# The Old Wives’ Tale — Character guide

> Key figures in The Old Wives’ Tale by Arnold Bennett.

- [Sophia Baines](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/sophia_baines.md): One of the two Baines sisters; impulsive and adventurous, she elopes with Gerald Scales.
- [Constance Baines](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/constance_baines.md): The other Baines sister; steady and domestic, she marries Samuel Povey and runs the family shop.
- [Gerald Scales](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/gerald_scales.md): A charming commercial traveler who elopes with Sophia and later abandons her.
- [Mrs. Baines](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/mrs_baines.md): Mother of Sophia and Constance; a formidable matriarch who runs the Baines household.
- [Samuel Povey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/samuel_povey.md): A quiet, principled draper who marries Constance and becomes a devoted father.
- [Mr. Critchlow](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/mr_critchlow.md): A blunt, elderly chemist who is a friend of the Baines family and later marries Maria.
- [Cyril Povey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/cyril_povey.md): Son of Constance and Samuel; a talented but somewhat indifferent young man.
- [Dick Povey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/dick_povey.md): Samuel Povey's cousin; a lively, rebellious young man who dies tragically.
- [Maggie Hollins](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/maggie_hollins.md): A servant in the Baines household; later a struggling mother and widow.
- [Fossette](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/fossette.md): Sophia's beloved pet dog, a constant companion in her later years.
- [Monsieur Chirac](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/chirac.md): A French artist and friend of Sophia in Paris; kind but struggling.
- [Madame Foucault](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/madame_foucault.md): Sophia's landlady in Paris; a worldly, somewhat faded woman.
- [Amy Bates](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/amy_bates.md): A servant in the Baines household; loyal and hardworking.
- [Lily Holl](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/lily_holl.md): A young woman who works in the Baines shop and later marries.
- [Miss Insull](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/miss_insull.md): A shop assistant at Baines's; prim and efficient.
- [Daniel Povey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/daniel_povey.md): Samuel Povey's brother; a successful businessman in London.
- [Aunt Harriet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/aunt_harriet.md): Sister of Mrs. Baines; a kind, conventional woman.
- [Mr. Boldero](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/mr_boldero.md): An elderly friend of the Baines family; a solicitor.
- [Madame Laurence](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/laurence.md): A Frenchwoman who runs a pension in Paris.
- [Jacqueline](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/jacqueline.md): A maid at the Pension Frensham in Paris.
- [Maria Critchlow](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/maria_critchlow.md): Mr. Critchlow's wife; a quiet, long-suffering woman.
- [Mr. Baines](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/mr_baines.md): Deceased father of Sophia and Constance; a former draper.
- [Fan](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/fan.md): A young woman briefly involved with Dick Povey.
- [M. Carlier](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/carlier.md): A Frenchman who frequents the Pension Frensham.
- [Rivain](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/rivain.md): A French artist and acquaintance of Chirac.
- [M. Niepce](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/m_niepce.md): An elderly Frenchman at the Pension Frensham.
- [Hortense Schneider](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/hortense_schneider.md): A famous French actress mentioned in passing.
- [Claudine Jacquinot](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/claudine_jacquinot.md): A French maid in Sophia's Paris household.
- [Miss Baines](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/miss_baines.md): An unmarried relative of the Baines family.
- [William Clews Mericarp](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/william_clews_mericarp.md): A deceased local notable mentioned in the story.
- [Mrs. Frensham](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/mrs_frensham.md): Proprietress of the Pension Frensham in Paris.
- [Mr. Hollins](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/mr_hollins.md): Maggie Hollins's husband; a violent man.
- [Mr. Frank Harris](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/mr_frank_harris.md): A journalist and editor mentioned in the story.
- [Mr. Peel-Swynnerton](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters/mr_peel_swynnerton.md): A young artist and friend of Cyril Povey.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_old_wives_tale_se/characters