As Jane had taken a fancy to the house, which was large and roomy, with beautiful gardens, I let my old home in the city, and when we were not in town we came to live at Ashfields.
On the borders of the Ashfields estate--indeed, part of the land upon which it was built belongs to it--lies a poor suburb of Dunchester occupied by workmen and their families.

In these people Jane took great interest; indeed, she plagued me till at very large expense I built a number of model cottages for them, with electricity, gas and water laid on, and bicycle-houses attached.

In fact, this proved a futile proceeding, for the only result was that the former occupants of the dwellings were squeezed out, while persons of a better class, such as clerks, took possession of the model tenements at a totally inadequate rent.
It was in visiting some of the tenants of these cottages that in an evil hour Jane first met Dr.Merchison, a young man of about thirty, who held some parish appointment which placed the sick of this district under his charge.

Ernest Merchison was a raw-boned, muscular and rather formidable-looking person, of Scotch descent, with strongly-marked features, deep-set eyes, and very long arms.

A man of few words, when he did speak his language was direct to the verge of brusqueness, but his record as a medical man was good and even distinguished, and already he had won the reputation of being the best surgeon in Dunchester.