# Alphabet Jones — The Truth About Tristrem Varick character guide

> Alphabet Jones in The Truth About Tristrem Varick by Edgar Saltus.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Jones, Alphabet Jones, Jones

**First appearance:** 0005-iii

## Snapshot

A man whose very name is a curiosity, moving through Tristrem's circle with the kind of oddness that makes a serious story admit it is also a comedy of manners.

## Who they are

Alphabet Jones carries a name that announces him before he speaks, one of those eccentric fixtures of old New York society that Saltus delights in cataloguing. He belongs to the same drawing rooms as Tristrem and the Raritans, a supporting presence whose peculiarity sharpens the contrast with Tristrem's fatal earnestness. In a novel that refuses to sprinkle its mud and blood with ottar of rose, Jones supplies the worldly texture against which the tragedy reads as genuinely tragic.

## Relationships

### [Tristrem Varick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/characters/tristrem_varick)

_friendship_

Alphabet Jones is a quirky but steadfast companion to Tristrem Varick, sharing adventures and secrets.

### [Tristrem Varick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/characters/tristrem_varick)

_friendship_

Alphabet Jones is a quirky but steadfast companion to Tristrem Varick, sharing adventures and secrets.

### [Tristrem Varick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/characters/tristrem_varick)

_friendship_

Alphabet Jones is a quirky but steadfast companion to Tristrem Varick, sharing adventures and secrets.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/chapters/ii)

A popular novelist present at the dinner; known for his dismissive attitude toward critics.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/chapters/iv)

A novelist and club acquaintance who dines with Tristrem, commenting on Miss Raritan's allure and Tristrem's prospects.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/chapters/v)

Mentioned in Tristrem's thoughts as having spoken of Viola, prompting Tristrem's decision to see her again.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/chapters/xi)

Meets Tristrem at the Casino, informs him that the Raritans sailed for Europe the previous day.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/chapters/xiii)

Cabled by Tristrem for Viola's address; eventually replies with 'Brown Shipley, Founders’ Court.'

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/characters/alphabet_jones
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_truth_about_tristrem_varick_se/characters