The Sword of Damocles · Character

Mr. Stuyvesant

A host whose parlors become the stage for accusations, alibis, and a messenger's news that a trusted clerk has fled.

supporting

Also known as Stuyvesant

As a supporting figure in The Sword of Damocles, Mr. Stuyvesant is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A veteran banker and director, whose arrival causes visible terror in Hopgood.

In the storyA Day at the BankOpen this moment free

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Mr. Stuyvesant presides over the drawing room where Bertram Sylvester is formally cleared of the Dey Street coffeehouse charge—and where, in the same breath, word arrives that Hopgood the clerk has absconded with the bank's bonds. He is a man of standing who must weigh his confidence in one employee against the evidence against another, and his hesitation when he admits that the robbery alone is not proof of guilt tells you he is not a man who decides quickly. His household, and his daughter Cicely, sit at the center of the novel's social world.

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Character Web

19 connections

A slice of how Mr. Stuyvesant sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Central social circle
Extended family and background

+14 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it crystallizes the psychological rupture between Jacqueline’s public perf…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Mr. Sylvester
rivalry · negative
Mr. Sylvester
rivalry · negative
Mr. Sylvester
rivalry · negative

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

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In the story

Mr. Stuyvesant appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

A Day at the Bank
A veteran banker and director, whose arrival causes visible terror in Hopgood.
XXI: Departure
Mentioned as having seen Bertram coming out of a building, adding to the tension of secrecy.
XXII: Hopgood
His box was found unlocked in the vault, but he did not notice anything missing.
Miss Belinda Makes Conditions
Though not present, he is the victim of the robbery and the source of the accusation. Bertram describes him as a thinking man who waited to be sure before making a statement.
Morning
Receives the letter, appears worried, and gives Cicely a rare kiss before leaving.
XXXVII: The Opinion of a Certain Noted Detective
Arrives at the bank and participates in the discussion about the missing bonds, showing nervousness and concern.
In Mr. Stuyvesant’s Parlors
Initially suspicious of Bertram, but later acknowledges his integrity after Hopgood's confession.
The Man Cummins
Hosts the wedding and receives the detective Cummins, who presents the recovered bonds and Fanning's confession.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Mr. Stuyvesant unlock in the free preview.

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See Mr. Stuyvesant in A Day at the Bank