Mrs Rice

In the short story The Stymphalean Birds, Mrs Rice is a elderly woman and a fellow guest of Harold Waring at a hotel at Lake Stempka in Herzoslovakia. She befriended Waring who found her good company and appreciated her sense of humour. It later turned out that she was conspiring with her daughter Elsie Clayton to blackmail Waring. In this scheme, Mrs Rice's ability to speak several European languages proved particularly useful.

Mrs Rice is described as "a woman of character", tall, with a deep voice and "a masterful manner".