The heroine of this story is Alvina Houghton. If we leave her out of the first chapter of herown story it is because, during the first twenty-five years of her life, she really was left outof count, or so overshadowed as to be negligible. She and her mother were the phantompassengers in the ship of James Houghton's fortunes.In Manchester House, every voice lowered its tone. And so from the first Alvina spokewith a quiet, refined, almost convent voice. She was a thin child with delicate limbs andface, and wide, grey-blue, ironic eyes. Even as a small girl she had that odd ironic tilt of theeyelids which gave her a look as if she were hanging back in mockery. If she were, she wasquite unaware of it, for under Miss Frost's care she received no education in irony ormockery. Miss Frost was straightforward, good-humoured, and a little earnest.Consequently Alvina, or Vina as she was called, understood only the explicit mode of goodhumoured straightforwardness.It was doubtful which shadow was greater over the child: that of Manchester House, gloomy and a little sinister, or that of Miss Frost, benevolent and protective. Sufficient thatthe girl herself worshipped Miss Frost: or believed she did.Alvina never went to school. She had her lessons from her beloved governess, sheworked at the piano, she took her walks, and for social life she went to the CongregationalChapel, and to the functions connected with the chapel. While she was little, she went toSunday School twice and to Chapel once on Sundays. Then occasionally there was a magiclantern or a penny reading, to which Miss Frost accompanied her. As she grew older sheentered the choir at chapel, she attended Christian Endeavour and P.S.A., and the LiterarySociety on Monday evenings. Chapel provided her with a whole social activity, in the courseof which she met certain groups of people, made certain friends, found opportunity forstrolls into the country and jaunts to the local entertainments. Over and above this, everyThursday evening she went to the subscription library to change the week's supply ofbooks, and there again she met friends and acquaintances. It is hard to overestimate thevalue of church or chapel-but particularly chapel-as a social institution, in places likeWoodhouse. The Congregational Chapel provided Alvina with a whole outer life, lackingwhich she would have been poor indeed. She was not particularly religious by inclination.Perhaps her father's beautiful prayers put her off. So she neither questioned nor accepted, but just let b