# Tom Brice — Uncle Silas character guide

> Tom Brice in Uncle Silas by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tom, Brice

**First appearance:** 0033-volume-i-xxxi-bartram-haugh

## Snapshot

A servant at Bartram-Haugh whose small kindnesses and divided loyalties make him an uneasy ally in a house full of watching eyes.

## Who they are

Tom Brice moves through the Bartram-Haugh household as one of its working men, caught between the orders of his masters and the ordinary decency he shows toward Maud. His position makes him useful and vulnerable at once, since any sympathy he displays risks being reported to the very people who employ him. In the novel's middle stretch he becomes one of the few figures Maud can half-trust, and his wavering between duty and conscience quietly foreshadows how dangerous the household's secrets really are.

## In the story

### [The Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxii-the-letter)

Reluctantly agrees to carry Maud's letter to Lady Knollys, but expresses fear of Uncle Silas's scrutiny and refuses to help her escape.

### [The Journey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxv-the-journey)

Mentioned as the lover of Meg Hawkes; his supposed treason or cowardice is referenced in Maud's thoughts.

### [XXIX: The Hour of Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxix-the-hour-of-death)

Seizes Maud outside the door, betraying her escape.

### [In the Oak Parlour](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxx-in-the-oak-parlour)

Drives the carriage, defies orders to help Maud escape, and expresses regret about a letter found by Dickon.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/characters/tom_brice
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/uncle_silas_se/characters