Chapter 1 An Ordinary Girl
Many years ago in the city of New York, there lived a doctor.
America likes doctors and NewYork liked Dr Sloper.At the time
our story begins, in 1843, Dr Sloper was fifry years old. He was a
good doctor, he was a man of the world, and he was honest.
Life was good to him. At twenry-seven he married a beautiful
and clever girl. She had pretty eyes, ten thousand dollars and a
good place in sociery. For five years Dr Sloper was a happy man.
Many of his wifet friends came to him and he did well in his
proGssion. They lived in a large house in Washington Square - a
quiet corner in a noisy city.
Their first child, a very clever little boy, died when he was
three. His mother's love and his father's profession did not help
him. Two years later, Mrs Sloper had a second child, a girl. The
doctor did not want a girl. But this was not the worst.Two weeks
later, Mrs Sloper died. The little girl's name was Catherine. She
was strong. Her father was not afraid of losing her.
When the child was ten years old, Dr Sloper asked his sister, Mrs
Lavinia Penniman, to come and stay with them. Mr Penniman, a
churchman without a penny, died when Mrs Penniman was
thirty-three. She had no children and no money.
'Stay for six months,'he said.
'I will look for a flat,'she said. She moved into her brother's
house and never went away again. Mrs Penniman told everybody
that the child wanted a clever woman near her. Dr Sloper did not
think his sister was clever, but he was