The Trail of the Serpent · Character

Miss Kuppins

A servant with a tongue like a whip and a heart like a furnace, she keeps Mr. Peters's household running and his secrets nearly as well.

supporting

Also known as Kuppins, the fair Kuppins

First appearance: i the good schoolmaster

As a supporting figure in The Trail of the Serpent, Miss Kuppins is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

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Kuppins has effectively become mistress of the house where the elderly landlady keeps to her room, and she rules the kitchen, the gossip, and the emotional weather of the place. Her loyalty to Mr. Peters is absolute, but so is her appetite for drama — she greets good news with hysterics and tripe with equal ceremony. She matters because she is the warm, comic, human counterweight to the novel's colder schemers, and because she is often the one who first hears what the plot is about to do.

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See Miss Kuppins in i the good schoolmaster

Character Web

14 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Slopperton Crime Circle
Investigation and Witnesses

+9 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 chapter marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Valerie’s s…

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In the story

Miss Kuppins appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Dumb Detective a Philanthropist
The servant at No. 5 Little Gulliver Street, a young woman with a boyish appearance, who knows the dumb alphabet and dotes on babies; she assists Peters with the foundling.
VI: The Quiet Figure on the Heath
Still caring for the baby, she accompanies Mr. Peters on the drive and is deeply affected by the discovery of the dead body.
Joy and Happiness for Everybody
Excitedly greets Peters, celebrates their success, and has grown into a young woman over the eight years.
II: Mr. Peters Sees a Ghost
Brought to London by Mr. Peters as his housekeeper; she is overwhelmed by the city.

Chapter companion notes

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See Miss Kuppins in i the good schoolmaster