In the short story Within a Wall, Miss Bates is some friend or relative of Jane Haworth. She had gone to Margate and had bought an ugly hand painted vase which she had given to Jane. Jane keeps the vase in a good place in the house, although the artist Alan Everard who thinks highly of Jane's artistic judgement can't understand why. Jane explains that Miss Bates is not well-off and has to scrape. The vase must have cost her quite a lot so Jane feels obliged to keep it in a good place.