In the 18th century, the British society was divided into different classes. London, one of the biggest cities in Great Britain at that time, reflects that class system with its different living conditions and privileges.
At the top of London society there were aristocrats and merchants, lawyers and high civil servants. The merchants were often land owners which gave their children the opportunity to marry an aristocrat. This was a chance for them to acquire a title in their own right, like Sir George who married Olive Drome. Before his marriage he had only had a "little corner shop in a low-class district of Edinburgh". He had been "a penny-pinching Edinburgh chandler", "no more honest than he had to be". Now he is the "laird" of High Glen and has extensive powers. The merchants and the lawyers lived in the city, but they also had an estate in the countryside. This is also shown in the novel as the Jamissons have an estate in Heugh and a house in London.
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