For your inspiration and reading pleasure, another George MacDonald classic retold for today's reader by Michael R. Phillips. Perhaps more than any other MacDonald novel, this story manifests one of the strongest driving forces in his spiritual vision: the theme of godly service to the poor. The narrative centers around Hester Raymount, a twenty-three-year-old Londoner whose loving heart continually reaches out to God and to the poor in her neighborhood. Her benevolence is not without its price, however; growing up in an environment of strict social mores where faith in God was often more cultural than spiritual, Hester's choices concerned obedience to the gospel or conforming to the culture of her day.