# Mr. Stuyvesant — The Sword of Damocles character guide

> Mr. Stuyvesant in The Sword of Damocles by Anna Katharine Green.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Stuyvesant

**First appearance:** 0014-xi-miss-stuyvesant

## Snapshot

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

## Who they are

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.

## Relationships

### [Mr. Sylvester](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters/mr_sylvester)

_rivalry_

Mr. Stuyvesant and Mr. Sylvester are political and personal rivals, constantly maneuvering against each other.

### [Mr. Sylvester](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters/mr_sylvester)

_rivalry_

Mr. Stuyvesant and Mr. Sylvester are political and personal rivals, constantly maneuvering against each other.

### [Mr. Sylvester](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters/mr_sylvester)

_rivalry_

Mr. Stuyvesant and Mr. Sylvester are political and personal rivals, constantly maneuvering against each other.

## In the story

### [A Day at the Bank](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xiv-a-day-at-the-bank)

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

### [XXI: Departure](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxi-departure)

Mentioned as having seen Bertram coming out of a building, adding to the tension of secrecy.

### [XXII: Hopgood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxii-hopgood)

His box was found unlocked in the vault, but he did not notice anything missing.

### [Miss Belinda Makes Conditions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxxv-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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxxvi-morning)

Receives the letter, appears worried, and gives Cicely a rare kiss before leaving.

### [XXXVII: The Opinion of a Certain Noted Detective](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xliv-in-mr-stuyvesant-s-parlors)

Initially suspicious of Bertram, but later acknowledges his integrity after Hopgood's confession.

### [The Man Cummins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xlvi-the-man-cummins)

Hosts the wedding and receives the detective Cummins, who presents the recovered bonds and Fanning's confession.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters/mr_stuyvesant
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters