# Mrs. Cathcart — The Melody of Death character guide

> Mrs. Cathcart in The Melody of Death by Edgar Wallace.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the masterful Mrs. Cathcart

**First appearance:** 0000-i-the-amateur-safe-smasher

## Snapshot

Edith's masterful mother, a society hostess whose sweet smiles conceal a will that flattens everyone in the room — especially her daughter.

## Who they are

Mrs. Cathcart presides over dinners, guest lists, and her daughter's wedding plans with the same proprietary confidence, and she does not take no for an answer. Her arrival in any scene seems to switch Edith off like a lamp; her bitter tongue has left marks Gilbert only suspects. She matters because she embodies the social pressure closing in on the young couple — and because her own affairs, including a certain necklace, keep pulling the plot toward the burglaries.

## In the story

### [Sunstar's Derby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/chapters/ii-sunstar-s-derby)

Mentioned as having refused to postpone the wedding; Gilbert has not told her about his disinheritance.

### [III: Gilbert Leaves Hurriedly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/chapters/iii-gilbert-leaves-hurriedly)

Dominant and controlling; arranges the wedding and social events; Gilbert suspects her of ulterior motives regarding his wealth.

### [The "Melody in F"](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/chapters/iv-the-melody-in-f)

Mentioned as having been emphatic about money and providing the guest list; Gilbert has not told her about the wedding gift.

### [The Man Who Desired Wealth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/chapters/v-the-man-who-desired-wealth)

Enraged upon learning of Gilbert's poverty, confronts the couple and is rebuffed by both Edith and Gilbert.

### [The Wife Who Did Not Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/chapters/viii-the-wife-who-did-not-love)

Visits Edith, reveals she lost the necklace as security for stock market debts and that it was stolen in a safe burglary, offers inadequate compensation.

### [Edith Meets the Player](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/chapters/ix-edith-meets-the-player)

Edith writes to her mother (Mrs. Cathcart) about taking the three hundred pounds due from the broker.

### [X: The Necklace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/chapters/x-the-necklace)

Attends the dinner party, reveals the stolen necklace was hers, and shows embarrassment when Leslie Frankfort mentions it.

### [The Tale the Doctor Told](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/chapters/xv-the-tale-the-doctor-told)

Mentioned as a great friend of Dr. Barclay-Seymour and Edith's mother.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/characters/mrs_cathcart
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_melody_of_death_se/characters