The Black Gang · Character

Mr. William Atkinson

The bland name and manner a certain hunchbacked count wears by day, fronting a Green Street office that is really a nerve centre of Peterson's schemes.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Atkinson, Atkinson, The man Atkinson, alias Mr. Atkinson

First appearance: iii in which hugh drummond composes a letter

As a supporting figure in The Black Gang, Mr. William Atkinson is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The alias used by Count Zadowa for his money-lending front in Hoxton.

In the storyIn Which Count Zadowa Gets a ShockOpen this moment free

See Mr. William Atkinson in In Which Count Zadowa Gets a Shock Book page

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As Mr. Atkinson, the man behind the alias keeps clerks, a constable, and an Inspector all convinced they are dealing with an ordinary businessman whose premises have suffered a regrettable bomb outrage. The disguise is his shield and his cage: it lets him move through London unremarked, but it also means every visit to his own office is a performance he cannot afford to drop. His morning arrival at 5, Green Street, feigning surprise while his eyes hunt for a secret drawer, is one of the novel's sharpest early set-pieces.

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

See Mr. William Atkinson in iii in which hugh drummond composes a letter