She had dreamed at times of a marriage that should make her friends wild with envy--of a title, a high title.

Alice had beauty, style, wealth, and vivacity; she would grace a coronet, and mamma would be "Madam, the Countess's mother." But mamma encountered an unexpected obstacle.
When Mrs.Yorke, building her air-castles, casually let fall her idea of a title for Alice, there was a sudden and unexpected storm from an unlooked-for quarter.

Dennis Yorke, usually putty in his wife's hands, had two or three prejudices that were principles with him.

As to these he was rock.

His daughter was his idol.
For her, from the time she had opened her blue eyes on him and blinked at him vaguely, he had toiled and schemed until his hair had turned from brown to gray and then had disappeared from his round, strongly set head.