The Old Wives' Tale

Sophia, the younger of the two Baines sisters, is described as more physically attractive and more independent than Constance. While Constance is steady and even-keeled, Sophia—especially in her early years—is prone to impulsivity and swings of emotion. She’s also characterized as having a fierce power of resolution:

She had youth, physical perfection; she brimmed with energy, with the sense of vital power; all existence lay before her; when she put her lips together she felt capable of outvying no matter whom in fortitude of resolution (84).

Along with these dominant traits, she carries—from her family culture—a sense of the value of moderation, restraint, and common sense. These more grounded traits, which she shares with Constance, emerge as dominant virtues in her character later in life.

Whereas the steady, unchanging nature of personality is clear in Constance’s character, Bennett uses Sophia’s character to illustrate the depth and complexity of this principle of human psychology. Sophia appears to undergo some changes in temperament—for example, losing her impulsivity and becoming more marked by restraint than by swings of emotion. However, on closer inspection, this is not a complete transfiguration of character but rather the natural development of traits that she always had within her. In a scene in which she considers her own transformation, Bennett notes, “[S]he was still the same Sophia more fully disclosed” (360). She retains her independence and sense of resolve, which become her predominant personality traits after her separation from Gerald. If the name Constance signifies a constancy of character, the name Sophia might indicate either a sense of sophistication (revealed in her Parisian lifestyle) or a mark of the wisdom she has obtained through the difficult transitions in her life (sophia being the Greek word for wisdom).

Sophia, like Constance, lives a life that exemplifies the two sides of the Baines culture in which they grew up: family relations and business. While Constance eventually resigns the business, and family values dominate, in Sophia’s case the reverse is true. Her elopement to the dashing but deeply flawed Gerald Scales quickly disintegrates, leaving her with no family relations during her adult life in Paris. Instead, she develops a knack for business, and her life centers on running her boardinghouse establishments.

Mrs. Baines is the girls’ mother and the dominant influence in their lives throughout Book 1. Bennett describes her in this passage:

Though fat, Mrs. Baines was a comely woman, with fine brown hair, and confidently calm eyes that indicated her belief in her own capacity to accomplish whatever she could be called on to accomplish (70).

She’s married to John Baines, the girls’ father, who is severely disabled from a stroke, and she manages the family business entirely on her own, both before and after John’s death. At the end of Book 1, she resigns from the business to go live with her older sister in their old age, foreshadowing the similar move that Sophia makes to go live with Constance in Book 4.

Her character shows aspects of both of her daughters’ temperaments: Like Constance, she’s calm and levelheaded, and like Sophia, she has a strong will and a deep sense of confidence. She tends to get along well with Constance, who’s willing to bend to her mother’s will, but Sophia’s willfulness often conflicts with her mother’s sense of sovereignty over the household, leading to a relationship often described in antagonistic terms of battles, victories, and defeats.

Samuel Povey is a supporting character in Books 1 and 2. He first appears as a longtime assistant in the Baines shop and later marries Constance. The romance between them occurs mostly out of view of the narrative and thus may come as something of a surprise, especially since the first impression of Samuel is not of a romantic figure but an odd character in need of the care and ministrations of others. He has a keen eye for business, however, so he makes a good match for Constance, in whose care the family business falls.

Samuel is a wishy-washy character who holds strong opinions on certain topics but isn’t willing to voice them, and who hides his deepest-held emotions until they burst out in a pathetic way. He believes in good morals but nonetheless slips into improprieties through the influence of others (like his cousin Daniel). He can be single-minded about a small set of narrow interests, such as the financial ledgers of the business. This quality proves his undoing, however, when he single-mindedly pursues the release of his cousin Daniel, who’s on trial for murder. He pushes himself so hard that his health falls apart when the petition for release fails, and he passes away. His death, near the midpoint of Book 2’s narrative, parallels the death of John Baines in Book 1 and the departure of Gerald Scales in Book 3; all three Baines women are alone for the remainder of their story arcs.

Gerald appears at the end of Book 1 and the beginning of Book 3. A traveling salesman, he keeps the Baines family shop stocked with merchandise, and through that contact, Sophia meets him and becomes infatuated. He initially appears as a dashing, romantic figure, but warning signs even in those early appearances indicate that he seems too ready to take improper liberties, as in his budding relationship with Sophia. These warning signs prove founded in the beginning of Book 3, where it becomes apparent that he’s only interested in romance itself, without any commitment to faithfulness.

Gerald provides a contrast to Sophia’s character, allowing her to develop some of her underlying traits. Although he’s impulsive, like her, his impulsivity runs much further—to an astonishing carelessness in lifestyle and financial habits. Faced with this tendency in her new husband, Sophia learns to control her own impulsivity so that she can exercise the restraint and moderation that their relationship deeply needs. Gerald’s flaws, then, bring out some of the multifaceted strengths in Sophia’s character. Eventually, Gerald leaves altogether, only appearing again as a corpse in Book 4.