# Pepper — The House on the Borderland character guide

> Pepper in The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** old Pepper

**First appearance:** 0003-the-house-on-the-borderland

## Snapshot

The recluse's old dog, whose long sleep beside his master becomes a quiet measure of the impossible stretches of time engulfing the house.

## Who they are

Pepper is the narrator's constant companion, dozing nearby through nights of strange light and stranger sounds. When his master finally stirs him, the old dog crumbles to dust—proof of ages passing in moments. His small, ordinary presence makes the story's vast temporal horror feel intimate and personal.

## Relationships

### [Mary](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/characters/mary)

_social_

Mary interacts with Pepper as a household pet, caring for him but with less intense attachment than the Recluse.

## In the story

### [The House on the Borderland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/the-house-on-the-borderland)

The recluse's dog, who dies during the events.

### [II: The Plain of Silence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/ii-the-plain-of-silence)

Pepper cowers under the narrator's dressing gown during the supernatural manifestation, showing fear.

### [IV: The Earth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/iv-the-earth)

Greets the narrator upon his return, licking his hand and whining joyfully.

### [V: The Thing in the Pit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/v-the-thing-in-the-pit)

Barks at the disturbance in the Pit, attacks the creature, and is severely wounded.

### [VII: The Attack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/vii-the-attack)

Not directly mentioned in this chapter.

### [VIII: After the Attack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/viii-after-the-attack)

Recovering from his wound, tended by Mary; wags his tail when the narrator visits.

### [IX: In the Cellars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/ix-in-the-cellars)

Mentioned as having died earlier; the narrator recalls his old sister and Pepper living with him in the house.

### [X: The Time of Waiting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/x-the-time-of-waiting)

Shows steady improvement, stands and wags his tail, and by the sixth day is back on his feet, though still weak.

### [XI: The Searching of the Gardens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xi-the-searching-of-the-gardens)

Accompanies the narrator, sniffing and nosing about, showing no uneasiness, indicating the gardens are safe.

### [XII: The Subterranean Pit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xii-the-subterranean-pit)

Shows loyalty and concern, tries to prevent the Recluse from descending, howls in warning, and follows him into the passage despite the danger.

### [XIII: The Trap in the Great Cellar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xiii-the-trap-in-the-great-cellar)

Licks the narrator's ears after he faints; is tied to a tree and later freed.

### [XV: The Noise in the Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xv-the-noise-in-the-night)

Sleeps through the events, then crumbles to dust when touched.

### [XVI: The Awakening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xvi-the-awakening)

Mentioned as having died long ago, his remains now part of the dust.

### [XVIII: The Green Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xviii-the-green-star)

Not directly present; referenced implicitly through the house's decay and the narrator's isolation.

### [XXIII: Pepper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxiii-pepper)

Found as a heap of grey ash, having passed away.

### [XXIV: The Footsteps in the Garden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxiv-the-footsteps-in-the-garden)

Mentioned as dead; the recluse keeps a heap of grey ash on the study floor in memory.

### [XXV: The Thing from the Arena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxv-the-thing-from-the-arena)

Found with a large, fungoid, luminous wound on his side; refuses food and behaves strangely.

### [XXVI: The Luminous Speck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxvi-the-luminous-speck)

The dog is shot and buried by the narrator after its wound becomes a foul growth.

### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/chapters/xxvii-conclusion)

Mentioned in the context of the manuscript's narrative, though not directly present in this chapter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/characters/pepper
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_on_the_borderland_se/characters