Who is Pemberton from Tales of Henry James: The Texts of the Stories, the Author on His Craft, Background and Criticism and what is their importance?

Pemberton is the quintessential weak, ineffective male Jamesan "hero", perhaps more properly referred to as a main character. Although he has graduated with honors from both Yale and Oxford, arguably the two most prestigious universities in the U.S. and Europe, he is afraid that the twelve-year-old student will be smarter than he is. Pemberton is too frightened to ask Mrs. Moreen what his salary will be, and when he is not paid, he is too scared to ask for it for several months.