# John Egerton — The House by the River character guide > John Egerton in The House by the River by A. P. Herbert. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Egerton, John, good old John, VI John Egerton, John Egerton's, The wretched John, Poor old John, the unfortunate John, Old John, old John **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot An obscure Civil Servant at five hundred a year, parents dead and easily replaced, John Egerton finds himself the suspected man in a death he did not cause. ## Who they are Once a welcome friend in the Byrne circle, John now sits at the center of an inquest's ugly aftermath, shunned by neighbors and squeezed by the grasping Gaunt family for money they assume is owed. Lonely and nerve-worn, he aches for ordinary company and dreads the moment he must face the Byrnes again. His isolation and his quiet decency make him the story's most pitiable figure. ## Relationships ### [Stephen Byrne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/stephen_byrne) _rivalry_ John and Stephen are locked in a bitter, obsessive rivalry over Margery and control of the household, with John's jealousy driving much of the conflict. ### [Muriel Tarrant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/muriel_tarrant) _social_ John and Muriel are acquaintances, with John using his knowledge of her affair with Stephen to further his own schemes. ### [Margery Byrne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/margery_byrne) _friendship_ John is a close friend and confidant to Margery, but his motives are complicated by his own romantic interest in her. ### [Emily Gaunt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/emily_gaunt) _psychological_ Emily and John share a dark, manipulative alliance, each using the other to achieve their own ends against Stephen. ### [Mrs. Bantam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/mrs_bantam) _social_ John and Mrs. Bantam have a cordial but wary relationship, as she is aware of his disruptive influence in the household. ### [Reverend Peter Tarrant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/reverend_peter_tarrant) _social_ John and Reverend Tarrant are acquaintances, with John occasionally seeking the reverend's counsel or using him as a social pawn. ### [Stephen Byrne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/stephen_byrne) _rivalry_ John and Stephen are locked in a bitter, obsessive rivalry over Margery and control of the household, with John's jealousy driving much of the conflict. ### [Stephen Byrne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/stephen_byrne) _rivalry_ John and Stephen are locked in a bitter, obsessive rivalry over Margery and control of the household, with John's jealousy driving much of the conflict. ### [Reverend Peter Tarrant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/reverend_peter_tarrant) _social_ John and Reverend Tarrant are acquaintances, with John occasionally seeking the reverend's counsel or using him as a social pawn. ### [Margery Byrne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/margery_byrne) _friendship_ John is a close friend and confidant to Margery, but his motives are complicated by his own romantic interest in her. ### [Muriel Tarrant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/muriel_tarrant) _social_ John and Muriel are acquaintances, with John using his knowledge of her affair with Stephen to further his own schemes. ### [Emily Gaunt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/emily_gaunt) _psychological_ Emily and John share a dark, manipulative alliance, each using the other to achieve their own ends against Stephen. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/i) A Civil Servant and resident of The Chase, about twenty-seven, who arrives with the Reverend Peter Tarrant. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/ii) Stephen's neighbor and good friend, mentioned as not being in his garden when Stephen looks over the wall. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/iii) Shocked and disgusted by the sight of Emily's body, but reluctantly agrees to help Stephen for Margery's sake, despite his own moral sensitivity. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/v) Returns home in a dark mood after a terrible day at work, lies about the sack, and is irritated by Mrs. Bantam's gossip and phone calls. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/vi) John is the primary focus of the chapter, reluctantly agreeing to search for Emily's body. He struggles with his conscience, the physical discomfort of the rain, and the futility of the task. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/vii) Confronted by Stephen by the river; he is anxious and agrees to maintain the false story about losing the sack. ### [After the Inquest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/viii) Subject of suspicion; his testimony about borrowing and losing the sack is portrayed as evasive and damaging. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/ix) Hopes Stephen will confess and clear his name; finds comfort in Mrs. Bantam's loyalty; avoids society due to local gossip and suspicion. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/x) Visits the Byrnes despite his isolation; decides to endure suspicion and the Gaunts' demands to protect Margery. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/xi) Feels inferior and jealous of Stephen, awkwardly tries to dance with Muriel but is rebuffed, leaves the dance alone and heartbroken. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/xii) Mentioned as having gone away to Devonshire with a fellow Civil Servant. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/xiv) Faces public suspicion and pressure to sue over a newspaper article; resolves to do nothing to protect Margery. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/xv) John is discussed as having taken no action, leading to local suspicion falling on him. Stephen feels contemptuous pity for John's quixotic virtue. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/xvi) Referenced in Stephen's confession as innocent of Emily Gaunt's murder; Stephen wavers between clearing John's name and protecting himself. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/xvii) Returns home weary, reads Stephen's poem, confronts the Gaunts, rescues Stephen from the river, and struggles with anger and pity. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/xviii) Opposes the statue plan, revolted by the idea of a stone figure in sight of his and Margery's windows; later hoped to be treated more kindly. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters/john_egerton - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/characters