Character guide

Bill Hicks

major

Also known as Bill

A bargee skipper whose fierce religious argument with a passing schooner mate sets the comic tone for a domestic surprise aboard the Arabella.

Nick Gunn

major

Also known as Gunn, Mr. Gunn

A maimed, menacing stranger who descends on an old shipmate's inn, calling in a fifteen-year-old debt with a grin and a pistol.

Trayton Burleigh

major

Also known as Burleigh

A young mate and brother-in-law to the skipper, whose cheerful announcement of a lady guest plunges the barge into quiet uproar.

Jimmy Fletcher

supporting

Also known as James Fletcher, Fletcher

A young bargeman whose romantic errand and easy manner stir the Arabella's crew into a tangle of domestic complications.

Mr. Negget

supporting

Also known as Negget, the matchmaking Mr. Negget, the wily Negget

A wily, matchmaking presence whose persistent scheming nudges the barge's passengers toward entanglements they never planned.

Mr. Halibut

supporting

Also known as Halibut, the persistent Halibut, the diplomatic Halibut

A diplomatic and persistent figure whose patient maneuvering keeps the barge's quarrels from tipping into outright disaster.

Jem Benson

supporting

Also known as Benson

A dark, brooding man whose bitter words about a blackmailing loafer hide more than they reveal, especially when a whisper from the well calls his name.

Ann Pullen

supporting

Also known as Ann, Mrs. Ann Pullen, Mrs. Pullen, Anne

A flustered housekeeper whose fumbling fingers and slow reading turn a lawyer's letter into a household crisis, then an unexpected fortune.

Old Miller

supporting

Also known as Mr. Miller, Miller, the slower-going Mr. Miller, The triumphant Miller, the wily Mr. Miller

A wily, triumphant old bargeman whose sharp tongue and sharper bargains steer the Arabella through domestic storms and religious quarrels alike.

Wilfred Carr

supporting

Also known as Carr

A charming, reckless cousin whose gambling debts and taste for blackmail turn a friendly game of billiards into a quiet, desperate threat.

Mr. Martin Bodfish

supporting

Also known as Mr. Bodfish

A barge master whose stubborn Baptist pride and suspicious eye make every passenger, parcel, and proposal a matter for slow, wary scrutiny.

George Kettle

supporting

Also known as George, ses George Kettle

A young bargeman whose cheerful courtship and impulsive schemes drag his brother-in-law's household into one comic complication after another.

Bob Pretty

supporting

Also known as Bob, ses Bob Pretty, ses Bob

Bob Pretty moves through the river folk as a man who always seems to know more than he lets on, trading on other people's assumptions while keeping his own counsel. His gift for talk gets him out of scrapes and into schemes, and the men around him can never quite decide whether to trust or resent him. That ambiguity makes him the quiet engine of trouble in the tales, the fellow whose next move the reader is always trying to guess.

Dr. Frank Carson

supporting

Also known as Dr. Carson, Carson, Frank

Dr. Frank Carson belongs to the respectable shore-side world that the barge folk regard with a mixture of deference and distrust. His medical authority gives him access to private moments and private knowledge, which places him at the center of other people's secrets whether he wants the role or not. As events unfold, the gap between his trained judgment and the messy human behavior he witnesses becomes the source of both his usefulness and his unease.

Major Brill

supporting

Also known as Brill, The Major, the disgusted Major, Major Brill

Major Brill carries the bearing of a man accustomed to being obeyed, which makes him an easy target for the quieter humiliations of civilian life. His romantic intentions, however well-meant, tend to land him in awkward and ambiguous situations that his military confidence cannot quite manage. Watching a man of rank navigate the unpredictable terrain of affection and misunderstanding gives the story much of its comic and human weight.

Mrs. Riddel

minor

Also known as the astonished Mrs. Riddel

An astonished female character in the stories.

Mr. White

minor

A character appearing in the stories, possibly related to Mrs. White.

Captain Rogers

minor

Also known as Rogers

A captain who appears as a character in a dedicated story.

Henery Walker

minor

Also known as Henery, ses Henery, ses Henery Walker

A local character mentioned in the village tales.

Old Wiggett

minor

Also known as Mr. Wiggett, Wiggett, the startled Mr. Wiggett

A startled older character in the stories.

Olive

minor

A female character with a small number of mentions.

Mr. Tidger

minor

Also known as Tidger

A male character with a minor role.

Joan

minor

A female character with a small number of mentions.

Mullet

minor

A character with a minor presence in the tales.

Thomas Geary

minor

Also known as Thomas, old Thomas, arter Thomas

An older character with a minor role.

Herbert White

minor

Also known as Herbert

A character related to Mr. White, with a minor role.

Mrs. White

minor

Also known as White, the maligned Mrs. White

The wife of Mr. White, with a minor role.

Mrs. Benson

minor

Also known as Benson

A female character, possibly related to Jem Benson.

Loo

minor

A character with a small number of mentions.

Sergeant-Major Morris

minor

Also known as Morris

A military character with a minor role.

Miss Harris

minor

A female character with a limited but named role.

Mrs. Gibbs

minor

A female character with a named presence.

Mrs. Negget

minor

Also known as Negget

The wife of Mr. Negget, with a minor role.

Ted

minor

A character with a minor role in the narrative.

Smith

minor

Also known as ses Smith, Mr. Smith, the useful Smith

A useful character appearing in the village stories.

Harry Thomson

minor

Also known as Thomson, Harry, Mr. Harry Thomson, Mr. Thomson

A character with a minor but named role.

Captain Gibbs

minor

A captain with a small presence in the book.

Mrs. Driver

minor

A female character with a minor role.

Mrs. Tidger

minor

Also known as Tidger

A female character, possibly related to Mr. Tidger.

Mr. Mackenzie

minor

A character with a minor named appearance.

John Biggs

minor

Also known as John, ses John Biggs

A minor character in the village stories.

Bill Chambers

minor

Also known as Bill, ses Bill Chambers

A minor character with a few mentions.

Emma

minor

A female character with a small role.

Frederick Scott

minor

Also known as Frederick

A character with a minor named appearance.

Sam Jones

minor

Also known as Sam, ses Sam Jones

A minor character in the village tales.

Mrs. Clowes

minor

A female character with a minor role.

Walter Jones

minor

Also known as Walter

A minor character with a few mentions.

Lizzie

minor

A female character with a minor presence.

Mr. Rogers

minor

A character with a minor role, possibly related to Captain Rogers.

Louisa

minor

A female character with a small number of mentions.

Mrs. Pottle

minor

A minor female character.

Miss Philpotts

minor

A female character with a minor role.

Mrs. Smith

minor

Also known as Smith

A female character, possibly related to Smith.

Herbert Smith

minor

Also known as Smith

A minor character with a few mentions.

Lucy

minor

A female character with a minor presence.

Mary

minor

Also known as Polly

A female character with a small number of mentions.

Peter Gubbins

minor

A minor character with a few mentions.