But let us retreat to the early eighties，when Alvina was a baby：or even further back，to the palmy days of James Houghton.In his palmy days，James Houghton was crême de la crême of Woodhouse society.The house of Houghton had always been well-to-do：tradespeople，we must admit；but after a few generations of affluence，tradespeople acquire a distinct cachet.Now James Houghton，at the age of twenty-eight，inherited a splendid business in Manchester goods，5 in Woodhouse.He was a tall，thin，elegant young man with side-whiskers，genuinely refined，somewhat in the Bulwer style.6 He had a taste for elegant conversation and elegant literature and elegant Christianity：a tall，thin，brittle young man，rather fluttering in his manner，full of facile ideas，and with a beautiful speaking voice：most beautiful.Withal，of course，a tradesman.He courted a small，dark woman，older than himself，daughter of a Derbyshire squire.He expected to get at least ten thousand pounds with her.In which he was disappointed，for he got only eight hundred.Being of a romantic-commercial nature，he never forgave her，but always treated her with the most elegant courtesy.To see him peel and prepare an apple for her was an exquisite sight.But that peeled and quartered apple was her portion.This elegant Adam of commerce gave Eve her own back，nicely cored，and had no more to do with her.Meanwhile Alvina was born.

　　Before all this，however，before his marriage，James Houghton had built Manchester House.It was a vast square building?vast，that is，for Woodhouse?standing on the main street and highroad of the small but growing town.The lower front consisted of two fine shops，one for Manchester goods，one for silk and woollens.This was James Hough-ton?s commercial poem.

　　For James Houghton was a dreamer，and something of a poet：commercial，be it understood.He liked the novels of George Macdonald，7 and the fantasies of that author，extremely.He wove one continual fantasy for himself，a fantasy of commerce.He dreamed of silks and poplins，luscious in texture and of unforeseen exquisiteness：he dreamed of carriages of the?County?arrested before his windows，of exquisite women ruffling charmed，entranced to his counter.And charming，entrancing，he served them his lovely fabrics，which only he and they could sufficiently appreciate.His fame spread，until Alexandra，Princess of Wales，and Elizabeth，Empress of Austria，8 the two best-dressed women in Europe，floated down from heaven to the shop in Woodhouse，and sallied forth to show what could be done by purchasing from James Houghton.

　　……