# Mrs. Crane — The Professor’s House character guide

> Mrs. Crane in The Professor’s House by Willa Cather.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Crane

**First appearance:** 0004-i

## Snapshot

Dr. Crane's wife, a plain, grievance-hardened woman who arrives at the Professor's study to press a claim on Tom Outland's legacy.

## Who they are

Mrs. Crane comes to the old house in the rain, wearing her daughter's hat, to argue that her ailing husband deserves a share of the Outland patent. Married to a man no one else thought of courting, raising three plain daughters on a doctor's salary, she has learned to advance her case with meek determination rather than charm. Her visit forces St. Peter to confront how Tom's fortune has been dispersed—and how little of it ever touched him.

## In the story

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_professor_s_house_se/chapters/xii)

Visits St. Peter to demand recognition for her husband's work on the patent.

## Links

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