# Cousin Stickles — The Blue Castle character guide > Cousin Stickles in The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Stickles, Cousin Artemas Stickles **First appearance:** 0001-ii ## Snapshot The whining poor relation who shares Valancy's cramped household, forever complaining about weather, prices, and impending illness. ## Who they are Cousin Stickles lives with the Stirlings as a dependent, filling the little dining-room with endless complaints about the leaky pantry, the price of butter, and the epidemic of mumps. She and Mrs. Frederick keep Valancy under constant surveillance, believing anyone who wants to be alone must want it for some sinister purpose. Her petty tyranny helps explain why Valancy's inner Blue Castle becomes her one refuge, and why escape feels so urgent. ## Relationships ### [Valancy Stirling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/valancy_stirling) _family_ Cousin Stickles is Valancy's elderly, gossipy cousin who lives with the family and acts as a petty enforcer of social norms. ### [Uncle James](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/uncle_james) _family_ Cousin Stickles and Uncle James are allied in their petty tyranny over Valancy, sharing gossip and judgment. ### [Mrs. Stirling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/mrs_stirling) _family_ Cousin Stickles and Mrs. Stirling are co-conspirators in enforcing a stifling, judgmental household atmosphere. ### [Valancy Stirling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/valancy_stirling) _family_ Cousin Stickles is Valancy's elderly, gossipy cousin who lives with the family and acts as a petty enforcer of social norms. ### [Valancy Stirling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/valancy_stirling) _family_ Cousin Stickles is Valancy's elderly, gossipy cousin who lives with the family and acts as a petty enforcer of social norms. ### [Uncle James](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/uncle_james) _family_ Cousin Stickles and Uncle James are allied in their petty tyranny over Valancy, sharing gossip and judgment. ### [Mrs. Stirling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/mrs_stirling) _family_ Cousin Stickles and Mrs. Stirling are co-conspirators in enforcing a stifling, judgmental household atmosphere. ### [Mrs. Stirling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/mrs_stirling) _family_ Cousin Stickles and Mrs. Stirling are co-conspirators in enforcing a stifling, judgmental household atmosphere. ### [Uncle James](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/uncle_james) _family_ Cousin Stickles and Uncle James are allied in their petty tyranny over Valancy, sharing gossip and judgment. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/i) A live-in relative who shares Mrs. Stirling's rigid views and helps enforce the household's oppressive atmosphere. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/ii) Cousin Stickles is mentioned as the one who knocks on Valancy's door at half-past seven every morning, reinforcing the rigid routine of the household. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/iii) Whines endlessly about trivial matters; boasts of being married at seventeen; looks down on Valancy despite her own plainness. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/iv) Cousin Stickles calls out to remind Valancy to wear her rubbers. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/vi) Suffers from neuralgia; gossips with Mrs. Stirling; Valancy rubs her back with liniment. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/vii) Notices Valancy's odd behavior; suggests remedies like vinegar and Redfern's Liniment; gossips about Dr. Trent. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/viii) Valancy anticipates Cousin Stickles' insistence on remedies and her disapproval of having feelings. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/ix) Cousin Stickles observes Valancy's odd actions—sliding down the bannister, reading a book on Sunday—and keeps some of them secret from Mrs. Stirling, though she is deeply uneasy. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xi) Cousin Stickles whispers that Valancy is 'feverish' and tries to calm the situation, but is ignored. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xii) Mentioned as someone who would be fussy and alarmed, not sympathetic. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xiii) Present during family discussions and exchanges anguished glances with Mrs. Stirling. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xiv) Horrified by Valancy's behavior and Abel's profanity; passes through the hall and hears the oaths. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xv) Laments that Valancy will no longer rub her back at night and reluctantly reveals Valancy said 'Oh, darn!' ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xxii) Cousin Stickles witnesses the scandalous drive and continues to pray for Valancy, believing they have been given a cross to bear. ### [Cousin Georgiana's News](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xxvii) Cousin Stickles is present at the Stirling house, sobbing over the perceived tragedy of Valancy's marriage. ### [Spring on Mistawis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xxxiii) Sitting with Mrs. Stirling, knitting grimly, part of the unchanged domestic scene Valancy observes. ### [The Return of the Prodigal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xl) Shrewish and suspicious, but becomes willing to be convinced when the truth about Barney's wealth emerges. ### [XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/chapters/xlii) Cousin Stickles is in the kitchen when Uncle Benjamin jokes with her about husbands. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters/cousin_stickles - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_blue_castle_se/characters