# Nelly Foran — The Secret Glory character guide

> Nelly Foran in The Secret Glory by Arthur Machen.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Nelly

**First appearance:** 0005-i

## Snapshot

A young woman whose unasked-for past and unguarded laughter open Little Russell Row into fairyland for a boy fresh from the sewage-pot of school discipline.

## Who they are

Nelly tells Ambrose all about herself one night of wild and wonderful transition, and he pointedly does not ask — he has no patience for the plot-novel convention that a hero's happiness must be blasted by a sweetheart's unspotted past. Together they laugh till dizzy over the absurd freedoms of late rising and cigarettes, joys made frantic only because Lupton forbade them. Her easy candour and shared delight turn a dingy Bloomsbury retreat into a bright portion of fairyland, giving the story its first taste of strong new wine.

## Relationships

### [Ambrose Meyrick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/ambrose_meyrick)

_romantic_

Ambrose shares a deep, tender romantic connection with Nelly Foran, his love interest and source of emotional refuge.

### [Ambrose Meyrick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/ambrose_meyrick)

_romantic_

Ambrose shares a deep, tender romantic connection with Nelly Foran, his love interest and source of emotional refuge.

### [Ambrose Meyrick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/ambrose_meyrick)

_romantic_

Ambrose shares a deep, tender romantic connection with Nelly Foran, his love interest and source of emotional refuge.

## In the story

### [The Secret Glory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/the-secret-glory)

A fellow student who begins a campaign of revenge against Horbury, and later accompanies Ambrose on a London adventure.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/i)

The maid who warns Ambrose that his uncle is waiting for him and whispers that she will 'make it up to you.'

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/v)

Nelly vows revenge on Horbury for beating Ambrose, promising that every blow will be a grief to him; her promise is kept, leading to Horbury's ruin.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iv)

A character who begins her campaign of revenge against Horbury following the incident.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/ii)

Accompanies Ambrose on his London adventure, described as having amazing copper hair and a gaiety that makes others smile.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iii)

Goes shopping for new clothes, learns to smoke cigarettes, and enjoys the mockery of the Lupton masters with Ambrose.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/iv)

Accompanies Ambrose through the streets and listens to his tale, finding it interesting but obscure.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/v)

Recounts her tragic life: a happy Irish childhood, orphaned at nine, sent to a grim Lancashire town, and subjected to abuse and hypocrisy in English service.

### [Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/chapters/epilogue)

Mentioned as wondering whether the lad was quite right in his head.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters/nelly_foran
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_glory_se/characters