# Sigsbee H. Waddington — The Small Bachelor character guide > Sigsbee H. Waddington in The Small Bachelor by P. G. Wodehouse. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Sigsbee Waddington, Mrs. Waddington, Sigsbee H. **First appearance:** 0000-i ## Snapshot A genial, name-fumbling millionaire who brought George home to dinner and now faces his wife's volcanic calm with a broken china figure in hand. ## Who they are Sigsbee H. Waddington is the indulgent, slightly addled husband who introduced George Finch into the household and must now answer for it under his wife's withering gaze. He breaks ornaments, confuses Follansbee with Ferguson, and dreams of visiting the Zoo, yet he can summon sudden firmness when Molly's wedding venue is at stake. His cheerful blundering keeps the domestic comedy simmering. ## Relationships ### [George Finch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/george_finch) _friendship_ George and Sigsbee are friendly acquaintances, with Sigsbee often involved in George's social circle. ### [C](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/c) _friendship_ C and Sigsbee are friendly companions, often seen together in social gatherings. ### [Molly Waddington](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/molly_waddington) _family_ Molly and Sigsbee are siblings, sharing a close family bond with frequent interactions. ### [Hamilton Beamish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/hamilton_beamish) _friendship_ Hamilton and Sigsbee are friends, often socializing together within their mutual network. ### [Lord Hunstanton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/lord_hunstanton) _social_ Lord Hunstanton and Sigsbee Waddington are social acquaintances, likely moving in the same upper-class circles. ### [Mr. Waddington](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/mr_waddington) _family_ Mr. Waddington is the father of Sigsbee Waddington, with a familial dynamic of authority and care. ### [George Finch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/george_finch) _friendship_ George and Sigsbee are friendly acquaintances, with Sigsbee often involved in George's social circle. ### [Hamilton Beamish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/hamilton_beamish) _friendship_ Hamilton and Sigsbee are friends, often socializing together within their mutual network. ### [Molly Waddington](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/molly_waddington) _family_ Molly and Sigsbee are siblings, sharing a close family bond with frequent interactions. ### [Lord Hunstanton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/lord_hunstanton) _social_ Lord Hunstanton and Sigsbee Waddington are social acquaintances, likely moving in the same upper-class circles. ### [C](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/c) _friendship_ C and Sigsbee are friendly companions, often seen together in social gatherings. ### [George Finch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/george_finch) _friendship_ George and Sigsbee are friendly acquaintances, with Sigsbee often involved in George's social circle. ## In the story ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Described as a synthetic Westerner and a cipher in his own home, dominated by his wife. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/i) Having a spell of pining for the West, refusing to dress for the dinner party. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/i) Agitated hostess, pacing the floor and seeking Lord Hunstanton's help with her husband's behavior. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/ii) Mrs. Waddington is distressed and confides in Molly about Mr. Waddington's refusal to dress for dinner. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iii) Reluctantly agrees to go to the party, feels stifled by Eastern life, and yearns for the West. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Molly's father, a passionate Westerner who initially confronts George but warms to him upon learning he is from the West. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iii) Sigsbee plots the theft of the pearl necklace and is caught burgling George's apartment. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/i) Brings George home unexpectedly and later suggests they talk privately. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/ii) Mr. Waddington is in a talkative, slightly drunken mood, complaining about his wife, Lord Hunstanton, and the East, and revealing his financial dependence and plans. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iii) Horrified to realize George matches Molly's description of her ideal man; she dismisses him coldly and instructs the butler to never admit him again. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Heard from upstairs scolding someone about smoking in the drawing-room, yet the butler claims she is not at home. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Plans the theft of the pearl necklace, driving the criminal plot. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Caught burgling George's apartment, revealing her involvement in the necklace scheme. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/i) Mentioned as having invited George to dinner, which caused the rift with Mrs. Waddington. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/ii) Mrs. Waddington sends a message via Ferris that she cannot see the girl. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iii) Molly's stepmother, who disapproves of George and is a frequent visitor to palmists. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as the client of Madame Eulalie and the one forbidding George from seeing Molly. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/v) Caught burgling George's apartment as part of the plan. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/i) Mrs. Waddington's husband, who nervously shuffles and fidgets before revealing Molly's engagement to Finch. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/ii) Shows concern about Molly's plan to sell the pearl necklace and seeks advice from Hamilton Beamish. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/vi) Arrives to manipulate George into assisting with the theft of a pearl necklace, showcasing her cunning and desperation. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/i) Confesses to Hamilton Beamish that he sold the real pearls and replaced them with fakes to buy worthless stock; considers stealing the necklace but admits he lacks the nerve. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/ii) Warmly greets Officer Garroway, discusses his interest in crooks, and sells him stock in the Finer and Better Motion Picture Company. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Sits in the sitting room sipping whisky-and-soda when a girl taps on the French window, startling him. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/v) Considers himself circumspect but is easily manipulated by Fanny; hires her to steal a pearl necklace from the wedding presents. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/vii) Mentioned as wanting to 'hush George up' and her telephone number is requested. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/viii) Molly's stepmother, described as jumpy and possibly brooding on the West, and a source of trial for George. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/xi) Agitated upon learning that the butler is guarding the wedding presents, and later frantic to recover stock he sold after discovering it is now worth millions. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/xii) Returns home after a day of searching for a policeman in New York, feeling exhausted and dreading his wife's reaction to his absence from the wedding. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/xiii) Discovers the necklace is missing, rationalizes the theft, recalls the name Gallagher, and decides to return to New York to pursue the thief. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/xiii) Remains suspicious of George Finch, dismisses Sigsbee's theories, and plans to go to New York to inform the police herself. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/xiv) Confronted by George about the necklace theft; her schemes unravel. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/i) Mrs. Waddington is the central figure in this chapter, determined to expose George Finch and enlisting Lord Hunstanton's help. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/ii) Persistent intruder at the window, demanding to question the young woman in the apartment; offers and then retrieves a ten-dollar bill from Mullett. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iii) Mrs. Waddington investigates George Finch's apartment, enters through an open window, and is caught eating soup. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Caught in the act of burgling George's apartment; uses pepper to escape. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/xv) Travels with Molly to New York, muttering 'Gallagher' to himself, and is dropped off at Police Headquarters. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iv) Mentioned as a topic of thought for George, indicating his presence in the narrative. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/v) Eavesdrops outside the sleeping-porch and plans to fetch Ferris as a witness. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/xvii) Dealing with the fallout from the attempted necklace theft. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/i) Confronts Ferris about his journalistic activities and later leads Lord Hunstanton to George Finch's sleeping-porch, only to be arrested by Officer Garroway. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/ii) Exhausted from searching for Gallagher, he recalls that Hamilton Beamish knows Garroway's whereabouts and rushes to Beamish's apartment. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/iii) Locked in the sleeping-porch with Lord Hunstanton; negotiates with Ferris for release. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/chapters/xviii) Takes charge of the necklace, asserts authority, and reacts to finding his wife locked in the sleeping porch. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters/sigsbee_h_waddington - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_small_bachelor_se/characters