# Ada Topham — The Secret of the Old Clock character guide

> Ada Topham in The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Ada, Miss Ada

**First appearance:** 0010-xi-visiting-the-tophams

## Snapshot

One of the condescending Topham women who sneers at heirlooms and, in doing so, lets slip exactly where the Crowley clock was sent.

## Who they are

Ada Topham presides over the family that inherited Josiah Crowley's estate and treats Nancy's charity-ticket call as an opportunity to condescend about old junk. Her snobbery is her undoing: convinced the shabby Crowley clock is beneath her modern home, she casually reveals it was shipped off to the Moon Lake bungalow. That unwitting disclosure is the hinge of the early investigation, turning Nancy's vague suspicions into a concrete destination and proving the Tophams are schemers who underestimate a polite young caller.

## Relationships

### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/nancy_drew)

_rivalry_

Ada is a haughty and unfriendly member of the Topham family who resents Nancy's interference.

### [Richard Topham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/richard_topham)

_family_

Ada is Richard's wife, and they share a greedy, scheming partnership to secure the Crowley fortune.

### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/nancy_drew)

_rivalry_

Ada is a haughty and unfriendly member of the Topham family who resents Nancy's interference.

### [Nancy Drew](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/nancy_drew)

_rivalry_

Ada is a haughty and unfriendly member of the Topham family who resents Nancy's interference.

### [Richard Topham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/richard_topham)

_family_

Ada is Richard's wife, and they share a greedy, scheming partnership to secure the Crowley fortune.

### [Richard Topham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/richard_topham)

_family_

Ada is Richard's wife, and they share a greedy, scheming partnership to secure the Crowley fortune.

## In the story

### [The Lost Will](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/i-the-lost-will)

Ada Topham is one of the snobbish Topham daughters who stands to inherit Crowley's fortune.

### [II: A Chance Meeting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/ii-a-chance-meeting)

Seen in the department store with Isabel, complaining impatiently about the wait and asserting their importance.

### [VI: An Unpleasant Encounter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/vi-an-unpleasant-encounter)

Carelessly breaks a vase in the department store, lies about it, and is forced to pay after Nancy exposes the truth; later seen in the park discussing 'the will' with Isabel.

### [VII: Nancy Turns Sleuth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/vii-nancy-turns-sleuth)

Expresses resentment toward Nancy and fear that a second will might undermine the Tophams' inheritance.

### [Visiting the Tophams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xi-visiting-the-tophams)

Openly hostile to Nancy, advising her mother not to buy tickets due to their earlier department store encounter.

### [Visiting the Tophams](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xi-visiting-the-tophams)

Complains about being snubbed during social calls and urges her mother not to buy tickets.

### [XX: What Nancy Found](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xx-what-nancy-found)

Mentioned in Nancy's recollection of overheard conversation.

### [The Coup de Grâce](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/chapters/xxiv-the-coup-de-gr-ce)

Angrily accuses Nancy of conspiracy and questions the will's validity; storms out with the family.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters/ada_topham
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_secret_of_the_old_clock_se/characters