Mr. Hatfield is the rector at the church the Murrays attend. Rosalie considers Mr. Hatfield as one of her suitors though she never intends to marry him. Agnes does not like Mr. Hatfield because he is showy, and does not seem to have the true compassion that a Christian priest should have. Agnes believes that Mr. Hatfield's manner of pursuing Rosalie in the way that he does is inappropriate. Agnes actually notates a time that the rector closed her out of the family carriage simply because he was not paying attention to her. In fact, Agnes indicates that Mr. Hatfield never speaks to her nor pays her any attention at all.
Nancy tells Agnes how Mr. Hatfield actually made her feel worse about her spiritual condition than ever when he insisted her problems were caused by hanging out with Methodists and not going to the physical church building to attend services. Mr. Hatfield is also overheard by Nancy when he refers to Mr. Weston as a "canting old fool." Another sick person whom the minister has visited has told others that Mr. Hatfield asked them to keep the door of the sick person's home open so the minister could get fresh air even though this air made the sick person feel worse.
Mr. Hatfield has been arranging secret visits with Rosalie in a field near her home. Agnes learns of these visits when Rosalie's mother sends her to spy on the girl because she suspects she is up to something. Through Rosalie's secret meetings with Mr. Hatfield, she manipulates him into believing that she is interested in a marriage proposal from him. When he does finally propose, Rosalie is cruel and merciless with her denial that she ever gave him any idea she was interested in a relationship. At the conclusion of the novel, Mr. Hatfield marries an elderly, but rich, spinster.
