# Mrs. Biddle — The Phoenix and the Carpet character guide

> Mrs. Biddle in The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the changed Mrs. Biddle

**First appearance:** 0003-ii-the-topless-tower

## Snapshot

The cook who storms in like a whirlwind over a broken basin, threatens the beefsteak pudding, and somehow ends up changed into something kinder.

## Who they are

Mrs. Biddle rules the kitchen with fury and a clenched fist, and her broken-basin rampage over the children's melted-lead fortune-telling is one of the book's great domestic eruptions. Her temper makes her a comic menace, but the children — especially Anthea — treat her with surprising gentleness, insisting it wasn't her fault. Her later softening shows how the carpet's magic spills over into ordinary household life.

## Relationships

### [Robert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/robert)

_professional_

Mrs. Biddle is a strict governess or tutor who clashes with Robert's unruly behavior, creating a tense authority dynamic.

### [Cyril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/cyril)

_professional_

Cyril frequently challenges Mrs. Biddle's authority, leading to a rivalry marked by mutual irritation.

### [Robert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/robert)

_professional_

Mrs. Biddle is a strict governess or tutor who clashes with Robert's unruly behavior, creating a tense authority dynamic.

### [Cyril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/cyril)

_professional_

Cyril frequently challenges Mrs. Biddle's authority, leading to a rivalry marked by mutual irritation.

### [Cyril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/cyril)

_professional_

Cyril frequently challenges Mrs. Biddle's authority, leading to a rivalry marked by mutual irritation.

### [Robert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/robert)

_professional_

Mrs. Biddle is a strict governess or tutor who clashes with Robert's unruly behavior, creating a tense authority dynamic.

## In the story

### [IV: Two Bazaars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/chapters/iv-two-bazaars)

Buys the wishing carpet at the bazaar for ten shillings. Angry and confrontational when the children try to reclaim it.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/mrs_biddle
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters