The chapter begins with the narrator describing the two big houses that exist on the island: the Minister's manse and the Laird's hall.
Currently, the elderly laird, Mr. Harcourt-Smithers, spends summers on Norday to hunt and fish, after his winter stay in London. Though he is still widely respected on the island and richer than the islanders, the laird is not a true islander since his ancestors do not come from the island. The laird is also running his island estate under conditions greatly changed since his grandfather's time. The Laird's hall was once an extremely well run estate, with a large staff and luxurious furnishings. However, by the 1930's, the hall has begun to deteriorate. The laird's grandfather had owned all of Norday "from the lowest stone in the ebb to the topmost.....
