Mrs. Gilford is a dutiful woman who cares for Molly and her siblings after school. Her tasks are to cook for the family, keep the house clean, and watch the children after school until Mrs. McIntire gets home from her job at the Red Cross. She is an experimental cook and sometimes asks Molly to try her inventions. She is also a firm believer in not wasting food. Her personal story and characterization are greatly expanded in The Light in the Cellar.