# Old Nurse — The Story of the Amulet character guide

> Old Nurse in The Story of the Amulet by E. Nesbit.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Nurse, poor old Nurse

**First appearance:** 0001-the-story-of-the-amulet

## Snapshot

The children's caretaker, who clears the kipper bones, frets about dull afternoons, and mistakes a trip to ancient Egypt for the Royal Academy.

## Who they are

Old Nurse keeps the Fitzroy Street household running while the children slip through the Amulet into Babylon and beyond, and she notices only that they seem quiet and pale. Her cheerful blindness to their adventures — she assumes they mean the Royal Academy — makes her both comic relief and a quiet source of tension, since every journey risks the one minute when the Queen of Babylon might arrive and find no one home to greet her.

## Relationships

### [Jane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/characters/jane)

_family_

Jane has a warm, childlike attachment to the Old Nurse, who cares for the children and provides comfort.

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/characters/anthea)

_family_

Anthea respects the Old Nurse as a maternal figure and often seeks her advice or help in domestic matters.

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

_family_

Cyril has a casual, affectionate relationship with the Old Nurse, often ignoring her scolding but valuing her care.

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/characters/anthea)

_family_

Anthea respects the Old Nurse as a maternal figure and often seeks her advice or help in domestic matters.

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

_family_

Cyril has a casual, affectionate relationship with the Old Nurse, often ignoring her scolding but valuing her care.

### [Jane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/characters/jane)

_family_

Jane has a warm, childlike attachment to the Old Nurse, who cares for the children and provides comfort.

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/characters/anthea)

_family_

Anthea respects the Old Nurse as a maternal figure and often seeks her advice or help in domestic matters.

### [Jane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/characters/jane)

_family_

Jane has a warm, childlike attachment to the Old Nurse, who cares for the children and provides comfort.

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

_family_

Cyril has a casual, affectionate relationship with the Old Nurse, often ignoring her scolding but valuing her care.

## In the story

### [XII: The Sorry-Present and the Expelled Little Boy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/chapters/xii-the-sorry-present-and-the-expelled-little-boy)

Receives the sorry-present with joy; later revealed to have died in the future timeline.

### [XIV: The Heart's Desire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/chapters/xiv-the-heart-s-desire)

Old Nurse suggests the visit to Maskelyne and Cooke's and gives Cyril money for the tickets.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/characters/old_nurse
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_story_of_the_amulet_se/characters