"Perhaps I will tell you after I have spoken to father on the subject, which I mean to do at once." Ridge Norris, on his way to the library, where he hoped to find his father, was somewhat of a disappointment to his family.

Born of a mother in whose veins flowed French and Spanish blood, and who had taught him to speak both languages, and of a New England father, who had spent his entire business life in the far South, Ridge had been reared in an atmosphere of luxury.

He had been educated in the North, sent on a grand tour around the world, and had finally been given a position, secured through his father's influence, in a Japanese-American banking house.
From Yokohama he had been transferred to the New York office, where, on account of a slight misunderstanding with one of his superiors, he had thrown up his position to return to his home only a few days before this story opens.
Now his family did not know what to do with him.

He disliked business, and would not study for a profession.

He was a dear, lovable fellow, honest and manly in all his instincts; but indolent, fastidious in his tastes, and apparently without ambition.