The Professor (novel) - Characters

Characters

• William Crimsworth: The protagonist, an orphaned child who is educated at Eton College after being taken in by his uncles. Rejecting their offering of a role as a clergyman - as he does not believe himself good enough for the role, he severs ties with them to walk in his late father's shoes and become a tradesman. His time in Yorkshire as a clerk for his cruel elder brother is short and he departs for Belgium, where he becomes a teacher/professor and meets his wife-to-be, who is a pupil of his. He is educated, religious and healthy, though not handsome.
• Lord Tynedale / Hon. John Seacombe / Mr. Seacombe: William's maternal uncles who attempt to set William up as a rector of Seacombe-cum-Saife and attempt to marry him off to one of his own cousins who he 'greatly dislikes'. William severs all ties with these aristocrats and little is heard from them in the rest of the book.
• Charles: Seemingly William's only friend at Eton. William writes a letter to him detailing of his activities since Eton and just after his first meeting with Edward at Crimsworth Hall. This letter serves as an introduction to the book. He does not reply to the letter as he has already set off for one of the colonies. He is an unseen character.
• Edward Crimsworth: William's tyrannical elder brother. He is an accomplished tradesman, owner of a Yorkshire mill, married and more handsome than his brother. Jealous of his sibling's education, he treats William cruelly. He later loses his wealth and wife, only to become rich again by the end of the book.
• Hunsden Yorke Hunsden: The man who frees William from his brother's clutches. He sets him up with contacts in Brussels and the two become good friends. He is a unique but not unattractive man who has a similar taste in women as William, though he remains a lifelong bachelor.
• Monsieur Francois Pelet: The French headmaster of a boy's school in Belgium who employs William and becomes a good friend. He later betrays him in order to ensure the affection of Zoraïde Reuter, who he later marries.
• Mademoiselle Zoraïde Reuter: The Catholic headmistress of the school in Belgium. William is initially attracted to Reuter, though she is destined to marry Monsieur Pelet.
• Frances Evans Henri: A pupil-teacher at the school in Belgium where William Crimsworth finds himself. After the two fall in love they get married and eventually move to England. She is a Swiss orphan of half English extraction who was raised by her aunt.
• Madame Reuter: Zoraïde's mother
• Madame Pelet: Monsieur Pelet's mother
• Eulalie, Hortense and *Caroline: Three coquettish students at Mademoiselle Reuter's school
• Sylvie: Another student
• Jules Vanderkelkov: A student at Monsieur Pelet's school
• Victor Crimsworth: Son of William and Frances Evans Henri.