In the novel The Secret of Chimneys, Anthony Cade is an adventurer, who went to school in England. He was described as a man with a "tall lean figure, sun tanned face, and a light-hearted manner with which he settled disputes and cajoled them into good temper". He is a friend of James McGrath, who calls him "Gentleman Joe". It is not explained why, and Cade himself answers in very vague terms when asked by a Miss Taylor.
He had briefly worked as a touristic guide for Castle's Select Tours in Bulawayo due to financial difficulties. He later travelled to England under the name of McGrath, and stayed at the Jolly Cricketers.
At the end of the novel, he is revealed to be Nicholas Obolovitch and marries Virginia Revel.