Linda’s first employer when she begins working as a free woman in New York. Having spent years in the service of a cruel family, Linda is astounded by Mrs. Bruce’s kind and sympathetic attitude: she makes special accommodations when Linda’s limbs, weak from years of hiding, cramp too much to climb upstairs, and assists her when she needs hide during Dr. Flint’s visit to the city. Mrs. Bruce is an Englishwoman, and her nature convinces Linda that British society has managed to evade the racism that pervades America.