Peregrine Vincent Theobald Lynke
Peregrine Vincent Theobald Lynkes first appearance is very early in the story when Lady Jane Lynke comes across “a plain sarcophagus of gray marble niched in the wall and surmounted by the bust of a young man with fine arrogant head, Byronic throad and tossed-back curls” (p. 595). Only later Lady Jane and Stramer find out that he had already died in 1828 in Aleppo due to the plague. At the same time they find out that Peregrine Vincent Theobald Lynke was a person who wasted a lot of money in his life due to his passion for gambling and women. He spent most of his time away from home even though he had a wife waiting for him (p. 612). He was the owner of Bells at the time and communicated with Mr. Jones only through letters. It was seldom that he came to visit personally. He had ordered Mr. Jones to watch over the estate and keep his wife locked up so she won’t leave Bells. Picking up the thoughts of Lady Jane Lynke and Edward Stramer, the reason for this behavior was that he had only married her because he was in need of money. He kept her locked up so that nobody would find out about this (p. 613) [1].
The name Peregrine means “traveler” or “stranger”. Both meanings fit the character perfectly, as he is never at home and always traveling around. This behavior basically makes him a stranger to even his own wife [2].
[1] Lewis, Richard Warrington Baldwin (1968): The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton – Volume 2. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.
[2]: “Peregrine”, Vorname.com.