circle, often exchanging observations.

## In the story

### [XV: A Reluctant Witness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xv-a-reluctant-witness)

Called as a reluctant witness; testifies to seeing Howard Van Burnam on the stoop at 4 a.m. on the 18th, causing a stir in the courtroom.

### [XVI: Cogitations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xvi-cogitations)

His testimony about the time Howard left the Van Burnam house is recalled as a key point in Amelia's reasoning.

### [XXIII: Ruth Oliver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxiii-ruth-oliver)

Mentioned as Miss Althorpe's lover; his voice is heard in the adjoining room.

### [A House of Cards](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxiv-a-house-of-cards)

Mentioned as Miss Althorpe's fiancé, described as estimable and brilliant.

### [Exactly Half-Past Three](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xxxiv-exactly-half-past-three)

Shares labors with Miss Butterworth in the library, is described as a man in ten thousand by Miss Butterworth.

### [XLI: Secret History](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xli-secret-history)

Revealed to be John Randolph, the man who married Ruth Oliver and later attempted to murder her.

### [With Miss Butterworth's Compliments](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/xlii-with-miss-butterworth-s-compliments)

Confessed to the murder; his contradictory feelings during the inquest are pondered by Miss Butterworth.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/chapters/endnotes)

The actual person identified by Amelia, later confused with Franklin Van Burnam.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters/randolph_stone
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/that_affair_next_door_se/characters