becomes Jimmy Pitt's valet for a time Charteris, a keen organiser of amateur theatre Hargate, a card-sharp who preys on Lord Dreever William Paradene West, known to all as Bill, of Bill the Conqueror fame Cooley Paradene, Bill West's uncle, a wealthy businessman and collector of rare books Otis Paradene, Cooley's sponging brother Jasper Daly, Cooley's sponging brother-in-law Evelyn Paradene-Kirby, Cooley's baby-talking, sponging niece Horace French, an unpleasant youth adopted by Paradene Sherman Bastable, Horace's tutor Professor Appleby, Horace's white-bearded mentor Joe the Dip, a member of Appleby's gang Wilfred Slingsby, Paradene's man in London Judson Coker, Bill West's best friend, a devout drinker Alice Coker, Judson's doting sister, adored by Bill Prudence Stryker, a New York chorus girl, old friend of Judson Coker George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury, media mogul, who first appears in Bill the Conqueror and later visits Blandings Roderick Pyke, Pyke's droopy son Frances Hammond, Pyke's doting sister Sinclair Hammond, Frances' husband, an archaeologist Felicia "Flick" Sheridan, Hammond's orphaned niece, who adores Bill but is engaged to Roderick Percy Frobisher Pilbeam, Roderick's deputy on Society Spice, later editor and detective Sam Shotter, a somewhat eccentric American, hero of Sam the Sudden (US title: Sam in the Suburbs) Mr John B. Pynsent, American Export-Import millionaire, Sam's uncle Clarence "Hash" Todhunter, an old seafaring pal of Sam's, who becomes his cook Kay Derrick, a pretty young girl, whose photograph Sam falls in love with Mr Matthew Wrenn, Kay's uncle and guardian Claire Lippett, their fiery maid Willoughby Braddock, a schoolfriend of Sam and an old neighbour of Kay Mrs Martha Lippett, Claire's mother, housekeeper to Braddock Alexander "Chimp" Twist, a.k.a. J Sheringham Adair, a crook employed by Lord Tilbury Thomas "Soapy" Molloy, an old comrade of Twist, a conman Dora "Dolly" Gunn, Molloy's girl, a skilled pick-pocket The late Edward "Finky" Finglass, a bank robber, once a resident of Valley Fields Claude Winnington-Bates, an unpleasant Wrykyn old boy Mrs Winnington-Bates, mother of Claude, Kay's demanding employer Mr Cornelius, a white-bearded estate agent and historian, a friend of Mr Wrenn Ogden Ford, an obnoxious child, a popular target of kidnappers and thus known as The Little Nugget Elmer Ford, Ogden's wealthy and commanding father Mrs Nesta Ford (later Mrs Ford Pett), his doting mother Peter Burns, a well-to-do young man, who tries to kidnap Ogden for Mrs Ford Cynthia Drassilis, the ambitious fiancée of Peter Burns Mrs Drassilis, Cynthia's