# Mr. Sleuth — The Lodger character guide > Mr. Sleuth in The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Sleuth, Poor kindly, solitary Mr. Sleuth, Odd Mr. Sleuth, Poor Mr. Sleuth, distraught Mr. Sleuth **First appearance:** 0001-the-lodger ## Snapshot A soft-spoken, Bible-reading gentleman lodger whose nocturnal wanderings and odd fear of women keep his landlady guessing—and quietly afraid. ## Who they are Mr. Sleuth arrives at the Buntings' door as an ideal tenant: punctual, generous with his sovereigns, undemanding, and content to spend his days poring over Cruden's Concordance and the Old Testament. Yet he creeps out into the fog when the city sleeps, dislikes women with a hissing intensity, and reads aloud passages uncomplimentary to her sex that Mrs. Bunting overhears on the stairs. His oddities are the engine of the novel's dread: every courtesy he offers feels like a door left ajar onto something the reader can't quite see. ## Relationships ### [Mrs. Bunting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mrs_bunting) _psychological_ Mr. Sleuth is Mrs. Bunting's mysterious lodger, and she becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering his secrets. ### [Daisy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/daisy) _social_ Daisy is polite but wary of Mr. Sleuth, the strange lodger in her home. ### [Sir John Burney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/sir_john_burney) _rivalry_ Mr. Sleuth is the prime suspect in the Avenger murders, making Sir John Burney his determined antagonist. ### [Joe Chandler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/joe_chandler) _rivalry_ Joe Chandler suspects Mr. Sleuth of being the Avenger, creating a tense adversarial dynamic. ### [Mr. Bunting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mr_bunting) _social_ Mr. Bunting is the landlord of Mr. Sleuth, but they have minimal interaction and an uneasy acquaintance. ### [Mrs. Bunting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mrs_bunting) _psychological_ Mr. Sleuth is Mrs. Bunting's mysterious lodger, and she becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering his secrets. ### [Mrs. Bunting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mrs_bunting) _psychological_ Mr. Sleuth is Mrs. Bunting's mysterious lodger, and she becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering his secrets. ### [Sir John Burney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/sir_john_burney) _rivalry_ Mr. Sleuth is the prime suspect in the Avenger murders, making Sir John Burney his determined antagonist. ### [Daisy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/daisy) _social_ Daisy is polite but wary of Mr. Sleuth, the strange lodger in her home. ### [Mr. Bunting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mr_bunting) _social_ Mr. Bunting is the landlord of Mr. Sleuth, but they have minimal interaction and an uneasy acquaintance. ### [Joe Chandler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/joe_chandler) _rivalry_ Joe Chandler suspects Mr. Sleuth of being the Avenger, creating a tense adversarial dynamic. ### [Daisy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/daisy) _social_ Daisy is polite but wary of Mr. Sleuth, the strange lodger in her home. ## In the story ### [The Lodger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/the-lodger) The mysterious lodger whose peculiar habits and nocturnal activities raise suspicion. ### [The Arrival of the Lodger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/ii) A tall, lanky man in an Inverness cape and top hat, he speaks in a shrill, hesitant voice, is anxious about the front door being open, and shows great interest in the top-floor rooms with a gas stove. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/iii) Requests the pictures be turned to the wall, borrows a Bible, and reads aloud disturbing passages. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/iv) The new lodger; requests a Concordance and various toiletries; insists on staying home during the day and walking only after dark; receives secondhand clothes; his bag disappears. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/v) Exhibits odd habits: reads only Cruden's Concordance and the Bible, distrusts women, leaves money carelessly about; given to creeping out at night; is awakened by the newsboys' cries. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/vi) Oversleeps and is genial at breakfast; mentions he will not go out until nighttime; his peculiar habits are noted by Mrs. Bunting. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/vii) Claims to have caught a chill and requests tea be left outside his door. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/x) Goes out to buy a new suit; returns to find his ink spilled, reacts with wild terror but then calms. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xi) Heard moving overhead; his presence is a constant undercurrent in Mrs. Bunting's thoughts. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xii) Mrs. Bunting recalls his restless pacing and reading of revenge texts; she worries about his odd behavior. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xiii) Wears his Inverness cloak and high hat, insists on going out despite the fog, and speaks of being misunderstood and persecuted; carries the key to his chiffonnier cupboard. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xiv) Returns from a nighttime outing, later comes down to the kitchen in a plaid dressing-gown to request use of the gas stove for an experiment, appearing wild and eager. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xv) Conducts a mysterious experiment in the kitchen at night, leaving a strong acrid smell and evidence of intense heat in the oven. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xvi) Quotes Bible verses about death and madness; appears tired, worn, and strange; gives Mrs. Bunting a half-sovereign for using the kitchen; shows nervous hand-rubbing reminiscent of Lady Macbeth. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xvii) Mentioned as having slept most of the previous day and all night; Mrs. Bunting is careful not to wake him. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xx) Sits lonely and forlorn, staring into the fire; reacts sharply to hints about going out; speaks of God's protection; leaves quietly in rubber-soled shoes. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxi) Seen walking at night on Primrose Hill, his coat is wet and bloody; he offers a weak excuse about a dead animal. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxii) Observes Daisy from the window, quotes Wordsworth, and requests the newspaper with the rubber sole footprint. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxiii) Appears weak and agitated, refuses supper, asks for milk with sugar, and turns his back on Mrs. Bunting after expressing regret over reading the newspaper. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxiv) The lodger stays upstairs, rarely going out, claiming he still feels unwell from the chill he caught on the night he met Bunting. He is the object of Bunting's growing suspicion. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxv) The lodger appears gentle and mild-mannered, inviting Daisy and Mrs. Bunting to Madame Tussaud's. His behavior momentarily sways Bunting's suspicion. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxvi) Visits the Chamber of Horrors with the Buntings; overhears Sir John Burney's description of the escaped murderer; panics, confronts Mrs. Bunting with threats, and escapes via emergency exit after bribing Hopkins. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/chapters/xxvii) Disappears after the trip to Madame Tussaud's; never returns; his Bible and Concordance remain; his money is later sent to the Foundling Hospital. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters/mr_sleuth - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lodger_se/characters