The Egoist Chapter I

In which the origins and ambitions of the Patterne family are duly noted, with a particular focus on young Sir Willoughby’s admiration for his valiant but distant relative, Lieutenant Crossjay Patterne of the Marines. Yet when the reality of this visitor’s unceremonious and pugilistic presence at the ancestral Hall becomes apparent, the youthful heir’s tempered pride and circumspection subtly betray the enduring tensions of lineage and expectation.